Wonder Woman #62 The Just War - Conclusion and Spoilers

[kjn]

No thread yet? Where's Nyssane?

It's the final showdown between Ares and Diana as she protects the prime minister of Durovnia from the rage of Ares. Ares manages to take the lasso from Diana, but Diana manages to reclaim it and school Ares in the ways of its use. Diana finally manages to hit Ares hard enough to make him pay attention, and Aphrodite uses that opening to talk some sense into Ares, but we don't get to read her punchline. Apparently, that was only for the gods.

Some sort of ceasefire between the government and the rebels is reached, to be followed by proper peace negotiations and possibly a separation. As a condition of that treaty, all the gods and their attendants must leave Durovnia, and that includes Diana.

Ares intends to leave on a quest to find Athena, and tasks Diana to complete it if he should fail. Diana finally takes her leave of a recovering Etta Candy (and a Steve who finally has managed to find a new shirt) and asks the sky if her mother and Themyscira is still safe.

Xermanico's art is good throughout, with a really menacing Ares, and a Diana who can be both decisive and strong, but also can show vulnerability when the script calls for it. The action is short and decisive, but I think Wilson overuses the use of grunts and other vocalised sound effects. The fight between Diana and Ares has no less than seven such, and that's at least five too many.

I felt this opening arc raised some good questions, but the question about the impact on the common people and civilians when gods or superpowers fight that was raised by the end of the Durovnian conflict felt a bit unbuilt. It was probably because we had seen so few of these common people yet in the story. We saw them rescued at times, but not much and they never received the focus or a voice.

I also miss the happy and fun Etta. The Etta we get here is a lot more somber, though I'm glad she's not the Amanda Waller-lite Etta that we got in #58.

[Konja7]

Well, I read the issue.I don't know how to feel about this. The resolution of the arc feels rushed.

I like Aphrodite speaking with Ares. I'm curious what she says him at the end.

[kjn]

Well, I read the issue.I don't know how to feel about this. The resolution of the arc feels rushed.

I think we should not read this is as an arc per se, but rather perhaps as an overture or prologue: it sets the tone for the rest of the story and introduces the themes and questions that will be worked over and explored more in the future story. I do think there is a rushed element to the ending, but more than that I think it feels like that becuase it is not meant as a resolution.

So I expect we will see more about the relation between war, peace, and justice; refugees and displacement; and the role/purpose of love in coming issues.

[Nyssane]

Sorry! I've been super busy lately. Thanks for creating the thread kjn!

I did read the issue and... I didn't love it. I don't know, it felt like something was missing. There were some great moments for Diana, as well as Ares and Aphrodite, but as a whole I just wasn't completely satisfied with the conclusion to this arc. But I'm optimistic for future story arcs nonetheless.

[kjn]

Sorry! I've been super busy lately. Thanks for creating the thread kjn!

I did read the issue and... I didn't love it. I don't know, it felt like something was missing. There were some great moments for Diana, as well as Ares and Aphrodite, but as a whole I just wasn't completely satisfied with the conclusion to this arc. But I'm optimistic for future story arcs nonetheless.

No problem, we're just used to you creating them!

I think not being satisfied with the conclusion here is an eminently sensible reaction, partly because it's not really a conclusion (as I described in my prior post), partly because Diana isn't satisfied with what she had managed to achieve.

[Joao]

Well, I liked it a lot for specific reasons, but I'm totally with you, kjn. The discussion felt unbuilt. The whole arc did feel anticlimactic, to be honest. A good prologue for what's to come though.

What I liked: this was the best issue for Diana yet. She had a voice, FINALLY! I really loved when she talked about the lasso, and her inner thoughts felt more natural. I even got emotional at the end (and a big part of that is Xermanico's amazing art. It's so balanced regarding Diana. I'm truly impressed). Although... I'm not sure how I feel about Diana calling Ares "folly". Is that okay for you guys? English is not my first language so I'm not sure about some cultural subtleties.

It is also clear that Wilson has something to say about contemporary war and the role of the United States (the "god" among countries) here. Diana being asked to leave a country she tried to help? That was fresh. It reminded me of some discussions about Spirit of Truth. And I feel Diana questioning herself worked much better here.

I don't know. I really liked it. I liked Aphrodite again and I'm glad she's following Diana.

The arc was a slow start, but I like it enough to keep excited.