Wonder Woman # 64 review

[kjn]

An improvement over last issue, but it could have been better. It would have been more exciting if the attack simply happened, instead of having Cadmus come to get Diana and explain it to her.

One possibility is of course that Wilson just wanted to give the art team the chance of drawing Diana on a pegasus.

Also, it would have been interesting if we saw the process by which Cale determined the realm of the gods had disappeared, instead of having it explained to us. There's a lot of repetition and exposition that could have been replaced with more detailed scenes. Instead of the pointless talk last issue of Cale with her money manager, why not a visit to the scientists who figured this out?

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of what Veronica says to Diana is based on Veronica's own biases and prejudices.

Also, Nemesis referred to Diana as having been a "clot of dirt." Normally, it's "clod," which means a lump of clay. A clot is a coagulation of blood. I assume it's just a mistake, but even so, it's an intriguing one, if it was intentional- was there blood in that clay, as in the Simone origin?

Wouldn't be surprised if Wilson wanted to call back Simone's (or the 2009 animated movie) story of Diana's birth. Or it's just a typo.

[SiegePerilous02]

I liked the issue. Wilson has a good voice for Cale. And she is bringing some of her pre-Flashpoint motivations into play, though Cale's dislike of Diana was already present in "Godwatch" before her daughter was attacked. "I'm tired of watching you swan around doing what you please, while I work 14 hour days to keep the company I built from scratch afloat." I have to wonder if Veronica would have eventually gone after Wonder Woman even if Izzy hadn't been kidnapped. Is she just using her daughter as an excuse at this point to give way to her cruel impulses?

Also, did Dr. Cyber have a part to play in containing Nemesis and doing the research on Themyscira?

Nemesis's design is an interesting and unexpected link to a previous storyline. On its own I think it would dreadful and wonder what the team was thinking, because Nemesis in Greek mythology is a woman with wings without tentacle hair. But since this Nemesis has been used in a previous storyline and she remembers it, it makes me wonder where Wilson is going with it. Could this be linked to the larger continuity hijinks in Doomsday Clock? Doubtful, but you never know. It could also be an indicator that the Gods exist outside all these reboots and see them all, but Ares and Aphrodite have yet to make similar comments.

At first I wondered why Diana just accepted Cale's words at the end as fact, but upon re-reading the pages it doesn't seem she did. Her doubts and fears have been building for a while, ever since she learned Ares was free. Aphrodite, the mythological refugees and now Nemesis being there are pretty hard evidence that something bad happened. And now Veronica, who similarly has a loved one who may have been endangered, is confronting her and is not bothering to hide her anger and grief, and she's aiming it at Diana. As often happens in real life, all this awful stuff is just hitting her all at once. But it will be interesting to see how she bounces back from that next issue to (if the solicits are an indication) save Nemesis. Maybe this is Nemesis in a corrupted form, and Diana will restore her more accurate true form?

[Pinsir]

Assault with a deadly weapon is a felony offence though, not a civil one. Police would have to press charges against Wonder Woman for that, you don't file a lawsuit...

If this was played purely as a joke then I wouldn't have a problem, but its legit played as a serious philosophical quandary that strikes at the heart of not only Wonder Woman's identity, but superheros as a concept.

[Rakzo]

I haven't been commenting too much about this run... because quite frankly there's not a lot to comment. G. Willow Wilson is surprisingly delivering incredibly underwhelming and uninspired stories that don't shine in any way possible. Hell, I actually liked the last issue but that's mostly because it wasn't really a Wonder Woman story as much as a bunch of funny creatures trying to find their place in the real world, it could have been written in any other book and nothing would have changed.

This issue is actually pretty similar to Wilson's first arc. A few interesting dynamics here and there and is cool that she's using Cale and one of the plot-points that Rucka simply left unresolved (Because Lord KNOWS that there are a lot of plot-points that Rucka left unresolved) but this quickly devolves into predictable superheroics that are not exciting in the slightlest. I wasn't expecting much from Wilson in that regard since typical superhero stuff has never been her strong point but at least I was hoping for more compelling characterization which is supposed to be her strong point.

Also, can I say once again how incredibly BORING Steve is when he's with Diana? I swear to God that he hasn't been interesting since his role in the New 52 and Forever Evil, when he was single and with a purpose.

Art was passable, not great but passable. Pretty much like this whole run.

[Koriand'r]

An improvement over last issue, but it could have been better. It would have been more exciting if the attack simply happened, instead of having Cadmus come to get Diana and explain it to her. Also, it would have been interesting if we saw the process by which Cale determined the realm of the gods had disappeared, instead of having it explained to us. There's a lot of repetition and exposition that could have been replaced with more detailed scenes. Instead of the pointless talk last issue of Cale with her money manager, why not a visit to the scientists who figured this out?

I do like the Cale is attempting to use the law as a way of getting at Diana. It reminds me of Cale in the David Kelley tv pilot. Is Cale going to be reintroducing a Villainy, Inc., that actually has a corporate structure?

I liked the affectionate scene with Steve and Diana, where she's laughing at his pampering, but then she says "you must manage on your own soon enough," as she's turning away. It seems abrupt and weird to interject another exposition, and seems weird and cold in the midst of their snuggle. And how many times so we need to be told the realm of the gods is missing? When you think of it, Aphrodite's appearance is fairly superfluous as well- she's simply there to reiterate once again the gods are displaced, and then to announce someone is coming who then announces something has happened and explains what has happened-- it seems like a lot of wasted space.

I'm not a fan of the art. I know people weren't fans of Nord but he at least gave some nice shadowing to faces, and was adept at depicting mythological creatures. Here, Cale has scratchy lines for contour, and little curly cues for bangs, and Nemesis- along the metal bikini outfit- looks a bit ridiculous, her human form sticking out of the scorpion body or whatever it is.

I like the confrontations between Diana and Nemesis and Cale. I appreciate she tries to de-escalate physical fights but she can get pretty emotional when she's arguing. It's good to see Cale can push her buttons; very appropriate for an arch enemy.

Just a couple of end notes- I think it's very out of character for Cale to have a therapist. She seems the epitome of the do-it-yourself and don't complain Republican who throws herself into work when she needs to let off steam. I can't imagine her baring her feelings to a therapist, no matter how high paid. Actually, some to think of it, it would be funny of she were using Nemesis as her "therapist," screaming at her of the indignities she's had to face because of Wonder Woman. It would be fitting for the goddess of grudges.

Also, Nemesis referred to Diana as having been a "clot of dirt." Normally, it's "clod," which means a lump of clay. A clot is a coagulation of blood. I assume it's just a mistake, but even so, it's an intriguing one, if it was intentional- was there blood in that clay, as in the Simone origin?

The word "clod" comes from "clot" so I can see an ancient goddess using it instead. I can also see Cale having a therapist after all the medical specialists she sought out to treat Izzy and needing help to deal with the pain of losing her best friend and daughter despite her best efforts and guilt from the despicable things she's done to reach the one goal she couldn't obtain. She's someone who uses any professional from archaeologist, to mercenary, to sorceress to get what she wants. She is indeed a Republican though.

[SiegePerilous02]

I haven't been commenting too much about this run... because quite frankly there's not a lot to comment. G. Willow Wilson is surprisingly delivering incredibly underwhelming and uninspired stories that don't shine in any way possible. Hell, I actually liked the last issue but that's mostly because it wasn't really a Wonder Woman story as much as a bunch of funny creatures trying to find their place in the real world, it could have been written in any other book and nothing would have changed.

This issue is actually pretty similar to Wilson's first arc. A few interesting dynamics here and there and is cool that she's using Cale and one of the plot-points that Rucka simply left unresolved (Because Lord KNOWS that there are a lot of plot-points that Rucka left unresolved) but this quickly devolves into predictable superheroics that are not exciting in the slightlest. I wasn't expecting much from Wilson in that regard since typical superhero stuff has never been her strong point but at least I was hoping for more compelling characterization which is supposed to be her strong point.

Also, can I say once again how incredibly BORING Steve is when he's with Diana? I swear to God that he hasn't been interesting since his role in the New 52 and Forever Evil, when he was single and with a purpose.

Art was passable, not great but passable. Pretty much like this whole run.

Steve's purpose in the New 52 And Forever Evil was pretty much just pining after Diana, with anything else amounting to nothing. I can't really find him any more boring here (Or Rebirth in general) than he was there.

[Largo161]

Nice catch! Though Nemesis refers to them having met "in another life", which clearly refers to the JMS Odyssey run, where the clay birth indeed was canon. So it's still deniable to the DC brass, though it's also clear with this that Wilson will work in the clay origin any which way she can.

You guys are giving me hope and dashing it at the same time about getting the clay origin back! 😁

[Joao]

This was one of the best issues so far for me. I didn't buy Cale's plan that much, but Wilson really has her voice right. It's different than Rucka's version in Rebirth (which will forever be the best), but I can see that is who she turned into after those events.

I'm loving Diana's interactions with Steve, they make she feel like a real person. And the last panel really got me. I don't know why but it did.

Liked it a lot.

[VonHammersmark]

I’m decidedly not a big fan of Wilson’s ham-fisted storytelling style, and I liked Veronica better when she didn’t sound like a moustache-twirling cartoon villain such as Mayor Humdinger from Paw Patrol

[Pinsir]

I’m decidedly not a big fan of Wilson’s ham-fisted storytelling style, and I liked Veronica better when she didn’t sound like a moustache-twirling cartoon villain such as Mayor Humdinger from Paw Patrol

Mayor Humdinger is the best character on that show though.

[brettc1]

It's okay.

Having Diana attack Nemesis with the sword was silly when she was trying to talk her down just one panel before, and the speech by the journalist was so obviously exposition that it was painful to read.

But the art was passable, and the team gets an extra mark from me for referencing the post Flashpoint universe and Diana having been made from clay.

A magnetic inversion still isn't anything like what Cale describes here though.

3 out of 5.

And I think that's pretty generous, considering how bland and generic Nemesis looks.

[brettc1]

I had a problem with Nemesis disarming her opponent and shedding the lasso so easily and once again the action was interrupted by dialogue. The art was better than Cary Nord but just barely. Images like Diana riding a flying horse should have been beautiful yet somehow missed their mark. It didn't help that faces were so inconsistent and Diana's costume details were completely inaccurate. Still Veronica Cale felt like herself and her "you can't be that naive" line made me laugh out loud. Nemesis mentioning meeting Diana in another life also made me happy. I could have done without all the melancholy but guess it was appropriate given the circumstances. However Cale's plan was too simplistic and worked a little too well. As it stands it was okay but I'd like Wonder Woman to be more forceful and sure of herself. Two and a half out of five only because thankfully past continuity was addressed.

Agree with pretty much all of this.

Surely the JLA have some kingpin of understanding with law enforcement, as demonstrated by the fact that the police let Diana cross their police line. (Though the officer apparently failing to recognise her when she arrived seems weird - I get the feeling the art let the story down here).

And Diana seems just a bit too fragile. She assumes that Cale is right and her mother and sisters are gone forever, even when evidence that residents of her works still live just gave her a lift to Washington DC on his back.

[Rakzo]

Steve's purpose in the New 52 And Forever Evil was pretty much just pining after Diana, with anything else amounting to nothing. I can't really find him any more boring here (Or Rebirth in general) than he was there.

Nah, he found his own identity helping the Justice League, Justice League of America and particularly during Forever Evil. He hasn't been interesting since then.

[SiegePerilous02]

Nah, he found his own identity helping the Justice League, Justice League of America and particularly during Forever Evil. He hasn't been interesting since then.

It all seemed somewhat interesting at the time, but it all ultimately never went anywhere. He spent his entire Forever Evil mini thinking about Diana before resolving to get over her and then totally NOT getting over her, acting like a bitter ex in SM/WW, and Justice League of America was only relevant to his role in Forever Evil and ceased afterward.

It was fresh and interesting at the time because Steve hadn't been used in so long, but much like the Cheetah stuff, they pretty much strung us along with stuff that fizzled out and never went anywhere.

[Dr. Poison]

This issue was better than the last.There was much less "Zoo Crew" page time and more focus on Diana. The thing I didn't like was Diana slashing Nemesis with her sword before Nemesis even physically attacked her. Veronica Cale made Diana seem like an idiot. I did like the art and Nemesis' new design.