Wonder Woman #785 // Review
Diana wants to throw the Lasso of Truth around every single Amazon. It would be a violation of freedom and dignity, but it’s understandable: her mother has been murdered, and she has a simple way of figuring out who did it. Finding answers isn’t going to be that easy in Wonder Woman #785. Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad bring the Trial of the Amazons crossover into its third chapter with the aid of Finnish artist Rosi Kämpe and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. Also included is the opening of a whole new Young Diana series by Jordie Bellaire with manga-inspired art by Paulina Ganucheau.
There is a killer on the loose in Themyscira. The search for justice must not halt the trials that must commence. Doom’s Doorway needs a guardian. Three Amazon nations must choose champions in the midst of the danger as Diana searches her conscience for the best way to aid the greater good of all. Champions are chosen. Blood is shed at the Doorway. A decision is made. Meanwhile, in the distant past, Young Diana continues her training--this time under the tutelage of her own mother, who leads her to learn of the source of the island’s sustenance.
Cloonan and Conrad have a lot of ground to cover in very few pages. Internal politics between the three Amazon nations develop in clever, little scenes as Wonder Woman’s deeper emotional concerns become quite vividly rendered. Hints are delivered around the edges of the action as to what might be going on. It’s all quite well-balanced, though the bloodshed at Doom’s Doorway comes across as a minor concern amid everything. A major event like that should have been given a bit more space. There are some moving moments in the issue, including Diana’s heart-to-heart with the pet kanga from her childhood. Elsewhere, Bellaire’s idyllic, coming-of-age story provides a lighter contrast to the darkness, which is echoes in the appearance of characters in Diana’s childhood who are present for the big crossover in the issue’s main feature.
Marcio Takara’s delicately articulated art from the past few issues of the series gives way to the more drama-intensive art style of Rosi Kämpe. Everything seems to acquire a weight and meaning under Kämpe’s pen, from a quiet visit to a temple to a moody moment between hero and kangaroo. Ganucheau’s style is a refreshing end to the issue, providing a light and cheery anime feel to the end of the chapter that should prove to be quite welcome amidst the darkness that approaches in the remainder of the crossover and beyond.
The consistency between artist and writer in the Young Diana series is a nice emotional anchor at issue’s end. Diana is seen at two deeply contrasting stages in her life. There are actually very few major heroes who would work with this format, which is why it’s so remarkably clever for the contrast between childhood and adulthood to be presented every month in Wonder Woman.
