Wonder Woman #18 // Review
They re-built the Washington Monument. (The Justice League did it.) The whole thing was pretty much reduced to rubble in a previous issue of the series. Then somewhere between the panels and pages and issues, the Justice League rebuilt the Washington Monument. Now Diana looks to rebuild something completely different as she approaches the White House in Wonder Woman #18. Writer Tom King continues a throughly engaging run with one of DC Comics’ greatest heroes in another issue brought to the page by Daniel Samprere with color by Tomeu Morey. King and company have been developing a very carefully-crafted story that has found increasing intensity in every issue without resorting to the kind of genre cliches that such a progression so often embraces.
Before she can get to the White House, Diana is going to face a number of dangers. There are weapons that had been designed to take down a Mongul-level threat. Snipers who had been trained to shoot an eyelash from a mite a mile away can’t seem to hit her. She’s deflecting their fire with a pair of bracelets and goddess-like speed. when she gets through with that, they’re going to threaten people she loves. It’s okay: she’s planned for this.
King paces the issue with a clever eye for rhythm. The ever-increasing progression of threats and dangers could have been expanded into a series of issues, but King is clearly illustrating just how clever and brilliant a tactician Diana is. She’s planed for everything. Plans that have been progressing over the course of the past few issues begin to show themselves as Diana approaches her final showdown with the big villain who is occupying the Oval Office. It’s going to be a hell of a battle when it comes. King is taking his time getting there, but he knows when to speed things up as he does in this issue.
Sampere gives Diana that kind of stature that befits a legend. She’s not posing in overly-dramatic fashion. She’s not moving with exaggerated enthusiasm or grace. What she’s doing this issue is something which must be done and she doesn’t exactly take pleasure in it, so there’s a slow, steady determination about her movements as the world explodes around her while the occupant of the oval offfice looks-on. It’s a pretty powerful moment which moves ahead in clever was with powerful visual appeal that is amplified by the mood fostered by Morey’s colors.
It seems entirely possible hat King has allowed himself the space to work out the power of a two-year run with Diana that features some remarkably good art. It’s a solid entry into the long saga of Diana that fully embraces so much of what makes he such a magnetic character on so many levels. It’s easily one of the best runs with Diana in the better part of a century that it’s been since she was first introduced.
