Written by Amanda Conner
and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Tom Derenick
Published by DC Comics
Wonder Woman is trapped on a mysterious island with giant jaguars, oversized mosquitoes, and alien robots.
If that’s not enough, Cheetah has entered the fold. It’s quite the shift in circumstances considering Wonder Woman sought out the island to rescue Steve Trevor.
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote a madly in love Diana who continually refers to Steve as her love. It’s as much a romantic tale as it is an adventure with lives hanging in the balance. It’s a little weird seeing Wonder Woman so in love and being all sentimental since she usually doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve.
There is a moment later where Steve helps an injured Wonder Woman, who at first is apprehensive about accepting help because she’s never had to before. Steve reminders her that everyone needs help at some point, and with the lesson learned, she gladfully takes him up on his offer. It felt like a teachable moment that was trying to display that even the best of us need help sometimes.
Along with Wonder Women so unapologetically in love, Conner and Palmiotti make Diana more relatable, while showing readers she’s not that much different from the rest of us when it comes down to it. Such a subplot wouldn’t have worked in the titular character’s on-going series.
However, these stories were published in the giant-sized format exclusively for Walmart stores were meant for a casual audience. Perhaps, younger readers who have never picked up a Wonder Woman comic book before will have an easier time seeing themselves in her with different narrative strokes.
Speaking of the narrative, it keeps things interesting as new developments pop up throughout the book. Wonder Woman’s powers began to fade, which seemingly came out of nowhere since there was no hint of this occurring in the previous issue. Conner and Palmiotti make it work quite nicely while Tom Derenick provides shadowy reminders that Cheetah is lurking about.
Cheetah has been known to give the Amazon Princess a good fight while she’s at full strength. Now, nearly depowered, the thought of such a confrontations looms over the story like a dark cloud. When Cheetah finally strikes, she makes a different play, which completely subverts expectations in a manner that questions what comes next.
The hallmark moment of the book comes when Diana has a dream about being kicked out of the Justice League because she no longer has her powers. The sequence screams nightmare at first; however, this wasn’t a hollow plot point solely for shock value. It was well done and showed the League having empathy for Diana’s predicament instead of cruelly casting her aside, which is how most dream sequences occur. Their concern for Diana made me wonder if this was indeed a dream. Of course, it was a dream, and it did a great job of keeping things interesting while showing Diana’s internal strife concerning her powers.
Derenick’s artwork does a serviceable job with its visual direction. Fight scenes and action sequences are where Derenick shines best. They are bright, comfortable for the reader to take it, and no unnecessary clutter was taking up page space. Overall, this third installment is quite a fun read. The story moved along at a nice brisk pace, kept things exciting, and provided some thought-provoking elements. It’s all tied to the big question, how will Wonder Woman save the day this time.
Rating: B+
