“Love and Murder: Part 4”
Writer: Jodi Picoult
Artists: Terry and Rachel Dodson
Publisher: DC Comics
It’s no secret that the most iconic female in comic books is a mixed bag these days. A failed, Joss Whedon-helmed film hit the bricks, a re-launch of her series from TV mega-star Allan Heinberg was a miserable failure, and currently, her continuity is all screwed up. Throw in the almost unnecessary “Amazons Attack” storyline in its own series, and Wonder Woman fans are left scratching their heads. Best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult has been doing a decent job with what she has been given, and her first foray into comic books has been a relative success. I'll assume Wonder Woman #8 was intended to build-up Amazons Attack #1. As I stated in my review, that issue featured more development, character and a much more interesting story than Amazons Attack #1 did. In fact, without reading Picoult’s Wonder Woman #8, Amazons Attack would have seemed like a pointless event with nice artwork. I also still stand firm that Wonder Woman #8 was the best issue of Wonder Woman since Greg Rucka's tenure.
Picoult’s run continues, and the Amazons have launched their full attack. Picoult is handling the Amazon invasion perfectly, following every character’s arc carefully and keeping their involvement in the story clear, raising the question why there is even a separate Amazons Attack series. Will Pfeifer really needs to step up his game next week in Amazons Attack #2 because Picoult has definitely provided the meat to the story.
Picoult is doing a formidable job cleaning up the mess left in the wake of “One Year Later.” She’s managed to give Wonder Woman a great personality; Diana has a bit of youth and sarcasm to her voice. I think Hal Jordan’s declaration from Green Lantern #16 sums it up pretty well: “I never thought of Diana as cute.” Wonder Woman's revitalized personality seems to really work, and it makes her a little more fun to read, as opposed the “Xena: Warrior Politician” that Greg Rucka seemed to write her as.
I do have one small concern with this issue. I mentioned in my review of Amazons Attack #1 that Washington D.C. was just laid to waste in Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. One could argue that it was a different Earth, but I don’t think DC has really gotten into the dynamics of the different Earths. Even though Uncle Sam is small fish compared to Wonder Woman, it was still an amazing series that presented incredible destruction on our nation’s capital, specifically the Washington Monument. Unfortunately for that iconic structure, it gets knocked down again, the difference between this time and in Uncle Sam comes in the form of the major heroes taking an involvement in the world’s defense.
I never cared about Nemesis until Jodi Picoult started to write his character and the budding relationship between him and Diana. Their dialogue seems a bit juvenile at some points, but it works because these two are still feeling each other out, and Diana even shows signs of jealousy when Nemesis has some flirtatious banter with Black Canary. I really hope this relationship goes somewhere. Not only will it offer a decent place for the story to go, but it will also propel Nemesis, who Picoult writes as a very likeable character. Their relationship makes me wish Picoult could be free of the Amazons Attack story and craft something on her own; she has given Wonder Woman a distinct new voice and actually made Nemesis a “somebody.”
On the topic of Nemesis, he really has his moment in this issue. He deduces that Sarge Steel has been replaced by a doppelganger and quickly shape shifts into Sarge to fool the Meta-human Affairs people. Nemesis knows enough about Sarge Steel to prove he is the “real” thing and manages to escape custody. As Nemesis’ purpose develops and increases throughout this series and this issue, I am beginning to wonder about a Picoult helmed mini-series starring Nemesis. He’s smart, clever and definitely one of the most interesting “low-level” characters outside of 52 and Countdown. He confronts the Sarge doppelganger who turns out to be Lex Luthor’s artificial hero, Everyman. Everyman has devised a plot to nuke Themyscira. The obvious assumption is that Circe is behind it and that would be rather predictable.
However, there is a unexpected twist at the end of this issue (and climax of a Wonder Woman/Circe fight) that makes me hopeful that something greater is indeed going on. Hippolyta knows she has been betrayed by Circe. Diana doesn’t believe it’s the real Hippolyta, and the Amazons are ready to wipe out all of mankind. But again the question remains, why is Everyman involved? Is it possible Lex Luthor is trying to get his hands on the purple death ray? The end of the issue leaves Wonder Woman with a choice, a choice that will hopefully make Amazons Attack a lot more interesting than the first issue of that series. At least the Justice League is going into battle in Amazons Attack #2, because as it seems right now Wonder Woman is all you need to follow that story.
While the story and the writing in this issue is rather strong and definitely shows Picoult’s improving comic talents, the artwork surprisingly suffers. I’ve been praising the Dodson’s artwork lately, and I really feel they have brought on a definitive interpretation of Wonder Woman. The quality of the artwork in this issue is sub-par at best. The colors are washed out, very uncharacteristic of Alex Sinclair, and there is an uncharacteristic amount of inconsistency in many of the characters featured. While Terry Dodson’s pencils are fairly on point, the inks and the colors lack the depth that have made the Dodson’s (and Sinclair’s) work really stand out during this series.
Overall, another strong performance by Picoult, who is rapidly improving with each issue. My hope is that the twist at the end stays as such, and there is something greater behind Amazons Attack and this storyline. With Picoult’s help it seems as though Wonder Woman is finally getting her feet on solid ground following the “One Year Later” mess.
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