Writer: Greg Rucka / Artist: Bilquis Evely / DC Comics
I bet she tried to say she gave me her all, she played ball”- MF DOOM[/quote_simple]
We’re going to have to nickname Greg Rucka “The Closer.” If Geoff Johns is the go-to guy that DC Comics’ uses to fix their mistakes with retcons and fresh takes, then Greg Rucka is the DC Comics’ go-to guy for closing the deal on a character and giving us his hot takes. You’re not arguing that man, look what him Sharp and Evely have done for Wonder Woman. Look at the work — two stories at opposite ends of Diana Prince’s history both moving toward present day and unraveling more of her character. Twice this creative team has done this. Twice. Pay that homage ten-fold cause we serfs don’t even deserve this good a story but Diana Prince does.
The creative team could have taken it easy with this Epilogue for the Godwatch arc. We’ve already got huge revelations and ramifications from the last issue. It could have been a cake walk from there. Diana comes back into Steve’s arms assuring him it’s all over but also letting him know she truly can’t go home. We coulda ended there. We see Veronica Cale having to give up her daughter Isadore, the loneliness she feels as she watches Steve and Diana embrace in having one another, her whole world coming down around after her corrupt ass actions through ten years of trying to cure her daughter (again only to have to leave her to the Amazons). We coulda stopped there, but we didn’t. Oh, no Rucka and Evely did not stop there at all.
This issue largely focuses on Barbara Minevera (Cheetah if you with the shits). You can’t help but feel she gets left in the fray again, and there are others pointing that out. Now, lemme tell you what I fuck with. I fuck with people that embrace that situation they’re given and say you know what, fuck it is. This is me now. Cheetah has a strong revelation this issue that echoes that sentiment and makes this issue all the more worth it. Man, when I tell you I wasn’t expecting this shit. I was caught off guard by the way this issue went with her direction but you honestly can’t truly blame Cheetah for her actions. She sacrificed herself to save her team and what does she get for it? Bamboozled. Lead astray. Run amok. Fuck that noise.
Evely does an incredible job drawing the focus on Cheetah trough her mannerisms, facial expressions, and that fucking stare she has that’s full of murderous intent. It’s a sharp contrast to the expressions we see from Veronica Cale this issue as she is frustrated but still has that cold demeanor (with a hint of arrogance). All I’ma say is Evely paints a great picture toward the end of this book that y’all need to check out.
Cheetah was the real MVP for this issue. You’re not going to convince me otherwise. Rucka has been building a thicker and well mapped out history between Diana and Barbara Minerva that’s way more solid than what we’ve seen from previous incarnations of Wonder Woman history and mythos. Evely and Sharp continue to bring that road map to life from the various stages of their interactions throughout the years. When we talk about the dream team of creative pairings for Wonder Woman, this is the crew that will be argued to the front of the line.
Reading Wonder Woman? Find BNP’s other reviews of the series here.
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