A tale of Batman and Wonder Woman as they keep a promise to a Warrior who fights a never-ending battle to keep the world free of Demons.
Batman #39
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Joelle Jones
Cover Artist: Mikel Janin Variant Cover: Oliver Coipel & Dave Stewart
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: DC Comics
What You Need to Know:
In the last few issues, we have seen Batman interacting with the Man of Steel and bringing all of his lives together with the introduction of Catwoman/ Selina Kyle into the fold. So it was only a matter of time before Wonder Woman would be in the mix.
The Bat signal has been activated, and James Gordon is Pissed! Heads will roll!
He arrives to find that it’s The Princess of the Amazons herself, Wonder Woman. She thought it would be more fun this way to contact Batman.
What You’ll Find Out:
A promise was once made to a Warrior that they called the Gentle Man, and he has called for that favor to be honored. Wonder Woman has asked Batman to accompany her to the land where he resides to take over for him, and offer him rest from his endless battle.
The Gentle Man. A Warrior that protects us as Monsters are spawned from the Sins of man.
Selina is skeptical at best and wonders why Superman cannot go in his stead. “Powers don’t work in this realm as they do here. Fighting Prowess is more essential.Wonder Woman and I have an advantage over Superman in that Area.”Batman tells her. As he suits up, he already knows what she going to say.
What Just Happened:
Wonder Woman chides Batman as well about his armor, but mostly because it is his Gender that always looks ridiculous in Armor. Her having grown up on an island of Warrior maidens. Luckily they will get over the embarrassment. When she sees the “Bat Knight” in action she swiftly changes her tune.
There is this constant battle, for the horde is never-ending. And it is clear that the warriors are becoming closer. They have fought together, bled together and waged the war against the sins of man together. They are connected deeply by friendship and their years of fellowship in battle; however, it appears that there may be something else just under the surface budding as they remain here. Time works differently here and Hours pass by in the Real world, which becomes years at a time in the Demon Dimension.
Joelle Jones captures Wonder Woman beautifully.
In the Meantime, Selina will be in charge of the Gentle Man, as he takes his vacation from the ceaseless battle. He asks her if she is a Demon and Selina responds “No or at least not today.” She guides him through Gotham. Most Notably they go to a Batman-themed Cafe. He has some deep discussions to bring up when he finds out that she is his Bride to be. “Is he a Good man?”
She responds “I hope so.”
“Why would you marry a man if you can only hope he is good?” Asks the Gentle Man.
She just stares at him with her Green eyes and dodges the question. Shortly afterward they are attacked by a gun-toting thug, Bad timing guy, as Selina kicks away the gun, the Gentle Man tosses a Haymaker to his jaw, introducing him to the floor. As they walk on he reveals that he has been fighting for Thousands of years, since time passes differently. And as they have been gone for hours, it has been ages in that dimension. The Gentle man tells Selina that he was from here originally, and that he has a wife here, but he has not seen her since he left to fight the Hordes, just over a year ago. It appears that Selina may be concerned that batman would be sequestered with Wonder Woman for so long.
Finally we return to Batman and Wonder Woman. They are in rest after fighting the armies of the Hordes of Gehenna. They nurse their wounds and sore bodies by the fire and just talk. having grown closer these past ten years they find it harder to fight the growing temptation any longer. It looks like their time may not be up soon enough. Fighting Hordes are easy, but fighting your passions is another story.
Rating: 10/10
Final Thought:
The judge of a great comic are the levels that it hits you on. On all of the parts coming together to work as a Cohesive whole. The Art, the Colors, the Story, all working in harmony. Is it memorable, exciting and is it a story that you cannot wait to tell your friends about? Granted this is a subjective review, and based on two or three characters that I personally love, but there’s this conflicting undertone that is weaved beautifully into a story about keeping an oath, and being honorable. At the core this is a story about how loyalty is a choice, and a difficult one to keep at times, and it just struck me as comic moment that I will remember. Wonder Woman and Batman are fighting a battle on multiple fronts, and to a large degree, we are getting to see just how serious Batman’s love for Selina really is. This is a beautifully dine story, and a must pick up.