The war of the Amazons has begun. They now stand divided into two factions; those loyal to the imprisoned Princess Diana (Wonder Woman) and those standing by Queen Hippolyta. But how long will this war wage and how many lives will be lost?
INJUSTICE 2 #31
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Mike S. Miller
Cover Artist: Mike S. Miller
Colorist: J. Nanjan
Publisher: DC Comics
What You Need to Know:
Queen Hippolyta has been captured by the defectors in an attempt to escape from Antiope’s coup d’état. But not before sounding the alarm to alert Wonder Woman and her still loyal Amazons to come to her aid. Now both sides prepare for battle with Princess Diana still imprisoned. But none know Kara’s full potential or how much she can sway the battle in favor of either side on a whim.
What You’ll Find Out:
The issue opens in the heat of battle between the two Amazonian factions. Antiope offers Kara a sword so she can join the battle. Kara refuses and tries to stop the fighting. Unfortunately, both the new Wonder Woman (Nubia) and Antiope remain stubborn and prepare to do battle. To everyone’s surprise, Kara intercepts Nubia’s blade and punches her through a wall with little effort. Using the opening, they enter Diana’s cell and prepare to free her. Her chains being made by Zeus would need the key to unlock and free the former Wonder Woman. Not that it stops Kara from breaking the chains. They were made for a god after all, not a Kryptonian.
The moment is killed when Nubia flies in and attacks Kara. She didn’t take the sneak attack lightly. A sentiment shared by Diana who grabs Nubia’s arm and requests her gear back. Nubia refuses and calls Diana weak. Diana responds by attacking Nubia with Kara and another Amazon helping her. Easily besting the new Wonder Woman and reclaiming her iconic gear.
Their mission now completed, the Defected Amazons flee to their ships to escape Themyscira. Thanks to Kara taking charge, grabbing the front of the boat, and flying it off the shorelines they are able to flee the Loyal Amazons wrath.
What Just Happened?
Paradise Lost part 3 seemingly completes the Amazon storyline with Diana both being freed and reclaiming her gear (and title) of Wonder Woman. But that’s about it really. The chapter was very action heavy and felt a bit rushed. Although the fact they have Supergirl on their side as well as canon, the outcome was never really in question.
Nubia, the new Wonder Woman, finally gets a name this chapter which leads to probably the most disappointing part of this issue for me. She finally gets her name spoken just in time for her to be jobbed out to Diana and left in only her tights. They imply that she’s been Wonder Woman for quite some time, possibly since Diana was imprisoned, but gave her nothing else up to this point. For someone who inherited the armor and title, it was sad to see her lose so easily. It makes you wonder if Nubia was really that great a Wonder Woman, to begin with. It’s a real missed opportunity when they could’ve used it to show why she had gained that title in the first place.
Rating: 4.5/10
Final Thought: The art was nice but overall, the chapter felt rushed and fell flat as the ending of an arc. Compared to previous storylines, it was very noticeable that it was part of a prequel story. We knew Kara had to succeed in freeing Wonder Woman so what could’ve been built up or given more fanfare was ended on a whimper. Nubia, while a cool concept, was poorly utilized and had an even sadder exit from the issue. Which is sad when there wasn’t much content in this issue that wasn’t just her fight or scene transition dialogue. Hopefully, the next arc makes up for this sour note.