Wonder Woman #782
Recap
Wonder Woman has been spotted in Sweden?! After narrowly escaping some deadly reflections of herself, Diana has made it to the resting place of Siegfried. In order to forge her new path forward as a hero, she needs to stop living in the past and sever her ties to the Sphere of the Gods. Little does she know, another ex is trying to get in touch with her…and it’s a matter of life and death!
Meanwhile, in Bana-Mighdall, the Amazons make their final stand against a malevolent manticore!
Review
It’s the beginning of the second arc from the superstar creators Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad, and they’re going big as they build up to the upcoming 2022 event (this marks Wonder Woman’s first major event since the War of the Gods storyline from 1991). The issue starts with Wondy and Boston (that’s Deadman) on a flight to Sweden because they want to pay their respects to Siggy, when their flight is attacked by a bevy of Wonder Women. They’re able to breach the airplane that our heroes are on, but they shatter like glass when hit in the face by Deadman’s host body, so I’m not sure on what exactly is going on here. My knowledge of DC Comics and their lore is pretty extensive for most of their characters, but Deadman isn’t one of those that I’m overly familiar with. He displays a power here I didn’t know he was capable of, but if he has, please let me know. You can find me on Twitter under BeRadtz.
CloonRad continue their subplot involving Dr. Psycho, now going by Cizko, and it’s got me hooked. I’ve said it before, but it should have been Psycho, not Max Lord, who was the villain for WW ‘84, and the charisma they give him here only reinforces my opinion on it. CloonRad also introduces a new threat here, and I gotta say I’m very impressed by him in the couple panels he’sin. He’s the mastermind behind the duplicate Wonder Women, and his visuals here are fantastic. He exudes both a classic and modern design, and I love it. I can’t wait to see what type of troubles he brings to our titular heroine.
Marcio Takara is back in this issue, and his art is always a pleasant surprise to read. His style is a very large departure from Travis Moore, but that’s okay. Variety is the spice of life, or something like that. I especially liked the way his portrayal of Deadman, and the dead body he was piloting for much of the issue, as well as the Image Maker. Deadman’s possessed cadaver looked weird, and added to the pleasure of reading him in that state. I wouldn’t be upset if Moore/Takara were the rotating artists for this run.
Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge are back with another installment of the Road to the Trial of the Amazons in the backup, and I love it. Vita’s taking the Amazons of Bana Mighdall and running loose with them. This sect has desperately needed to be fleshed out, and I couldn’t be happier with what they’re doing here. I’ve waited years for this kind of development for the Bana Mighdallians (idk if that’s a word so trademark!). They’ve given the Amazons who aren’t Artemis so much personality and agency here, that it makes me want an ongoing or mini from this team. Kudos all around.
Final Thoughts
We’re only two issues into the second arc from the CloonRad team, and we’ve already introduced to a new threat for Wonder Woman, development on the Dr. Cizko subplot, more fun with Diana & Boston, plus further development for the Bana Migdhall tribes from Vita Ayala as we head closer to the upcoming 2022 Wonder Woman event. This book just seems to get better with every new issue.
Wonder Woman #782: In your satin tights, fighting for your rights
- Writing - 9.5/109.5/10
- Storyline - 9.5/109.5/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9.5/109.5/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10