Wonder Woman #796: It’s a Love Bomb!

I have to say, I’m really not a big fan of the cover art by the usually amazing Yanick Paquette (alongside fan-favorite Nathan Fairbairn). There’s something really icky about Diana being posed in a subservient manner while fawning over a man. I get that it’s the point of the story – Eros is a master of emotional manipulation, but I do wish the cover felt a bit more dignified for our amazing amazon.

Hera’s making some big plays in this story arc of Wonder Woman, and I have some mixed feelings about it. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, if you’re a Wonder Woman fan you’ve likely seen (and fell in love with) Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons, which paints Hera in a different light than the one we see here. Hera in Historia is one of the most fascinating characters in the Wonderverse. Here, however, Hera seems to fall into several “evil queen” tropes. And we haven’t really seen anything that new or interesting with her yet.

This issue will read brilliantly in collected form, but I felt some aspects lingered a little longer than they should have. The battle with Hyperion is exciting, but we’ve seen the battle continue for a few issues now. Same with Eros, who also comes off a bit one-note like Hera. The overall message of Diana’s friendship to her allies being so important to her is greatly appreciated, though.

There’s a weird interaction between Cheetah and Etta that I’m still convinced means Cheetah has an agenda of her own. If she doesn’t, it’ll be quite crushing to see her not live up to her reputation as Diana’s #1 foe, but my confidence ball is still in Cloonan and Conrad’s court. We’re nearing closer to Wonder Woman’s milestone 800th issue, so I’m hoping the pair are able to stay on the series or are at least given a chance to wrap up their run in a satisfying way.