Wonder Woman #800: – Look at Yesterday to See What Tomorrow Brings

It is Wonder Woman’s 800th issue, and we say goodbye to Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan, who has shepherded Diana, and her world for the last two years, and say a warm welcome to Tom King and Daniel Sampere as they get ready to help lead us on Diana’s next journey, as they introduce us to Trinity, the future daughter of Diana and an unknown father. Joining Michael and Becky are some of the best names in the business. We’re treated to a story that resembles A Christmas Carol.

As with the last issue, each chapter deals with another character who has a deep, and meaningful connection to Diana, and with each chapter we had a different artist, and got to see exactly how much she means to those closest to her, and how her presence in their lives has made an impact on those she cares for the most. It was an incredibly touching farewell from these two who have shared their vision of who Diana is, and given us an insight to what she means to them.

With this issue we began with an adventure in Brazil, as Diana and Yara Flor are busy playing a game of cat and mouse in the jungles, when they find that they’re being chased by what appears to be the Greek monsters, the Hecatoncheires, which if you’re unfamiliar they were children of the Titans, who were giants who had a hundred heads and a hundred strong arms, who met these Wonder Women and their mighty blades, with art by the absolutely amazing Joëlle Jones, Yara’s creator. The art was absolutely sensational. Joëlle put her blood sweat and tears into these pages, and it shows. Her love for both Diana and Yara just oozes out of each and every panel. What didn’t quite click was the tale itself. Their entire story was about the two enjoying the hunt, and to cherish and celebrate the warrior aspect of who these women are, but it was unfortunately light on any sort of emotional impact and connection. It’s something that I hope to see explored in the coming years.

From there we move to a sweet moment between Diana, and her younger sister, Donna Troy, the first Wonder Girl. It was a very welcome two-page exchange, that was both beautiful and heartbreaking. What I found to be beautiful was seeing these two sisters who mean the world to me finally spending some time together. It’s something that’s become a tragedy, hurting both Donna and Diana. Thanks to things like the original Crisis, and forcing Donna to be edited by a different group editor who edited the Titans line of titles, seeing the two together in Diana’s book would be almost nonexistent for decades. Seeing the two sisters during the Orlando run, and then again in the “Trial of the Amazons” touched me.

I’ve been a fan of Wonder Woman since before I could read, and when I finally could read was attracted to all things related to Wonder, including Donna, the original Wonder Girl. Donna was the character who brought me to the Titans franchise, so seeing her in a monthly where she was given the space to develop and mature into a fully realized character who could stand up on her own. She was not just a piece of art, she was a heart upon which the other Titans revolved around. As their success grew, and the more the DC Universe grew after the Crisis, the more she was ostracized from the Wonder mythology, and the weaker the link between these sisters became. I hope that as the next chapter begins, there will be a strengthening of the bond that’s been all but forgotten by the comics buying world.

From there we get a story involving Cassie, and a page that dealt with Artemis, but it’s not until the Batman chapter did the team strike a cord. Diana holds a very important position in the DC Universe hierarchy, that has been affectionately coined as the Trinity, that consists of Diana, Bruce, and Clark. Now if you’re unsure who the Trinity are, and why they’re so important it’s because of this: these three characters have been continuously published since their debuts in 1938 and 1941, and they are the only characters that any comic company can boast about. It’s because of this that DC has formed an almost mythical bond and relationship between the three. It was even further explored in two series lovingly titled Trinity.

As the Fates take us to the next chapter, we see a scene that’s become all too familiar; the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents, and the catalyst that created the Batman. With this story, Diana embraces Bruce, showing him love and compassion, and empathy to hold him, and let him know that the pain he feels is real, and will be there with him for the rest of his life, there will be others around him to help hold him up when he feels like he can’t stand on his own, and it’s this moment that nearly brought me to tears. Becky and Michael have given us a moment that is so special and unique to who Wonder Woman is, and what she represents, that goes deeper than tiaras, and bracelets. Deeper than a lasso, a sword and shield, or even an invisible jet. She is the hope that inspires us to be better than we think we are. Be that someone that shines a light on others to lead them to a brighter tomorrow.

After Bruce, the Fates lead to Clark, and the personalities complement each other and give us a depth in ways that Bruce and Clark could ever go down. I’m not saying that the World’s Finest’s crew has diminished, or less important than their relationship, but there’s an emotional depth that SuperBat just isn’t capable of forming due to Bruce’s childhood traumas. These two are probably the biggest beacons of hope within the DC Universe that few others can relate to. Bruce inspires fear, and suspicion, while Diana and Clark share their love, faith, and vision to make the world better than it is today, and something that should be celebrated and the norm from the rest of the world.

The most powerful and profound sequence with Diana and her mother. The scenes are of a beautiful, loving, mother and daughter. Their love transcends a beautiful love letter between a mother and her daughter. There’s one line that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. “I never wanted you to be easy. By the goddesses, I wanted you to be good.” It’s a simplistic phrase that gives one such hope, and love that transcends concepts and barriers, even life and death. Thank you, Michael and Becky leaving us with a run that has touched us in such a deep and personal journey.

As Becky and Michael pass the torch to Tom King and Daniel Sampere, they begin their run with introducing the newest member of the Wonder family, Elizabeth Marston Prince, aka Trinity. Trinity rounds out the children of DC’s Big Three, and their first meeting becomes a mystery of who exactly is Lizzie’s true father. King’s voices for Damien and Jon are just a superficial take, but it’s only a few pages, so I’m not expecting much from the team. Sampere’s art here is impeccable. I’ve always been a fan, but he’s outdoing himself here. Whether it’s the waves crashing against the rocks marking Trinity’s arrival, to Jon in a constant hover, behind Damien as the Batman a trench coat. Sampere really pulls out all the stops, and it shows.