Ricky Church reviews Wonder Woman #11…
“THE LIES” part six! In the conclusion to this epic tale, the lie is revealed as Wonder Woman returns to Themyscira in the company of Steve Trevor to find that nothing has changed—and everything is wrong.
Greg Rucka and Liam Sharp’s Wonder Woman tale ‘The Lies’ came to a close and while there’s little in the way of actual answers towards the big lie Diana has been attempting to discover, Wonder Woman #11 is still a great issue that leaves off with a very interesting cliffhanger and again gorgeous artwork by Sharp.
This is a quiet issue which focuses more on the relationship and history Diana and Steve share. It is again nice to see the pair together after the first half of ‘The Lies’ kept them separated for so long. Diana and Steve’s interactions really focused on the history they’ve shared and how they met in the first place, even with Steve remembering certain Amazons from his time there.
While Rucka didn’t answer many of the questions regarding Diana’s altered history, that’s not too much of a problem since it’s clear he’s playing the long game. Whether this is some plot of Ares, Veronica Cale or another of Wonder Woman’s enemies or ties into the larger revelation of DC Universe Rebirth remains to be seen, but it’s certainly fun to ponder over who or what has the kind of power to mess with Wonder Woman in this way.
These questions bring up some elements from past creator runs, namely Brian Azzarello’s New 52 run that was somewhat continued by Meredith and David Finch. Though it might be frustrating for some to see Azzerello’s tale seemingly wiped from continuity since it was one of The New 52’s better stories, it’s still nice to see it discussed in such a direct way.
The story on Themyscira may be the main one, but there’s also been a fair bit heating up on the mainland as well. Veronica Cale and Etta Candy’s scene was tense, but Candy shows she’s “not opposed to fisticuffs” against Cale’s forces. Cale’s mysterious presence in this story and her collection of gods is another intriguing factor in Rucka’s tale it makes one wonder how long until she appears in the ‘Year One’ era of the story.
The art again proves to be a strong selling point for the series and is one of the best-looking books DC is putting on shelves right now. Liam Sharp’s body language tells quite a lot of the character’s emotions. The facial work again sticks out with Sharp giving a lot of detail with the characters, whether he’s displaying Diana’s anguish, Steve’s confusion or Cale’s hint of a smirk. Sharp really excels at the facial detail.
The colours also pop in this issue. Though most of the issue uses a dark palette, the parts that are colourful really compliment the darkness of Themyscira and the lie it is telling. Laura Martin knows how to make the sunset feel alive, but the best example of colour work comes when the lie is literally shattered, showing the difference between Themyscira in Rucka’s alternating storylines.
Wonder Woman #11 is a nice conclusion to the opening salvo of Rucka’s story, one that ticks off all the boxes. Emotion, character development and artwork are all really stellar here.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
Originally published November 28, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
