Ricky Church reviews Wonder Woman #17…
“THE TRUTH” part two! As Wonder Woman picks up the pieces of her shattered psyche, Barbara Ann Minerva walks into the devil’s lair to defend her…or is she being led into Godwatch’s trap?
Wonder Woman #17 took some greater strides to make Veronica Cale a villain worthy to go up against the famed heroine and her allies. Greg Rucka has placed her mostly in the shadows throughout his run, but here he writes her as a quite ruthless character as she steps up her game to find Themyscira. Combined with Liam Sharp’s artwork, it is definitely a great looking issue.
Wonder Woman is again pushed to the sidelines a bit as she’s forced to hollow in the shattered remnants of her mind, guided along by her imaginary snake friend. It’s interesting how the snake and Rucka deconstruct Wonder Woman’s self-image and the many contradictions to her persona, like how she’s been an ambassador for peace yet also the God of War. Its not the first time Rucka has examined her seeming contradictions in the storyline, but I don’t think it will stop being enjoyable to see Rucka delve into the many ways her character is perceived.
This issue was really the highlight for the villains, however. When Rucka last used Cale years ago, she was a cold person, but now she’s crossed the line into some truly villainous territory as she used Steve, Etta and the recently returned Ferdinand against Barbara Ann as leverage. Right now she’s shaping up to be Wonder Woman’s version of Lex Luthor in a bigger way than she previously was. It will be interesting to see how she became this way in the past-timeline issues. On that note of Barbara Ann as well, it was tragic to see her transformed back to the Cheetah after seeing so many issues of her as a regular human being again, but it was also a sacrifice which showed just how much Diana and her friends meant to her.
The scene where Barbara Ann turns back was a great looking moment despite its tragedy. It’s because of Liam Sharp’s artwork that makes you really feel the tragedy behind the change and knowing there’s a strong chance she’ll never again be cured. The emotion of Barbara Ann’s face, both as a human and Cheetah, sells it thanks to Sharp’s work. What elevates this sequence is the fact that there is no dialogue whatsoever, allowing readers to really focus on the art and facial expressions themselves.
Likewise, the detail on Ferdinand is impressive, but one of the best pages in the issue, and of Sharp’s Wonder Woman art overall, is the splash of Diana’s many incarnations as the snake rattles off her various personas and titles. Sharp really captures the look and feel of all the different Diana’s and of the artists who have drawn her before. The colours also help the issue stand out as Laura Martin uses a mix of brights and darks to some great effect. The splash page is one example of that, as is Diana’s word association test with the snake as it changes the hues of its colour.
With Rucka’s writing and Sharp and Martin’s artwork, Wonder Woman continues to be one of DC’s best titles in the Rebirth era and this issue is proof of that. By focusing on Veronica Cale and her associates, Rucka showcases the danger mere mortals can pose to Wonder Woman, but hopefully the ending means she’ll be back on her feet soon and ready to show Cale what happens when her friends are messed with.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
Originally published February 24, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
