Ricky Church reviews Wonder Woman #5…
“The Lies” part three! Steve Trevor finds himself trapped in the heart of Urzkartaga’s darkness, with Wonder Woman and Cheetah the only hope of rescue for him and his men. But how far can Cheetah be trusted?
Wonder Woman #5 was another strong chapter in Greg Rucka’s ongoing tale as Wonder Woman and Cheetah finally collided with Steve Trevor and his team. This issue brought their storylines together while planting some seeds for the future as well as lightly tying it to the ‘Year One’ story told in the even numbered issues.
Rucka continues to display his understanding of Wonder Woman and her world, balancing her compassion with her ferocity. One humorous moment was all the soldier’s patient yet non-surprised reactions to see Diana barge into the place and rescue them. The relationship between Diana and Cheetah also continued in an intriguing manner as more of their complex dynamic was explored. Cheetah in particular has been gaining the most development in this storyline and it’s easy to see how the pair were once friends and, in some ways, still are despite their pasts.
Liam Sharp’s continues his detailed artwork. Whereas Nicola Scott’s art in ‘Year One’ is bright and colourful, Sharp’s is dark and moody, creating a very unsettling atmosphere for both the characters and readers. Cheetah again benefits the most from Sharp’s work as she looks incredibly detailed and actually emotes through some stellar facial work. Diana looks equally impressive, especially when she barges through the cave wall ready to cause all kinds of trouble. Laura Martin’s colours help greatly in this as well, succeeding in creating that eerie atmosphere that emanates throughout the issue.
As Diana and Trevor’s storylines meet, it only cements the fact that Rucka has been knocking it out of the park by making Wonder Woman one of DC’s most enjoyable titles of the Rebirth line. He’s got a good handle on the characterizations and is taking the story into interesting and exciting territory. Combined with Sharp’s artwork and Martin’s colours, Wonder Woman #5 is simply a very pretty book to look at. If you aren’t reading Wonder Woman by now, you’re really missing out.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
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Originally published September 2, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
