Comic Book Review: Wonder Woman #44

Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston

Literary and Artistic Credits

Written by Gail Simone

Penciled by Nicola Scott, Travis Moore

Inked by Doug Hazlewood, Wayne Faucher, John Dell, Hi-Fi

Colored by Hi-Fi

Lettered by Travis Lanham

Cover by Nicola Scott

Associate Editor – Sean Ryan

Editor – Brian Cunningham

My Awe-Inspiring Opinion

Wrath of the Silver Serpent has been a very underwhelming story arc, probably the worst since Simone came on board as the writer.  (Although it still beats the pants off of anything Grant Morrison has ever written.)  However, issue #44 presents a much needed conclusion that is both satisfying and well written, a great way for Simone to go out in style.

Theana, the apparent cousin of Wonder Woman, goes tooth and nail against the Amazon Princess in a duel to decide the fate of Earth.  Wonder Woman, as always, attempts to appeal to the human side of her opponent with no avail and must now engage in a fierce battle against her own family.  This plot is quite interesting despite how poorly managed it was.  One problem we faced in this arc was how sudden and undeveloped the discovery Wonder Woman makes of the family additions.  Simone never gave us a chance to understand and comprehend what was going on and why Auntie Astarte was attacking Earth, it felt as if her only purpose was to attack the planet for the mere sake of attacking it.  This is either poor literary planning or a set up for future plot lines, either way there seems to be a severe lack in quality.

Simone does manage to brand this installment with that quality “Simone Stamp” that I’m sure we all have come to love.  The back story of Theana was as twisted as can be, only to be topped by Astarte shooting Theana when her mission seemed compromised.  Wonder Woman also feels as if she has returned to her normal self in both dialogue and action, showing that she is the most compassionate DC hero in history but is no push over.  The ending to this arc does make sense and left me satisfied , but I had hoped for something a little stronger.

Nicola Scott shows no error in inconsistencies in her art along with new team member, Travis Moore.  She rivals Aaron Lopresti with her ability to create emotional faces and epic scenes that pop out at you from the page itself.  However, I must say the cover is one of the more unattractive covers to hit the Wonder Woman franchise in a while, but maybe that was the point.  We’ve always expected Wonder Woman to be pretty, even when she’s been beaten and broken.  Perhaps Scott wanted to present Diana in a not-so-pleasant light.

My Majestically Climactic Conclusion

I actually did love this issue in and of itself, but its connection with this truly BAD arc leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I’m not sure I can ever reread this issue and enjoy it to the full potential without looking back on its predecessors.  Oh well, I look forward to issue #600 later this month!

Writing: 8

Themes: 8

Art: 10

Overal: 8.67 out of 10