The stakes of the conflict rises as more key parts of the past are revealed.
What They Say:
FLASH FACT: The secrets behind Queen Hippolyta’s death and the start of the world war are revealed.
The Review:
With the third and final installment of Wonder Woman and the Furies, the series has the difficult task of dealing with scenes that have come across in other books already, namely Emperor Aquaman, and trying to present a bit more information about it but having to hit a lot of the same points. If you read this right after some of the other recent books, it’s like a bit of deja vu. We do see some of it from the other side though so it helps a bit there, but even then it’s not really revealing all that much that’s new, just rather a look from the other side of the curtain of the same events.
The best part of the book is the one that it kicks off by going back in time eight months again when the Atlanteans had sunk Western Europe and put a huge amount of pressure on the Amazons and their conquest of England. Because of the wave that was surging across the area, the whole place was threatened and it’s definitely the kind of attack that you can’t imagine could be dealt with easily. What helps them, and makes sense when you get down to it, is that the Amazons have Terra as one of their Furies and she has a link of sorts with her brother who is being used as a weapon by Arthur. It’s tenuous at best, but it’s a nice emotional touch that comes across as she pushes her powers to the limit to raise the heart of England half a mile up into the air to survive the attack. Setting that as one of the big pieces of the war that happened is definitely a favorite of mine so getting to see it to some degree is welcome.
When the book deals in the present, it focuses partially on the attack that happened by the Atlanteans against Terra that was foiled, but it lead to the revelation about Pentheslia working with Orm to subvert their leaders since they viewed them as weak and putting them on a path that would diminish both of their empires. As we’ve known this from nearly the start, it’s not a huge revelation, but it plays well in parallel with what’s going on in the third Emperor Aquaman issue that deals with the standoff happening between both forces. The timing is what makes it awkward since it feels rushed and doesn’t jibe completely with what’s going on in that book. But the gist of it is clear and the two issues help to bring the war to a head while making the truth clear to at least some of those at the top.
Digital Notes:
This digital edition of Wonder Woman and the Furies from Comixology features just the first printing cover of the issue with no additional extras included in the book.
In Summary:
While the book has some issues in that it doesn’t stand on its own as well as it should, it’s the nature of the beast at this point because of how it has to connect things together with its brother book in Emperor Aquaman as well as delving into the core Flashpoint series itself. I liked this series a lot overall and the first two issues had a lot going for it, but the natural and expected falling off with the third weakens it overall. Bringing Diana to understanding is a key part of things but we also see her realization about how she’s been had and that she still has to do her proper duty as an Amazon. And even worse, she has to see the truth about Arthur when they end up fighting but she’s caused enough damage to him in killing Mera that nothing can turn him back. The two have simply gone too far to turn back and this issue has that sense of dread and inevitability.
Grade: B-
