When an old war hits a flashpoint, Diana attempts to bring about peace.
Creative Staff:
Story: Josh Elder
Art: Jamal Igle, Juan Castro
What They Say:
Vendetta – Part one of three.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
After finishing off a two part storyline that had Diana working with Poison Ivy, Sensation Comics goes a bit bigger this time around with a new three part storyline getting underway. This one comes from Josh Elder with Jamal Igle and Juan Castro providing the artwork with a story that delves into another military conflict that Diana has a stake in. We’ve had a few stories of this nature in the run and it’s one that’s been done in a lot of Wonder Woman books over the years. With her Amazonian aspect and the legacy of war and military actions performed by Themyscira, tying back into it here is fairly appropriate. Admittedly, after the last couple of more straightforward books, I had been hoping for something that went back to more of the interpretative side in giving us something new and different for a look at Diana and her world.
This arc takes us to the Central African nature Itari, it’s one that’s in the midst of a new civil war as past events that Diana had helped in has now turned to violence again with thousands dead and many more displaced because of it. Since there are attempts to stave off the violence before, it makes sense to bring Diana back as mediator since both sides will agree to it. Even better for Diana is that Steve Trevor is there, having come into the nation in advance to help setup for the talks as other elements are rotating out as part of the UN mission for it There’s a good ease between the two that we see and it has them working well as equals here when it comes to the mission at hand, both with the same objective but with different backers so to speak. The series hasn’t dealt with Trevor too much, but it’s welcome to see him make another appearance.
There’s a decent flashback sequence to earlier in the day that shows what the tensions are like in the nation and how involved Diana was, but it’s made clear that the place is like a tinderbox ready to explode in violence. With both sides having deep seated issues that have not been resolved peacefully through politics in the last few years, small acts of violence are like flashes that lead to bigger ones, ones that spread quickly and are things Diana isn’t able to really put down because of the way they flare up. But we also see some of the reasons for all of this as the book progresses and one of the UN ground transports gets caught up in the main instigator of things, or at least the main influencer. With a few teases earlier in the book as to the meaning, we see that Ares is who’s involved here in inciting things and stoking the flames of war. No surprise though, as this is most assuredly fertile ground.
In Summary:
The start of a new Sensation Comics arc is always interesting because you can’t be sure of what you’re going to get until you dig into it. With a lot of surprising stories and interpretations over the past couple of dozen issues, this one plays it a bit more traditional and safe, at least so far. The basics are all here with the known characters of Diana and Steve, a fictional nation’s future is at stake due to strife within it and all of it is being stoked by Ares, who thrives on such things. With it being an unknown to Diana, it’s likely not going to take long to figure it out, but so far we’ve gotten a good look at the situation and the stakes of what’s involved, and some good support for her through Trevor as well. There’s not a lot that really stands out here that makes this a must-read, but it’s very solidly and competently put together and harkens back to familiar material to tell a good story with solid artwork and a smooth, clean approach overall. It’s certainly not bad, it’s just familiar.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 7th, 2015
MSRP: $0.99
