That’s one deep hole.
Creative Staff:
Story: Derek Fridolfs
Art: Tom Fowler
What They Say:
Poison Ivy’s connections to the Earth Mother have brought her to Themyscira for the battle against Typhon, but will Wonder Woman accept her aid? “Return to Gaia” part 2 of 2.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Getting back into the groove of Sensation Comics with this two part storyline was definitely fun. While it didn’t go for something truly unique or new in how it approached Diana and her mythology, it brought us into her world again on Paradise Island and it nudged it a bit by having Poison Ivy involved, first as an opponent that showed she’s not easily forced down, and then as a potential ally once Diana realized she wasn’t the actual threat. It’s fairly standard story material in that regard, but it had a good flow and it was aided by Tom Fowler’s artwork, which presented Themyscira well in giving it a proper old world look while still having Diana and Ivy feeling true to themselves as well. With this installment, the storyline comes to a close and brings us a bit more rousing fun for the characters involved.
The story does spend most of its focus on Diana and Ivy, but it also shows events above as well as the Amazons face off against Typhon’s creatures. And they have a lot to deal with as it’s been four days since Diana and Ivy went down the hole on their way to Tartarus to deal with Typhon. Typhon certainly presents well here, reminding me of creatures from tales of Cthulhu, and with a great design for his speech font as well as just what he says, there’s a good sense of power and danger that emanates from him. As well as a general creepiness. Diana has a difficult enough time with Typhon to be sure, since his previous defeat at came at the hands of Zeus, who dropped a mountain on him, and it’s interesting to see how Ivy figures into it all with her special natural armor and the fact that the Green has certainly sent her there to be an active part in stopping this catastrophe.
The story certainly works an old school kind of approach to dealing with the villain, and Typhon is one that has to be dealt with through physical means and a good bit of smarts along the way. But also trust, which is hard to come by when dealing with a hero and villain working together. That said, both characters have more than enough gray to them to make it work and there’s a good smoothness to the way they operate. Not with ease or familiarity, but just a sense of doing what must be done in the face of such an opponent without thinking of their own agendas or motivations. And that carries over well into the epilogue, giving the pair a sort of understanding. More than enough villains have shades of gray and heroes have known that for some time, and a situation like this plays out well with someone like Diana who knows that something positive can come from how it works out.
In Summary:
While the story is fun, it’s one that doesn’t bowl me over when you get down to it. The two part storyline is a smooth read, very fun and accessible for what it wants to do, but I’ve grown accustomed to the stories that challenge a bit more with interpretations and new ways of looking at the characters. That said, I did have fun here and enjoyed it and certainly would be good for another round of this team, with or without Ivy, to see what they can come up with. Fowler certainly pleases in his style here and how he presents the characters and settings, which is aided by colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick, who ups its game in a very good way. There’s a lot to like here and it’s definitely the kind of fun and easily accessible work that Sensation Comics needs to be from time to time.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: April 30th, 2015
MSRP: $0.99
