Creative Staff:
Story: Corinna Bechko
Art: Dani Strips
Colors: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Ferran Delgado
What They Say:
No problem is too big for Wonder Woman to take on, but this one may just be beyond even her powers—someone is trying to control the weather itself!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
A new two-part story gets underway with this issue and it brings in one writer I like a lot with Corinna Bechko. With some solid writing in past works that I’ve enjoyed, she’s paired up with Dani for the artwork here and the combination is really strong. Bechko sets for some expansive scenes that lets Diana shine in movement and style with the fight sequences while Dani is able to bring about some really expressive moments with Diana as she interacts and talks with others. And the reveal of the villain is pretty solid as well. The story is fairly straightforward and familiar with what we get here but I like that it’s utilizing a villain I hadn’t even heard of before, which gives it a little more freshness.
The premise for this has Diana working with some farmers at a conference as they look for ways to help in their home where there’s a drought going on. The conference they’re all at is focused on climate trends and food security making it a good place to come up with new ideas. What they discover at one of the panels, however, is a woman representing a consortium known as Blue Ice that is basically all about localized weather control to solve the problem. The spokeswoman handles things well and professionally, really believing in the product, but has to keep its inventor and investors unnamed at the moment which sets off alarms. That said, the offer to show how it works at the farm of those Diana was talking about is a good selling point.
Of course, there are bugs to work out in the system as the rain turns to hail and to massive ice chunks, and that’s dangerous in itself. But we see that Diana recognizes this from elsewhere and discovers that the craft operating over the farm for the consortium is filled with dudes in suits that have weapons. There’s a good fight sequence here where Dani’s artwork is just gorgeous – I love the way she brings to life lips and hair, the linework is just beautiful – and it has a great flow to it as it plays out. The reveal of Blue Snowman as the villain didn’t do much for me because honestly, even after reading hundreds of Wonder Woman comics over the decades, I can’t remember the character even if she appeared first way back in 1946. Still, that means it feels fresh and new to me so I’m excited for the next half.
In Summary:
Sensational Wonder Woman has been bringing on some great talent for its stories and they’re working some distinctive tales. While I’ve enjoyed Bechko’s storytelling before and this one works well, I’m really pleased by what I think is my first time seeing Dani’s artwork. It has something that reminds me of particular creators going back a long time that I used to enjoy with its linework and how they handle the facial designs. It’s striking and strong with what it presents and combined with a great looking set of layouts to handle the action, it’s engaging as hell. With Mike Spicer taking it up a few more notches with the color design, I’m really looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 12+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: February 17th, 2021
MSRP: $0.99