Since her return from the Sphere of the Gods, Diana has tried her best to reconnect with her past and those she left behind. But now the past is coming for her. It all begins when a mysterious man appears, claiming to know the dark history of the Amazons. Could his claims be true? And what does this mean for our hero’s relationship with those who still rule Themyscira? Judgment is coming for all Amazons in Wonder Woman 2021 Annual #1, written by Michael Conrad and Becky Cloonan, drawn by Andy MacDonald, colored by Nick Filardi and lettered by Pat Brousseau.
This thick issue brings some heavy new problems for Diana to confront. It’s so much more than just punching bad guys, although there’s plenty of that as well. We’re switching back to Filardi and MacDonald on the art team, and Conrad and Cloonan set up some interesting conflicts here. Let’s dive in!
We start this issue with Etta Candy left to wait for Diana as she’s almost an hour late for their museum date. A very pale stranger asks the time, and we see as Etta invites him to sit, there is something very strange indeed about him besides just being pale. There have been several versions of Etta throughout Wonder Woman lore, and this one shows that though she is suspicious of this stranger, she’s kind. She does an excellent job of playing friendly while getting some information out of him. I like that added layer of compassion that shows through in her treatment of the stranger and her willingness to wait around for her VERY late friend. I wish I could be so kind, though maybe I’d be understanding if I knew my friend was probably fighting crime somewhere.
Meanwhile, it turns out Diana is fighting crime somewhere. It’s a typical bank robbery, but Diana shows her typical ability to use violence as a last resort. Brousseau uses some wonderful lettering in the striking “Kraks” and “Sha-klaks” as Wonder Woman takes out the robbers.
Diana finishes her hero work and meets up with Etta right as she’s called back to work, but she manages to catch the eye of the stranger, Altuum. Diana goes ahead and explores the exhibit on Themyscira without her friend. We get a cute and trite introduction from a docent that reminded me a LOT of the introduction to M.O.M., which at least had the decency to cringe around jokes about perfect hair and skin.
Diana is immediately suspicious of the stranger, who clearly knows a lot about her identity and homeland. I can’t make sense of why Altuum’s exiled home would be depicted on a giant map in a museum in D.C., but Diana is more insulted by the implication that her people displaced his people from her home. They stand off against each other, and I’m honestly not too sure if Diana really has been left with no choice but to fight him, as she says. Sure, he’s laid on some thinly veiled threats and refused to remove his hand from her arm, but I wonder if Diana’s fear of what he’s told her pushed her into action sooner than she should have.
After an explosive exit, we find Diana and Etta taking that raincheck for their museum date, wondering what was up with that weird dude. I appreciate all these moments we’ve been getting of Diana and Etta’s friendship. Although it seems like, sadly, they haven’t had much chance to reconnect since Diana’s return from death, these realistic scenes that capture how hard it can be to meet up with a mutual friend are great not only as a foil to the action, but as a way to humanize Diana and give us a chance to know Etta better. Unfortunately, they’ll have to rain check again as both are sent urgent texts that leave their server baffled but happy about her tip.
Overall, this was an enjoyable issue that had some fun fight scenes, great quiet moments and consistent character growth. This is going to be an engaging plot with some important ethical points that I’m eager to see in a Wonder Woman comic.
Wonderful Whims
- The Batgirls team-up by our Wonder Woman writers couple is pretty cute and definitely has me interested. I’ve never added a Bat title to my pull list before, and that might change!
- Diana and Etta, I’m seriously judging you for flat whites with oat milk. You call that a coffee?
- OMG this Mitch Gerads cover. I’m gonna need to frame it!
Cat Purcell is a Career Services Librarian, cosplayer, artist, and massive coffee consumer.
