(More...) Adventures in Baby Sitting
THE GOOD
I always look forward to Brian Azzarello's WONDER WOMAN. Like every installment, Issue #20 is rich with atmosphere and well layered plots. Diana's satellites are enjoyable as ever, her static cast of supporting characters. How can we not appreciate the art, by the way, supplied by series regular Cliff Chiang?
Diana, I've decided, has a sound voice throughout the entire issue. I could hear the melody and struggle of each and every syllable. The same could be said (to a lesser extent) of Zola, Hera, War and Sea.
Speaking of of voices, I was intrigued by Lennox's sister Cassandra. Is this the prophet from Greek Mythology, the firebrand connected to Troy and Paris? I'm curious to see if she'll interact with Apollo and the other Olympians. Regardless, I'm a a fan of her visuals and all of WONDER WOMAN'S breath taking character designs.
THE BAD
In a word, I found this issue underwhelming. There's a mild note of predictably settling into Azzarello's plots. This is what happens when the struggle of the title character gets lost in the long term concerns of other characters. I'm having trouble pinpointing Wonder Woman's part in it all. Is she protecting Zola's baby from the feuding Olympians? Is she trying to find her place in the world without Hippolyta and the Amazons? Who is Wonder Woman and why do I feel like we need a Zero Year?
THE VERDICT
WONDER WOMAN #20 maintains a perfect pace while honoring the characters's voices. My only issue with the book, and more specifically this issue, is the lack of content with our title character. We need some solo panels with Wonder Woman, and fast.
