The Good
There's a lot of fantastic scenes within this book that really keep readers invested in the characters and the over-arcing story. Dionysus and Hermes end up seeing that the souls of the dead are walking among the living, right off the bat. It's a very interesting concept that really adds a lot to the overall story, and when they get to Hell, readers are treated with the most horrifying scene, in comics, in years. Warning, it's screwed up. Cassandra is feeding Cronos, who is chained up, over and over and the food she's feeding him is coming from his stomach. It's disturbing to another level, but it makes this scene amazing.
There's one particular thing Brian Azzarello does extremely well, which is incredibly apparent in this issue. Zola's dialogue not only fits her character well, but he also uses little tricks to get her accent to come out through her dialogue. He does little things like have her say "you was" instead of "you were" to reflect the non-informal dialect of the area, and it gets to a point where her voice and accent really starts to shine through. Speech and speech patterns are a big part of this book and speech can define a character just as much as their actions.
The book continues to build toward making Themyscira a better place and moving it towards the future. The Amazons take a softer approach to things they would have killed over in the past. It's about building relationships while remaining a strong and independent nation. The book leaves the reader at quite the cliffhanger, and we're on the midst of one huge battle.
Artist Goran Sudzuka keeps getting better and better on this book, especially with the colorwork from Matthew Wilson. His style really fits the grounded, mythological storytelling provided by Azzarello and Wilson's colors are the perfect compliment. While it is a bummer that Chiang isn't on every issue, Sudzuka is a welcomed and wonderful addition to this book.
The Bad
There's little to nothing to dislike about this issue or this series as a whole. Azzarello, Chiang, Sudzuka, and Wilson have really crafted a beautiful story that is a stand out.
The Verdict
WONDER WOMAN continues to be one of the best, if not the best, books at DC. In fact, it's one of the best on-going series, period. Never has a run of WONDER WOMAN captivated me this much. It's a grand mixture of mythology and modern day storytelling which will truly stand the test of time. Azzarello, Sudzuka, Wilson, and Chiang created a series you need to read. This issue continues to build up toward the finale and it is highly recommended.