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Wonder Woman #612 - The Odyssey, Part 12: Ghosts of the Gods

3

'The Odyssey' draws to a close as we close this chapter on the re-imagining of Wonder Woman

Last we saw Wonder Woman she had been struggling to combat The Morrigan -- this issue picks up seamlessly where the last issue left off.

The Good

This issue opens up to a really exciting scene, and for most of the issue, that same momentum we see initially carries throughout the rest of the issue. The first scene is really powerful and the reader gets to see first hand a glimpse of Artemis' bravery. I really enjoyed that.

The reader will quickly realize that Diana's challenges are no longer a test, but that the challenges she faces are far greater than herself. Galenthias put it best when she says;

"Look around you, the time for tests has come and gone. You fight for the survival of the world and for the fate of your eternal soul"

Talk about heavy. Through some very eloquent dialogue the writer relays that this challenge is far greater than Diana, and it's in this moment that the writer takes the reader by the hand and shows them that there is a lot at stake for the future of Wonder Woman. This concept is great, but is it too broad? Is it too big?

What happens at the end of the issue to Diana's sisters is the real kicker though, it definitely makes the issue worth picking up.

The Bad

Everything is finally explained in this issue and we see why Diana's identity was changed after Wonder Woman #600. While the reasons why are explained, they don't quite add up (in my opinion) to the events that had taken place. If you don't wish to be spoiled, don't read any further.

The writers' reason for changing Diana's identity and shielding her from the world is so that her heart would be "given to love, and turn away from hate...that she might love and be loved well enough to fight for them." This is a great concept, period. It totally makes sense that Diana would be stripped from her Greek mythos identity and instead be engrained with mortal dilemma's, relationships, love -- this would in turn have led her to sympathize with humanity and defend them against any threats. Doing this would have led Diana to become invested in the safety of mortals -- the problem is that there were not nearly enough examples of this to support their reasoning. This premise would have been a perfect way to strip Diana and then build her back up again, but the story did not focus enough on Diana "loving and being loved in return" in the beginning of the series, at least not enough to justify this premise.

Don't get me wrong, this would have been the perfect way to strip her character and build her back up again, I just don't think the writer presented enough evidence in previous issues to support the premise here.

The Verdict

All criticism aside, this is still a solid issue with less BAM!'s and POW!'s and that's okay. The last few issues we've seen a build up as to the reasons why Wonder Woman was dramatically altered in issue #600, and it's definitely an interesting development. You'll want to pick this up if you've been reading the Wonder Woman series - it's absolutely worth it. Oh, and that last page? It's a kicker.