Husband and wife duo Meredith and David Finch have some big shoes to fill by taking over Wonder Woman, stepping in after writer Brian Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang concluded their instant classic run on the book in issue #35.
It's not a homerun yet, but the Finch's do deliver some captivating mysteries that should have fans coming back for issue #37.
This issue begins with a mysterious figure in Thailand, seemingly responsible for massive flooding that washes away several villages. We then find Wonder Woman reflecting on the duality of nature, a force responsible for so much life but also so much death, as she cleans herself up. She soon learns about the "natural" disasters in Thailand and meets up with the Justice League to discover what happened.
Once on the ground, the action picks up. Wonder Woman encounters the monstrous and mysterious Swamp Thing (who is innocently investigating the cause of the natural disasters on his own) and immediately assumes he is evil and proceeds to kick him in the face (like a boss). Diana is mad, so mad over the loss of innocent life caused by the flood that she starts punching first and asking questions later (again, like a boss). It also causes her to spout odd lines about the world of nature like, "What vegetative injustice was worth so many lives?"
Swamp Thing eventually restrains Diana before Aquaman comes to calm the situation down. Wonder Woman then enters confession mode, and begins to describe all her problems and worries to Arthur. She has too many responsibilities: leader of the Amazons, being new the God of War, helping the Justice League. She feels torn between her many duties and is afraid of letting those who need her down. She returns home to Paradise island, but what she finds there are even more questions and hardship.
Aside from the whole "vegetative injustice" line, Meredith Finch does solid work diving into Wonder Woman's head, and her husband delivers some remarkably detailed art to go alongside it. The fight between Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman in particular is a highlight, as each of Diana's punches and kicks sends globs of algae and moss flying through the air.
Overall, Wonder Woman #36 proves to be a worthy continuation of the world Azzarello and Chiang have crafted, and I'm excited to see where issue #37 leads.
Story
★★★½☆☆
Art
★★★★☆
Overall
★★★★☆
