Since the new creative team of Meredith and David Finch took over Wonder Woman, the book, much like Diana, has struggled to properly balance its various components. One part Justice League and another part Amazonian politics, Wonder Woman can't find a way to make all of its various parts work.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in issue #39. At long last, some head-way is made regarding the mystery of the natural disasters and missing villagers that the Justice League has been investigating, only to land more than a little flat. Diana is enraged at the loss of so much innocent life, ready to cut down the person (or creature) responsible for the tragedies at first sight.
When her fellow heroes stop her, she falls to her knees and cries, telling the League she needs to be alone. It just doesn't feel like Wonder Woman and is yet another example of a moment that seems out of place for the character.
While the Justice League portion of the series continues to struggle, once Diana returns home the book picks up. The men living on Paradise Island are packing up shop after being shunned by the Amazons, despite Wonder Woman's insistence that the two groups get along. This leads Wonder Woman to her confrontation with the resurrected Donna Troy. Now Queen of the Amazons, Donna wastes little time in declaring that all the men on the island should be put to the sword.
It is on Paradise Island where Wonder Woman has been the strongest. In this issue Diana must deal the fact that she has abandoned her people, who in her absence have turned to a much more bloodthirsty ruler. This failure is on Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman alone, so it should be interesting to see how Diana moves forward and picks up the pieces. The fact that her new enemy was once her ally makes the conflict between the two super women all the more entertaining.
The compelling turn of events transpiring on Paradise Island just serves to highlight how pointless the Justice League portions of the story seem to be. Why not explore more of Diana's relationship with her people or her role as the new God of War? Instead, roughly half of each issue is devoted to a Justice League side story that does little to move Diana's character forward. The fact that the Justice League storyline itself is painfully slow also doesn't help things.
Next issue promises a climactic showdown between Diana and Donna for the heart of the Amazonian people. With David Finch on art duties it should make for quite the spectacle, but if Meredith Finch continues to stumble with Diana's characterization it's going to take a lot more than some strong art to turn this series around.
Story
★★☆☆☆
Art
★★★☆☆
Overall
★★★☆☆
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