Wonder Woman #758 - DC Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Pencils by Emanuela Lupacchino
Inks by Ray McCarthy
Colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Cover by Jeff Dekal
We have seen Wonder Woman battle many foes on the page and on the screen for many years. Sometimes we even see her battle FOR her foes. When it comes to Wonder Woman #758 we see a little bit of both. There is much more to it than that, trust me.
This is certainly no spoiler, since he's on the cover, but we see Wonder Woman in a confrontation with The Phantom Stranger. What's interesting is, they seem to be at odds over the fate of Paula Von Gunther. Why would Diana want to help her? The answer to that is yet another example of what makes the character of Wonder Woman so special. We get to see the aftermath of that confrontation, but it certainly doesn't end there. There is more judgement to be passed, but it also open the door to a much larger discussion. I'm not here to spoil anything, but what I saw was another reminder of what Wonder Woman stands for and why I love the character so much. Could this be a path forward to something much bigger? It looks like we'll get a chance to find that out in the next annual.
There are a lot of creative talents in the world of comics, but not all of them get Diana. It's clear to me that Steve Orlando is one of those that truly understands this character to her core. The pure goodness and compassion really radiates in this issue, and honestly, could have easily stood on it's own as a one-shot and been perfect. The fact that we are going to get a continuation is just the icing on the cake. I also loved the character designs for The Phantom Stranger in this issue. It gave things a bit of a throwback feel, as did the surroundings. While the story felt modern, the art took me back to the days of when I used to open the pages of DC Comics in my youth.
The action elements of this book were very good, especially a couple of big moments in the early going with Wonder Woman and The Phantom Stranger. The conflict resolution in this story, however, went far beyond just the physical. Here comes Wonder Woman to show us the way, and a brighter path, as usual. The book has a little something for everyone, but I think that fans of Wonder Woman at her core will especially enjoy this one.
RATING: 5/5
(Everything about this book just felt right and it was such an easy read. If it leaves you smiling at the end, that's never a bad thing.)