Wonder Woman #5: The Lies, Part Three
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Liam Sharp
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Jodi Wynne
Reviewed by Max Mallet
“Have the patrons forsaken me? If so, why? I do not know what has changed.”
There are very mild spoilers ahead.
Friends. Countrymen. Strangers. Amazons. All can rejoice! For this week, the fine folks at DC have bestowed another offering of Wonder Woman. Although Wonder Woman ships bi-monthly, issues alternate from The Lies to Year One storylines. This week, readership can dig into the former. The Lies addresses Diana’s belief that her memories betray her and someone is responsible. This storyline ties seamlessly into the overarching DC Rebirth comic that Geoff Johns launched a couple of months ago. It’s fair to say that to this point, this is the early darling of every single DC run post-Rebirth. If you listen to the Comic Book Podcast by Talking Comics (as all wise folk do), then you know that around these parts, Wonder Woman is the collective favorite to date.
Since deescalating a fight with Cheetah, Wonder Woman treks onward into the Bwundan jungle, where Steve Trevor and his fellow soldiers are being held captive. The fundamentalist warlord, Cardulo, prepares to sacrifice Steve and his men in order to conjure the slumbering god, Urzkartaga. All the while, Cheetah wrestles with her inner demons and Wonder Woman contemplates the shards of incomplete memories that flood her mind.
Little about the writing has changed. In both storylines, Wonder Woman veteran Greg Rucka masterfully reprises his role as the link between faithful comics readers and Wonder Woman’s voice. When the Amazon princess comforts Cheetah, she is kind, yet firm. The heroine oozes with genuineness, her dialogue as poetic as her combat is relentless. But Rucka also adapts his writing to each character with ease. Steve Trevor comes across as a hardened soldier, but is multidimensional with occasional humorous jabs. Cheetah is melancholy and angry, but also insightful. All of these characters are fully realized, and while very different from each other, feel a part of one cohesive storyline. That very storyline moves at a brisk-but-not-breakneck pace. It’s definitely going somewhere while allowing you to enjoy the ride. The conclusion’s cliffhanger begs for an encore, and The Lies: Part Four should practically jump off of the shelves.
Liam Sharp takes pencil duties on The Lies, and his work contends as the best in any running DC title. Pages pop when panels show faces up close. Cheetah and Wonder Woman strike imposing figures, both powerful and elegant. Sharp’s pencils in conjunction with Laura Martin’s colors work magic with shadowed scenes in particular. The shading and shadows firmly set the tone for various scenes, as much of this issue takes place in the jungle at night. As an aside, Steve Trevor has never looked more ripped in a comic book. The man looks like he would fit the part with cow-licked hair and an ‘S’ on his chest. Facial expressions perfectly mirror dialogue and action in each panel. Every element of Wonder Woman compliments the others.
Verdict
Buy! This issue has the least amount of action of any to this point. And you know what? It doesn’t matter. The strong character moments are moving, the art is beautiful, and the story is steadily progressing. It’s no wonder (HEY!) that Rucka and company are receiving such critical acclaim for their work.
