WONDER WOMAN #23 & #24

“GOD AMONG MEN” |“COMBAT ZONE”
Written & Penciled by: George Pérez | Finished by: Bob McLeod
Letters: John Costanza | Colors: Carl Gafford
Assistant Editor: Art Young | Editor: Karen Berger

The Plot: (issue 23) Hermes appears on Earth, announcing his intention to join Diana in her mission there. But before long, the princess learns that Hermes plans to rule over humanity in a station befitting his godhood — and he wants Diana to join him. However, Hermes is lured into a trap by a young woman who soon reveals herself as a gorgon named Euryale and her partner, Phobos. Together, they send Hermes underground, where he’s confronted by a stone figure he identifies as Ixion the Assassin.

(issue 24) Phobos uses Hermes’ stolen staff to reanimate Ixion, who begins a rampage across Boston. Hermes summons Diana to his aid, and she arrives to tie up Phobos with her lasso and then battle the monster. Wonder Woman flies Ixion to Martha’s Vineyard, away from the population of Boston. Menawhile, Euryale tries to free Phobos, but Hermes appears and kills her. U.S. Air Force jets arrive and destroy Ixion, and the battle ends. Hermes departs with Phobos, while Diana returns to the Kapatellis home.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Some of Vanessa’s photos of the Paradise Island trip have been published in The World Today magazine, leading to her becoming a celebrity of sorts at school—but a result of this newfound popularity is Vanessa spending less time with her best friend, Eileen.

The being who came to Earth last issue and took on the form of a camper in the woods is revealed as Hermes. Also, one of the hooded figures confronts Diana and escapes, and a caption tells us she’s actually searching for Donna Troy, which is a story to be resolved elsewhere (presumably in the pages of NEW TEEN TITANS, where I believe Pérez would soon reunite with Marv Wolfman for the “Who is Donna Troy?” storyline).

Diana gives a speech at the United Nations, announcing Themyscira’s opening of its borders.

Following from their conversation in issue 22, Julia is seen on a date with Vanessa’s teacher, Mister Westlake.

When Hermes questions how Ixion wound up on Earth, Phobos says that he grabbed him from Olympus while the gods were busy with the Cosmic Migration.

On assignment in the South Pacific, Etta picks up a communication from outer space which her superior officer identifies as an invasion plan — most likely setup for DC’s next yearly crossover event, which was appropriately titles “Invasion!”

In issue 23, Julia has a bit of a freakout regarding Hermes and kicks him out of her home, then in #24, she berates Vanessa for turning on the TV to show her the Ixion battle on the news. At the issue’s conclusion, in a bizarre, borderline sexist (yet also slightly funny due to the earnestness of the writing) twist, we learn she was having hot flashes both times.

My Thoughts: George Pérez must have been reading some John Byrne Superman comics—and must have liked what he saw—because this is our first WONDER WOMAN issue with a significant number of civilian casualties. We see about three or four characters offed on-page by Euryale and Ixion, and then at the conclusion of issue 24, a news report notes that Boston looks like “…the refuse from a slaughterhouse,” with deaths estimated in the hundreds. So there’s that.

Aside from the distasteful death toll, however, this is actually pretty fun story and a nice way to close our time with Wonder Woman. Pérez isn’t done with the character by a longshot — he would remain as writer and cover artist for thirty-eight more issues, for a total of about five years on the title — but #24 is his last as penciler, and since it coincides more or less with the end of John Byrne’s Superman run as well, this is where I’ve decided to stop my exploration of Princess Diana’s adventures.

I already gave a bit of a summation of my thoughts a few issues back, so I won’t go into too much more detail here, but the simple fact is that I don’t think this run is for me. It’s just too much of a mixed bag. Much as I like Greek myth, the god-stuff in WONDER WOMAN typically bored me to tears. Pérez at least seemed to recognize on some level that this stuff might not be for everyone, though, because he did pepper the run with traditional superhero stuff, a mystery story or two, and even a hint of corporate intrigue. That’s the sort of thing I usually like in superhero comics, and there just wasn’t enough of that versus the god-stuff for me in these issues.

But not everything is for everyone! I know Pérez’s run is widely praised, and that’s great. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’m glad others like it. I assume I just don’t “get” it, but I’m okay with that.

Next Week: The announcement of something new -- same blog-time, same blog-channel!