Review: Wonder Woman - Ends of the Earth

For her second major arc on Wonder Woman, auteur Gail Simone took the Amazing Amazon on a sword and sorcery epic in “Ends of the Earth.” With a little help from the talented Aaron Lopresti, Simone delivers a satisfying tale of fantasy and betrayal in this four-part story.

After encountering a mysterious red-eyed man, Wonder Woman is transported to another dimension where she must team up with the ancient heroes Beowulf and Claw to defeat the demon D’Grth. Back on Earth, Agent Tom Tresser investigates Diana’s disappearance and classic Wonder Woman supporting character Etta Candy makes her presence known in the Department of Metahuman Affairs.

As a character rooted in mythology, placing Wonder Woman in the realm of sword and sorcery should appear to be an excellent fit. While it’s true that this gives the character an opportunity to swing her sword around, it’s actually quite jarring after the events of the preceding issues in the series. By removing her from more pressing narratives, Simone is essentially halting the progress of the story. That said, she impressively stays true to Wonder Woman’s essence throughout. This story serves as an exploration of the Amazon’s ideals and it helps her to come to terms with her own morality. The dialogue about souls and Simone’s continued fascination with the golden lasso’s capabilities make this arc an interesting read. It also helps that she has the talented Aaron Lopresti on hand, who depicts Wonder Woman in a variety of fantastical outfits.

Upon the conclusion of this arc, Simone writes a brilliant two-part story titled “Celebrity.” In this adventure, Diana travels to California to work as a consultant on a movie about her life. The hijinks that ensue provide some rather genius criticism on the film industry and the continued joke about the lack of a proper film franchise for Wonder Woman. It’s slightly meta, but it’s still a rip-roaring good time. Bernard Chang delivers some beautiful art as well, which is rich with details and full of expression.

Wonder Woman’s trip to the realm of sword and sorcery was an interesting departure for the character, but was moreso a sneak peek into the future for Gail Simone’s career (now that Simone writes Red Sonja). While not as intriguing as her previous arc, “Ends of the Earth” is a satisfying read and provides Wonder Woman fans with the kind of epic adventure the Amazon so deserves.

Rating: B