In Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian, writer Gail Simone pits the eponymous hero against her toughest foe yet. Created from the soil at the sites of the most horrific genocides in recent history, the aptly-named Genocide is a hideous and monstrous creature whose sole purpose is to destroy everything in its path. Wonder Woman must stop this menace before it kills everything and everyone she loves.
Rise of the Olympian is the definition of a page turner. It stands strong as Simone's magnum opus on Wonder Woman's title and it helped to establish one of the character's most formidable foes to date. The narrative itself revolves around the machinations of the Society, a cabal of villains assembled by the Cheetah, as they unleash Genocide onto the world. At the same time, the Olympian Gods return to Earth after being held captive by the New Gods of the horrific world known as Apokalips. With Athena gravely injured, Zeus makes it his mission to create a new nation of worshippers to usher in a new age of greatness for the Gods. Wonder Woman must not only stop the Society, but she must also face the challenge of disobeying the Gods she was once so loyal to.
Simone ensures that there is a constant unease about the story and creates an unbearable tension throughout this arc. She does so largely by providing Wonder Woman with an unstoppable menace. This places the Genocide on-par with Doomsday, a monster so powerful that it took Superman's last breath to defeat it. Beyond that, the layers of the narrative prove to be quite complex and she reveals many plot twists along the way. What should be applauded about this particular arc is that Simone portrays the Cheetah as someone who is not to be underestimated. For decades, the Cheetah has been treated as little more than a foot soldier and we finally get to see that she's perfectly capable of being the Big Bad Diana needs. What's also great about this particular arc is the wide range of guest stars. We get to see the Justice League, as well as Donna Troy and Wonder Girl. Furthermore, Simone shows that she is not afraid to push Diana to her limits and will pull out all the stops to illustrate just how dedicated she is as Wonder Woman.
As far as Wonder Woman stories go, Rise of the Olympian is one of the best. The art is fantastic, the characters are multi-dimensional, and the twists and turns of the narrative keep the reader on the edge of their seat. For fans of the Amazing Amazon, this is one story that is not to be missed.
Rating: A-
No comments:
Post a Comment