After a brief jaunt to New Genesis, Wonder Woman is forced to face off against the merciless First Born in order to protect the life of her infant half-brother Zeke. Things get complicated when the God of War intervenes, lending his support to the Amazon Princess. Even still, the aging God's diminished power may not be enough to defeat the First Born once and for all.
Wonder Woman Volume 4: War collects issues 19-23 of Wonder Woman, written by Brian Azzarello and art by Cliff Chiang and Goran Sudzuka.
For roughly 18 issues, writer Brian Azzarello has been on point with delivering an incredibly satisfying and epic run on Wonder Woman. He has a firm grasp on the character and has thus far created a very unique world for the titular heroine, with a whole lot of aesthetic help from artist Cliff Chiang. By issue 19, it becomes clear that a plateau may have been reached for the duo.
War details Wonder Woman's continued battle for the safety of her baby half-brother from the clutches of the Olympians, as well as from the villainous First Born. Key word here being "continued." For two years, readers have been following Diana's struggles against the Greek Gods and by this point it's become a little monotonous. The Gods' continued scheming and Wonder Woman's rematch with Artemis are too familiar. Unfortunately, when Azzarello gives us a break from this we end up with a filler issue that does absolutely nothing to move the plot forward (namely, Diana and her allies get stuck on New Genesis for an issue - yawn). By the time Diana finally defeats the First Born, it's not as satisfying as it needs to be because we've been seeing these characters for so long. This arc would have been better served giving Wonder Woman some new baddies and exploring new storylines.
That's not to say everything about War is bad. In fact, there are quite a few stellar moments that showcase just how talented Azzarello is as a writer. The scene in which Zola picks the name of her baby is absolutely adorable, Diana teaching Orion a lesson in respecting women is hilarious, and the scenes in general between Zola and Hera are both humorous and touching. There's really no denying here that Azzarello knows these characters like the back of his hand and utilizes each one flawlessly.
Unlike previous volumes, War is arguably the least nuanced and most straightforward of the arcs within Azzarello's run thus far. Aside from the clumsily written twist at the end of issue 23, the plot moves in a linear fashion without any major surprises. While it may lack subtlety and mystery, War is heavy on the action and engaging dialogue. As such, it's punchy and extremely fast-paced. It's a slight step down in terms of quality in comparison to the previous volumes, but War is satisfying nonetheless.
RATING: B-
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