Review: WONDER WOMAN #74
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artists: Jesus Merino & Xermanico
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Reviewed by: Sean Blumenshine
Summary
Wonder Woman’s journey through the broken realm has reached its end—but who waits for her there? And what exactly created this place between dimensions in the first place? The answer will shock Diana and provide the missing piece of a puzzle that’s defined her entire life!
Positives
The cover by Jesus Merino and Romulo Fajardo Jr. is solid. It conveys the emotion it intends to well and sells the contents of the book. We finally get to see the Amazons again. And it looks good.
The interior art is fine for the most part. There is a decent amount of detail. Fajardo Jr.’s colors are great as always. Most of the issue takes place in a forest and fields so he gets to use a lot of nice colors that are vibrant and pretty.
I enjoyed the fight with Empress Hippolyta. That was both a nice a payoff from last issue and an interesting hook for the next one. She was certainly a threat in the last issue but we never got to see to what extent. In this issue, we get to see Hippolyta unleashed which is a lot of fun especially when it’s Diana she has to fight. Additionally, there’s a mystery created because Hippolyta is clearly not herself and I’m curious to learn what has happened to Chi since the last time Diana was here.
Negatives
The change between artists at the end is fairly noticeable. Fajardo Jr.’s colors create a decent bridge but not enough to completely cover it. And I haven’t been a fan of Xermanico’s art in this book for the most part. That has not changed. There isn’t enough detail for my taste which takes away from the emotion of the scene.
The pacing of this story feels off to me. Everything is moving at a decently slow pace. That may be a result of reviewing the individual issues on their own. Maybe once this part of a greater whole, it will read better. But not a lot happens. There’s a cool fight and then they happen to run across the Amazons.
Verdict
This issue is okay. It just didn’t grab me. The fight with Hippolyta is cool and it’s done well. But a lot of the interesting thematic elements from earlier issues aren’t as present in this. There’s not a lot in this issue. Again, it might read better in the context of the rest of the run once it’s done. But on its own, it was fine but nothing that interesting.
