Wonder Woman #12 is written by Tom King and published by DC. Artwork is by Tony S. Daniel, colours by Leonardo Paciarotti and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey.
Wonder Woman #12 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Meet the new dynamic duo! Wonder Woman teams up with the unlikeliest of allies, Robin, on a top secret mission to save their fellow heroes. Will Damian and Diana’s quest to break into Waller’s Gamorra supermax prison be a successful one? Or is it all part of a more elaborate trap for Wonder Woman and her new sidekick?
Review
With Wonder Woman #12, available today, we’re seeing a lighter side of the Absolute Power event which adds a little nuance and versatility to the storytelling. Tom King writes a reminder that even whilst the world is its bleakest there’s still connections to be made and even a little fun to be had… even if it does come at the expense of Captain Boomerang.
The latest issue of Wonder Woman is at face value pretty simple. Diana has teamed up with Damian Wayne in order to find the location of Amanda Waller’s prison. The hope being they can find where Waller is keeping all of the captured heroes and liberate them, putting an end the siege which currently holds many of their loved ones prisoner. But getting the information means roughing up Captain Boomerang and neither Diana nor Damian seems comfortable with the other’s methods.
King writes a fun push-and-pull between the two heroes which eventually digs deeper in to their state of mind. This isn’t a pairing anyone is accustomed to reading and there’s a fascination in how they interpret each other’s behaviour which King is able to pounce on and exploit to create a surprisingly fun story amongst all of the doom which surrounded the DCU in the middle of this event. Just how far is Diana, separated from her loved ones, willing to go to get the information they need? But conversely how much is Damian willing to compromise on his shoot first, ask questions later attitude?
READ MORE: SDCC: Tom King & Daniel Sampere on Year One of WONDER WOMAN
Wonder Woman #12 is a heady mix of dialogue and small scale action. Sequences of Damian, apparently a big fan of dangling is prey from a rope, using more forceful methods tend to bring more of the scope. Where Diana’s attempts to use emotion to elicit a response are more low key. Between these attempts the two characters, both desperate to save their loved ones, dissect each other’s approach. It’s in these dialogue heavy moments that King is able to cut through much of the Absolute Power storytelling to speak to how both Diana and Damian are as people. By the end of the issue, their goal achieved, there’s an ironic compromise which shows them that perhaps working together all along was the way to go…
Tony S. Daniel is back to provide artwork this month. It’s a real right down to business approach which is able to highlight the exact messaging which King is attempting to convey through his story. Daniel’s adaptability is able to put the focus on some of those crazy attempts Damian makes to get information. Giant crocodile anyone? But also highlights the anguish on Diana’s face when her own attempts to reason with the villain aren’t going anywhere. Little is left up to interpretation and Wonder Woman #12 ends as it begun, firing on all cylinders and adding much needed context to DC’s summer event.
Verdict
Wonder Woman #12 is a surprisingly fun chapter in DC’s heavy summer event. Though Absolute Power always looms on the horizon, seeing Diana and Damian working together makes for a fun and unexpected chapter.
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