Wonder Woman #21 is written by Tom King and published by DC. Artwork is by Guillem March and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey.
Wonder Woman #21 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
Fury of the gods! As Batman gets closer to solving the case of Ares’s murder, disaster strikes in the form of a bolt of lightning. With the CapedCrusader sidelined, can the Amazon Princess uncover the truth?
Review
Today’s issue of Wonder Woman picks right up where we left off last month, bringing Tom King’s two-part detective story to a dramatic conclusion. Diana is working against the clock with Batman sidelined and Zeus breathing down her neck. Can she unravel the mystery of Ares’s murder and absolve her mother of any guilt in the process? King and artist Guillem March are laying Diana’s emotional scars out on the table, leaving no stone unturned in a satisfying and revealing conclusion.
King and March brilliant set all the pieces in motion with last month’s first half of the story. The two parts work perfectly in tandem, more like one story cut in two rather than two individual issues. “Murder on Mt. Olympus” could easily have been released as one oversized issue with the way the story flows naturally through to its conclusion. There’s a satisfying arc to Diana’s story, even within these two issues, which dramatically drives forward her character coming out of the war with The Sovereign. Even with issue #19’s lingering flash forward King is able to full separate us from all of that storytelling to make “Murder on Mt. Olympus” a self-contained story that gives readers a breather.
What’s especially interesting throughout this two-parter is seeing how Diana and Bruce interact in isolation. Without Clark, any of the Justice Leaguers or even Bat-Family members around, their interactions have been straightforward and authentic. The effortless nature with which they communicate is perhaps the biggest draw to seeing them unravel this mystery. Those interactions seen in part one certainly seem to have inspired Diana to take on the investigation solo with Bruce recovering from his run in with a lightning bolt. But as this second half of the story continues the humanity and candour becomes even more striking and leads to an emotional and tearjerking conclusion.
Strip away all of that character development and there’s still an engaging mystery to be solved. Seeing Diana take the lead, speaking with gods across Mt. Olympus still makes for a great read. The issue opens with her interrogating her mother. There’s still a shred of doubt in Diana’s mind and that needs to be addressed. King writes Diana as objective throughout which feels authentic to her character. Given her recent experiences it feels her world view has been tainted somewhat. Those aspects of the story tie in nicely to the final page as she opens up to Batman on her feels of grief and anger for losing Steve. Whilst she remains suspicious of her mother there are still plenty more gods to speak to. Diana’s first clue comes from Hephaestus and soon Diana is like a blood hound catching the scent.
The sexism of the male gods soon brings itself into focus. Through her interactions with Hephaestus, Dionysus and others it becomes clear there’s a divide on Mt. Olympus which Diana is none too pleased to find herself in the middle of. It plays in to overall themes of gender divide which King has been infusing in to Wonder Woman his entire run. But here rather than forming the backbone of the antagonist it is used to inform Diana’s investigation of the murder. It leads her to the eventual reveal of [spoiler] as the killer. A reveal which feels unpredictable but entirely organic to the story which King has been spinning across these two issues.
March’s nine-panel presentation of the story continues to delight. The whole story has looked incredible from start to finish. As with last month, much of the issue plays out in close up and mid-range shots. This affords March the chance to dazzle with some incredible facial shots. The raw emotion, particularly on Diana’s face is palpable throughout. Given this is ostensibly a detective story then facial expressions are often the key to unravelling the whodunnit of it all. So taking this approach feels bang on the money for the story being told. But that doesn’t mean March can’t bring the action when the time comes. Much more so than last month, Wonder Woman #21 brings a level of physical contact which March matches and visualises with fervor.
When March breaks with the nine-panel design it’s for a moment which needs a more grandiose focus. Towards the end of the issue a full page splash of Diana landing a monumental punch is outstanding. There’s something almost Frank Miller-esque in the style of the image. March encapsulates all of the anger which Diana is harbouring perfectly in one almighty and aggressive gesture which is both deserved but also out of character if Diana were not harbouring so much grief.
Verdict
Wonder Woman #21 rounds out the “Murder on Mt. Olympus” storyline through striking visuals and impactful storytelling. The depth which Tom King brings to Diana, particularly the wake of recent losses, is dazzling to read.
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