REVIEW: ‘Wonder Woman,’ Issue #752

Wonder Woman #752 is published by DC Comics, written by Steve Orlando, art by Max Raynor, colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letters by Pat Brosseau. Previously, Detective Nunes had confronted Diana, as the Boston P.D. had issued a threat assessment on the Princess of Themiscyra. Meanwhile, dark forces are at play from behind the scenes, and they are watching Diana closely.

Wonder Woman’s very presence in Boston invites challenge. Her past is littered with colossal battles that topple cities, and Diana understands this. In an effort to reassure the Detective, Diana invites Nunes out with her and Etta Candy while they offer aid to the local community during a ferocious storm. Everything appears to be normal, and natural, but the storm that rages on is nothing of the sort. Without warning, Diana is struck several times by lightning, to which surprisingly, she is able to catch and grab onto.

Diana decides to follow the path of the lightning to its source, and it leads her to three otherworldly demon-like creatures, who were intent on meeting the champion of mankind. As quickly as the arrived, they just as quickly depart leaving Diana with an ominous warning. Meanwhile, as if things weren’t already difficult, Baroness Von Gunther, and Devastation strike up a new partership with a similar goal in mind, to oversee the fall of Wonder Woman.

Diana must defend Boston from a character out of place, and out of time, called the Iron Maiden. This lost warrior was stripped from her timeline while in the middle of a fierce battle with a giant chrome beast. This Knight is intent on battling, and so she turns her attention to Wonder Woman, who stands in her way of successfully bringing down this mythic beast. Elsewhere in issue #752, Von Gunther and Devastation, spend some in an underground base of operations and take some time to get to know each other. The following pages, filled with all kinds of wonderful backstory, highlight a bloody brilliant origin story for those new to the Baroness.

Issue #752 is a notable improvement on the prior issue. The visuals displayed from Raynor highlight the experience on deck, with some notable panels. The work created also pairs well with the colors from Fajardo Jr. The opening two full-page panels, really stand to jump-start the issue with Iron Maiden, going head to head in a destructive bar fight with Wonder Woman. The use of dark purples, and blues capturing the moody lighting from within the bar are then sharply contrasted with the two combatants who are accented nicely with the lights. It’s very representative of a pay-per-view MMA fight, with the spotlight squarely focused on each fighter. Fajardo Jr. captures the reflective colors from the two women, as the assists them from jumping from page ready to do battle. The use and balance of this contrast carry throughout the issue, with appeasing results.

Raynor more than contributes his share of the work, as the issue is laden with multiple action sequences. Between the fight between Diana and Iron Maiden and the flashbacks of violence from Von Gunthers past, there’s more than enough detail to sate the most avid comic book fan.

Orlando continues building a fascinating story with issue #752. The dialogue really stands apart, with some brilliant lines throughout the issue. One particular line caught my eye “Those who know war best must always be ready for it…and work hardest to avoid it”. While Diana is a living weapon and a champion of the people, she recognizes that violence is not always the answer. A point that is reinforced later in the issue.

Alternatively, Orlando delivers a counterpoint to Diana when we have a chance to explore the history of the Von Gunther legacy. She is driven by vengeance, and hatred, a burning desire to see the Amazonian race wiped out. Brosseau creates a high level of diversity within his lettering. The use of onomatopoeia throughout the issue is very well utilized and really stands to elevate a lot of the panels, especially early on during the battle. Additionally, there is a satisfactory balance in the heavy use of dialogue in the story that doesn’t interfere with the art.

Overall, issue #752 course corrects from a bumpy prior issue and begins to dive into the heart of an interesting story. Orlando’s grand design for this story is beginning to take shape, and I’m ready to consume issue #753 as soon as it’s ready.

Wonder Woman #752 is available in stores now.