REVIEW: ‘Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods,’ Issue #1

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Vita Ayala, art by Ariel Olivetti, colors by Trish Mulvihill, and letters by Pat Brosseau. War rages between the gods. As the closing battles draw to a close, Hecate attempts to claim Diana’s body as her own. But instead of the power of truth saving Diana from the villainous’ clutches, she finds herself possessed by the witch god. Can Diana wrestle control from her and keep the world safe? Or will she fall victim to her own anger and be the one to lose control?

Like all its predecessors in the Tales from the Dark Multiverse line, this story twists a familiar story into a tragic what might have been. Writer Ayala uses the freedom given a writer well, letting the possibilities go in directions I wasn’t expecting, keeping the narrative fresh till the last page.

This freshness is even more impressive given how true they keep the characters to their canon selves. Since this story is supposed to represent a mirror world to the one we know, it’s important Earth’s champions behave as they should. Often, when a story gets the go-ahead to be darker than the average superhero tale, the hero’s are instantly transformed. I’m happy this doesn’t happen here.

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods #1 not only gives an appropriately dark tale, fitting the concept but also uses its narrative to weave important commentary that mirrors the problems of the real world.

As dark forces manipulate some of the story’s players, all those remotely connected to them are forced to pay the price. And as any could predict, this cruelty only spawns more pain as the wronged look to lash out at those who mistreat them for wrongs they did not do. Art, as ever, imitates life.

Just as Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods #1’s story balances the darkness of the worsening situation with the classic storytelling style of superheroes, so does the art. The struggle between the darkness of a Hecate and the personification of love that Diana has always represented is captured with skill.

This skill extends beyond the depiction of the title character. As the rest of the DCU gets drawn into the conflict, each character is given their due. Personalities are laid out onto the page, giving every subject their own presence within the panels.

The colorwork of Mulvihill further strengthens the art. The panels are kept brighter than I would normally expect for a story with this one’s tone. This keeps the look of the book feeling more grounded in a classic comic book feel. Given that the story it is rewriting came out nearly thirty years ago, this approach feels appropriate for its tale.

Lastly, we have Brosseau’s lettering. The lettering work here delivers its story with clarity and skill. A few alternate font choices help push some of the character voices, giving them a bit of extra uniqueness.

When all is said and done, Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods #1 delivers a strong story of the DC Universe gone wrong. It threads some strong themes into its narrative, making it more than just looking at a dark reflection of a previously done story.

Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Wonder Woman War of the Gods #1 is available wherever comics are sold.