Greg Rucka and company offer a lot with this milestone issue, not only wrapping up the writer's first story arc for the series but providing a retrospective of the title character's Golden Age and Silver Age styles and a fanciful exploration of the mythology that spawned several members of the supporting cast. To be honest, there's not much here that completely blew me away, but the issue is solidly entertaining. Even readers who haven't been following the series can get a kick out of this issue.
The main story really doesn't dwell on the philosophical issues that served as the foundation for the arc, but instead offers an action-packed conclusion in the form of a Wonder Woman/Silver Swan battle. I have to admit I was a little disappointed that none of the plotlines introduced in "Down to Earth" are resolved here, but Rucka nevertheless manages to hold my interest. The narration throughout the fight really brings the pain and crisis to life, and Dr. Psycho's manipulative role on the sidelines is downright creepy. Even more chilling, though, is how his involvement comes to an end.
What's far more engaging is the conflict between Zeus and Hera. It opens the door to a cliactic new story arc that focuses more on the sexually charge myths of ancient Greece and exposes the kind of power that makes these figures gods.
Johnsons does an incredible job with the visuals here, and Rucka offers up an interesting challenge with his script. There are three different plotlines unfolding here. There's the Diana/Vanessa fight, Dr. Psycho's influence over the crowd and the argument between Zeus and Hera. Johnson alternates among these different scenes quickly, sometimes several times per page. Instead of a scattered sense in the storytelling, it fosters a growing sense of tense, crescendoing to a shocking and ugly cliffhanger. I love the harshness Johnson instills in the Silver Swan's appaearance, and I'm pleased to see that we get a real sense that the title character is injured in the fracas.
Robert Rodi's Golden Age Wonder Woman story captures the simplicity and wonder of William Moulton Marston's original scripts, though I'm surprised at how limited the bondage and spankings. Burchett is the creator who really blew me away with his work on this story. It looks just like the style og H.G. Peter, the original artist to team up with Marston to bring the Amazon heroine to life decades ago. Ty Templeton similarly does a great job of capturing a Silver Age look in his story. I'm reminded of such artists' styles as Jim Mooney, Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano. Unlike Burchett's work in this issue, though, Templeton's own style comes shining through as well. The script is cute, but it's a bit obvious as well.
The strongest piece in the book is Rucka's backup story, in which Wonder Girl tells a couple of kids a bedtime story -- a watered-down version of Perseus's quest to slay the Gorgon Medousa. I love how the script dances around the inherently sexual -- even perverted -- components of the myth. The banter between Cassie and Ferdinand is delightful, and Linda Medley's artwork is a joy. She captures that classical, mythic look, but there's also a lightness that's in keeping with the children's-storytime quality of the storytelling.
