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WONDER WOMAN #183
Neutral (4/10)
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DC Comics
"Land of the Lost, Part Finale: The Triumph of Trinity!"
Writer: Phil Jimenez
Pencils: Roy Allan Martinez
"Postcards From the Edge, Part Six: Vengeance Claimed"
Writer/Pencils: Phil Jimenez
Inks: Andy Lanning
Colors: Trish Mulvihill & Wildstorm FX
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
The final chapter of "Land of the Lost" fails to hold my attention just as previous ones did, but fortunately, there are elements in this issue that make up for it somewhat. The art is remarkably stronger than what I saw before, and the subplot focusing on Wonder Girl's quest to find her biological father remains down to earth and well scripted. In the end, though, I'm still not tempted to become a regular reader of this title again.
Trinity's true plan is revealed: the bizarre technomage has betrayed his/her/its villainous teammates and is using Cyborgirl to infect the computer network beneath Skartaris with a comuter virus that allows her to destroy the lost land's denizens through a bizarre process of devolution. Though the Warlord, Travis Morgan, has been located, the key to victory lies with Wonder Woman, Trevor Barnes and the special bond he shares with Cyborgirl.
I've not heard tell of Martinez before, but I hope I see his name much more. He boasts a detailed organic approach that strikes me as a cross between the styles of Phil Jimenez and Ariel (Haven) Olivetti. He handles the more bizarre and twisted elements of the story with seeming ease, but also captures the beauty and humanity of the title character at the same time.
The biggest flaw in Jimenez's script is its lack of exposition. I understand that this is the final chapter of a story arc, but he fails to consider that there are readers who are bound to be unaware of this, especially when it comes to a character as iconic as Wonder Woman. Not only is the core plot left unexplained, but some history regarding key characters and concepts -- like the Warlord, Skartaris and Trinity -- is nowhere to be found.
The Troia backup feature -- "Postcards from the Edge" -- is relegated to a single page in this issue, which is too bad, because its plot was more fun and focused that what we see in the main story. Though I'm disappointed its limited to only one page, I am pleased that we at least get a small taste of Jimenez's detailed, expressive artwork.
Despite my overall disappointment in this issue, I am encouraged by the fact that Jimenez still brings some key strengths to bear here. He's handling Cassie's story incredibly well, and he's actually piqued my curiosity about the recent introduction of a second Cheetah to the world of Wonder Woman. I suspect his storytelling may be stronger when he's pencilling the tale himself as opposed to relinquishing those chores to another.
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