Wonder Woman #797 (“Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods” Tie-In)
Writers: Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, Josie Campbell
Artists: Amancay Nahuelpan, Caitlin Yarsky
Colour Artists: Tamra Bonvillain, Jordie Bellaire
Letterers: Pat Brosseau, Clayton Cowles
Review by Davydh Tidey
Wonder Woman #797 continues “Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods”, and opens on the consequences of some of Wonder Woman’s choices. Diana will have to live with her decision from the previous issue… Oh, she’ll definitely be paying for it.
Courage
Sappho wept…”
– Wonder Woman
Following the events of Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1, everyone’s favourite demigod is trapped under guard by her own Lasso of Truth. The Gods continue their campaign against the human world and its champions, and that firmly includes the Amazons. However, following the intervention of the Mysterious Stranger (he REALLY gets around), Diana’s free once again to put things right… or is she?
Strength
I’ve got you, sister!”
– Queen Nubia
Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad continue to prove why they were great choices to write the Amazons in Wonder Woman #797. Their characters are believable and Wonder Woman’s speech is simultaneously old-school and relatable (exactly as it should be). This story is moving at a mile a minute! The intrigue they’re creating in this story is wonderful, and I’m loving the way Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods is going so far.
Amancay Nahuelpan and Tamra Bonvillain are working magic. The colors used and the linework all scream “UNDERWORLD”, right up until they come back to the human world. The tone instantly shifts to a more friendly, light colour palette, and I appreciate the contrast in tone a lot. I’m happy that this title is going out with such a bang before the Dawn of DC relaunch.
Love
I’m Mary – are those zombies?!”
– Mary Marvel
Speaking of things that make me happy; New Champion of Shazam continues in the form of a backup story in this issue!
Billy has gone AWOL (AGAIN), and it’s up to Mary to track him down and figure out what’s happening to the world. She has a feeling the powers of SHAZAM! are connected to this whole ordeal, but she has no idea just how deep the connection really goes…
I know that it’s sort of Mary’s role in the SHAZAM! family to be the big sister who keeps everyone else in line, and we all expect it from her at this point, but it’s always very cool to see her step up and take the responsibility when no one else will, especially when the art is from Caitlin Yarsky and Jordie Bellaire.
These two have the definitive Mary Marvel look down now, no one can touch them when it comes to that. The contrast between Mary Bromfield and Mary Marvel is so dramatic and handled in such a cool way, that you can’t help but feel the rush of lightning whenever Mary uses the word. They and Josie Campbell are doing wonderful things with the character, and I hope she continues to play such a major role for a long time yet.
Conclusion
Wonder Woman #797 gives a nice, focused view of the Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods event, which fills in the story between Diana’s reckless intrusion into the new ruling class of Deities and the next issue. We couldn’t have Diana locked up forever now, could we?
Having a mini-event to deal with the consequences of a previous event is a fairly rare path for DC to tread, and it’s always been interesting to see them do this. Final Crisis is a great example of this, and I firmly believe that Lazarus Planet is another. This is an event that will touch the DC universe for a long time yet. It’s only just begun…
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment
