Wonder Woman #760 Review

Where are the Iron Giants?

Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Mikel Janin, Jordie Bellaire, and Pat Brosseau
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 12, 2020

I liked the first issue of Mariko Tamaki's Wonder Woman run.  Sure, I wanted things to be a little more hard-hitting and wished we got a little more of an inkling of what Diana and Maxwell (not Max!) Lord remember about their past, but I liked the overall tone and loved Mikel Janin's art.  I do hope we get some of what I wanted in this issue, though, because if we don't, I might start to worry a bit.  So, after reading this week's issue, am I good to go or a worry wort?  Let's find out...




The issue picks right up from the last issue's cliffhanger.  Diana and Maxwell are facing off in Stryker's Island Penitentiary and the art, especially the colors, just pop and make everything look fantastic.  As far as the dialogue goes, I am still waiting for any little clue that either of them remembers Diana snapping Maxwell's neck in Infinite Crisis.

It may be a nitpick and something only I want to see, and I do know that some people are yelling, "That didn't happen in this continuity, Jim!"  I am well aware of that, but DC and Tamaki are counting on the hype of that moment to make this "Must-See TV," so not dealing with it seems like a massive letdown to me.  If we aren't dealing with that past, then why do I care about this present?  That sentiment gets stronger when it looks like Lord isn't even the big bad of all this mind control nonsense anyway.

We move on to Diana getting a briefing from Etta Candy about the widespread hallucinations happening all over the country and what book Maxwell Lord is reading lately.  The last bit was to show he is under constant surveillance, but Diana doesn't ask any questions or asks to see any evidence and just leaves.  While I thought that Tamaki hung too long on not so essential scenes last issue, I wanted her to stick with the important ones here a little longer.  Instead, we head back to Diana's apartment where Emma and her rabbit, Mullaney, hang out with Wonder Woman and get falafel for dinner.

The next day, the hallucinations start up again, first with a guy working the wrecking ball in downtown Washington DC.  Sadly, Miley is nowhere to be found, so the guy starts bringing down the wrong building, and if it weren't for Wonder Woman, he would be a murderer.  By the way, Wonder Woman does do Miley right when she rides the wrecking ball!

After a very suspicious selfie, Diana heads home for some rest, relaxation, and an attack from Apokolips!  The issue ends with a very cool looking fight that doesn't seem to be anything like what it seems it is.

This wasn't a bad issue; it just didn't feel significant or necessary.  I had the same feeling in the first issue, but since it was a beginning, I felt like I should wait to see if it was a blip or a trend.  It's starting to feel like a trend.  Mariko Tamaki seems more concerned with Emma and Mullaney than Maxwell Lord, and that feels off.  The book already feels like it's starting to drag, and it just started.  At least the cliffhanger feels big, and hopefully, it gets things going next issue.

I have no complaints at all about the art.  Everything looks fantastic, but I am a Mikel Janin fanboy.  This issue may be his, and Jordie Bellaire's best work in quite some time.

Bits and Pieces:

I realize we are only two issues into Mariko Tamaki's run, but things are already starting to drag a bit.  The art is excellent throughout, but Tamaki brushes aside important scenes too quickly, and the book feels smaller because of that.  I also didn't get a good feel for Diana this issue as she felt tossed from scene to scene and was never the focal point of any of them.  I hope things rebound because I liked the first issue way more than this one.

6.5/10