After several issues of being out of the action, allowing her allies to wage war for her while she dealt with grief and the challenges of new motherhood, Wonder Woman is taking things into her own hands in Wonder Woman #18. It’s something that has been a long time coming, and not just because of Steve Trevor’s death and Trinity’s birth. This deep into the run, we’ve been waiting for Wonder Woman to finally take on the architect of her suffering, the Sovereign, but while this issue sets up that showdown, the story is still moving at a snail’s pace — and it’s still not clear what this is all meant to be about.
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The issue begins, as most issues in Tom King’s run thus far has, with exposition. The Sovereign goes into detail about the reconstruction of the Washington Monument and spins it into some bloated parable about how Americans see themselves. It’s part of his storytelling to Trinity, but in the actual events as they happen, things are much less poetic/ It’s an Oval Office in chaos with an ineffective puppet president frantically trying to have Wonder Woman stopped while an agitated Sovereign sits behind the Resolute Desk playing at power for all his obvious weakness. And that, pretty much, is the entire issue Diana marches across the White House lawn, deflects all attacks against her, the men panic and flee when possible, and ultimately the issue is left with the suggestion that the next we’ll see of the title, Wonder Woman will finally confront the man responsible for her suffering and that of her people.
Fundamentally, this actually is an okay issue. As has been the story for this entire run, Daniel Sampere’s art is exquisite and there are some truly amazing images — Wonder Woman walking up to the White House is one of them. But so much of what actually happens in terms of the story just feels flat. We’re reminded that no one can stop Wonder Woman despite all their planning for her. We see her circle back to Sergeant Steel who is just as ineffective as before. The issue inexplicably tosses a new General Glory into things only to waste him after just a couple of pages for no logical reason other than the “look, DC has Captain America, too” of it all. Other than that random bit, one gets the feeling that this issue will probably work very well once this whole arc is collected with its other parts — which is a common element in King’s work. It’s fine.
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But when you take a step further back, despite being competent, the issue also serves to remind readers why this whole run isn’t perhaps the strongest in Wonder Woman’s history. As a character, Wonder Woman has long been defined by her care for Man’s World and the people in it. This story has, instead, dissolved her down to a singular focus: confronting those who took Steve away from her. Can grief be a motivator? Yes. But this doesn’t feel like that is what’s happening here and coupled with so much of this story being focused around the Sovereign and his perspective, it feels like we’re getting less than what this sort of story deserves.
In the grand scheme of King’s Wonder Woman run to date, Wonder Woman #18 is okay. Our heroine is back in action, there’s some great art, and it feels like we might finally be making some progress. Unfortunately, it still feels like we’re merely getting a superficial tale that misunderstands its hero as it struggles to land on exactly what it wants to say.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Published by DC Comics
On February 19, 2025
Written by Tom King
Art by Daniel Sampere
Colors by Tomeu Morey
Letters by Clayton Cowles
