Wonder Woman #7 brings The Lies arc to its conclusion, and while there is an action packed battle between two powerful foes, the strength of the issue and this arc overall lies in the complicated friendship between Diana and Barbara Ann.
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It’s been the heartbeat of The Lies storyline all along, but Rucka delivers a satisfying payoff to his present narrative that continues to build upon the deepest version of Barbara Ann that’s been seen in some time. Her resentment towards Diana is palpable, but Rucka has allowed the character a few small moments of tenderness, which makes the final twist by issue’s end hit even harder.
With Barbara being such a prominent part of the storyline thus far, it is rather surprising that the upcoming character focused interlude wasn’t scheduled to release before this issue. The ending might have had even more impact after getting to know her character further, but that isn’t really possible to know before reading interlude, which comes out in two weeks.
Rucka also delivers a much-anticipated reunion in this issue, as Diana shares a loving embrace with Steve Trevor. Now that the two have found each other again, it will be interesting to see if Trevor joins Diana on her continued hunt for Themiscyra, and her quest for answers in general. This is one area where the alternating past and present format of Rucka’s narrative has worked exponentially, as there is much more of a grounding for Trevor due to all the time readers have had to get to know him. It makes the reunion between the two all the sweeter, even if it is quite brief.
Liam Sharp and Laura Martin again manage to deliver some beautiful visuals, including some wonderfully creative panel layouts. Sharp’s pencils on the series have been stellar overall, and there are some closeups in issue #5 that show just why his recent work deserves such high praise.
While this particular storyline has come to a close, there is plenty left to explore between Diana and Barbara Ann, and hopefully, that thread isn’t left to wither on the vine. These two have such a strong chemistry in Rucka’s hands and combined with the long game mystery of just what happened to her homeland, Wonder Woman continues to be a worthy addition to your pull list.
Rating 4 out of 5 Stars
Written By: Greg Rucka
Art By: Liam Sharp
Colors By: Laura Martin
Letters By: Jodi Wynne