DC ROUND-UP: Endings and beginnings in WONDER WOMAN #800

THIS WEEK: Wonder Woman #800 tours the Amazing Amazon’s history, and introduces Diana’s future daughter.

Note: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comic in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.

Wonder Woman #800

Writers: Michael W. Conrad & Becky Cloonan and Tom King
Artists: Joëlle Jones, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, Nick Robles, Todd Nauck, Skylar Patridge, Cully Hamner, Jen Bartel, and Daniel Sampere
Colorists: Jordie Bellaire, Tamra Bonvillain, Jen Bartel, and Tomeu Morey
Letterers: Pat Brosseau and Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Yanick Paquette 

This week’s Wonder Woman #800 is both an ending and a beginning. On the former count, it features Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan’s final story as regular writers on the series. As for the latter, it also includes Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s first tale on the title, a future-set story that introduces a character poised to play a huge role in their October-launching run: Diana’s daughter, Trinity.

The majority of the issue features Conrad and Cloonan’s last hurrah, and they’re joined by a murderer’s row of artists who have worked on the series with them over their 31-issue run, as well as a few character-specific artists new to the series. The tale is part 2 of “Whatever Happened to the Warrior of Truth?,” a story title that carries a heavy legacy of classic stories along with it. Luckily, Conrad and Cloonan are up for the challenge they’ve set for themselves, as the story here offers Diana a guided dream tour of the many friends and foes she has met and influenced over the span of her career. Each artist draws a sequence involving a different character, from all three of the Wonder Girls to Batman and Superman, among others.

The story is structured well, using dream logic to take Diana from one interaction to the next, while grounding it in the real world with the Amazonian oracles watching over her as she dreams. The artist transitions, which could have been offputting given the very different styles on display, instead work well at establishing mood and scene shift. It’s also a remarkably accessible story given that it’s the second part of a storyline, and overall it’s a pretty perfect celebration of Wonder Woman’s legacy and history for her 800th issue. It also highlights what a firm grasp of Diana writers Conrad and Cloonan have had since the beginning of their run, and reminds readers of what they’ll be missing as the team moves on to other projects.

The back-up story from King, Sampere, and colorist Tomeu Morey follows Diana’s daughter, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Marston Prince, aka Trinity, as she teams with Superman Jon Kent and Batman Damian Wayne for a mysterious, mythological mission. The three of them all consider each other to be siblings, and their interactions convey that well, Jon and Damian the older brothers to Lizzie’s teasing younger sister. The dynamic between the three is playful, even as the situation is deadly serious, and using established characters Jon and Damian to introduce Lizzie was a very smart move as it gives readers and ‘in’ to the story and a reason to care about what happens to her. There doesn’t seem to be a ton to this story beyond introducing Trinity and teasing things that are to come in October, but on both of those counts it’s an intriguing read.

Wonder Woman #800 is a fantastic send-off for Conrad, Cloonan, and co. The writers and artists on the issue’s main tale have crafted a Wonder Woman story that should be required reading for anyone who’s interesting in why the character has remained so important and relevant over the past eight decades. King, Sampere, & Morey’s back-up serves its purpose well, teasing out new characters and ideas that will be explored in the team’s upcoming run on the series. What more could anyone want from a milestone issue?

Final Verdict: Buy.

Round-Up

• Conrad and Cloonan are also saying goodbye to Gotham this week, as Batgirls #19 concludes the Bat-family series. The writers are joined by Robbi Rodriguez, Rico Renzi, and Becca Carey for a story that, like Wonder Woman #800, celebrates the series’ title characters and the role they play in their city. With Barbara Gordon and Cassandra Cain playing key roles in other titles, readers are left to wonder where Stephanie Brown will land now that this series is over, but it’s a sure bet she’ll be kicking around Gotham’s The Hill neighborhood when she appears next.
• Another conclusion this week as Black Adam #12 wraps up the twelve-issue maxiseries from writer Christopher Priest and an array of artists. Priest is joined by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Matt Herms, and Willie Schubert for the finale, which leaves Black Adam – and Teth-Adam – in a very interesting position. The issue wraps up the Akkad story that has run throughout the series, but beyond that there’s not much resolution for Malik, his family, Jasmin, or anyone outside of Adam. With the promise of a return, though, here’s hoping Priest and co. will be back sooner rather than later to continue their stories. This series has been a solid read from start to finish.
• And finally, Nightwing #105 presents a first-person view of what Dick Grayson sees when he swings through the skies over Blüdhaven. Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott present another unique take on a superhero story. Unlike 2021’s Eisner-nominated Nightwing #87, which told a story in one continuous image over the full issue, the gimmick in this week’s #105 wears thin pretty quickly, and feels more like cover for what’s otherwise a pretty thin story than a truly worthwhile exercise in storytelling. Innovative? Yes. But effective? Not really.

Miss any of our earlier reviews? Check out our full archive!