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Mild Mannered Reviews - Superman/Wonder Woman Comics

Superman/Wonder Woman #21 Superman/Wonder Woman #21

Superman/Wonder Woman #21

Scheduled to arrive in stores: September 16, 2015

Cover date: November 2015

"Dark Truth" - Part Four: "Truth Hits Everybody"

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Jaime Mendoza, Mark Irwin, Sean Parsons and Scott Hanna

Michael Bailey Reviewed by: Michael Bailey

Click to enlarge



Firestorm is captured on the orders of Mr. Bend. Meanwhile Lois Lane is interrogated by a government agent on her knowledge of Superman's double identity. Wonder Woman is allowing the agent to use her lasso which compels Lois to tell the truth but Lois is willful through the whole process. Just after Wonder Woman tells the agent that Lois and the others are not a danger to national security Superman busts into the room and announces it is time to go. Superman and Diana discuss why Diana came to the facility and how they both were played by Steve Trevor as they head to where Superman's friends are being held. Everyone is freed and Superman talks with each of the prisoners before shadowy creatures break in and start absorbing the villains the government had detained in the facility. With Diana's help Superman succeeds in defeating the shadowy creatures but it is not a happy ending. He feels both Diana and Lois betrayed him. Superman uses a JLA teleporter to go take care of something on his own. Meanwhile Mr. Bend is fired but this doesn't stop him from entering a portal to another place and finds that he is not the first to arrive.

4Story - 4: This issue was very well written.

I hate the idea behind Truth.

This is getting repetitive.

Actually I liked this issue quite a bit. Lois Lane felt like...well, she felt like Lois Lane for one of the first times in the last four years. I still can't get behind her exposing Superman's identity, no matter the reason, but here she was surly and combative and it was awesome. Her interrogation at the beginning of the issue was my favorite part of the book. On top of that we got to see the rest of the supporting cast together and again it was for the first time in about four years. Outside of Perry acting like he needed some prune juice or something I liked the interaction between Superman and his friends. It did me a lot of good.

On a really weird level I liked Superman calling out Diana and Lois for betraying him in one way or another. I don't like that it happened but I appreciate the fact that Tomasi is willing to deal with it and, like last issue, not have Superman play the victim. I'm not sure what the end game here is or if the creators have an end game in mind. The final pages seem to indicate that the story is at the very least progressing.

I'm not saying I think it's going to end well but I will say that this is the one title that has me intrigued to see where everything is leading.

The opening scene with Mr. Bend and Firestorm seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm wondering if this is a case of me forgetting something that Tomasi set up in previous issues. If that is the case mea culpa but having Firestorm in the issue only to have him taken down seemed a bit random. I see where it kind of paid off later but it still off.

Other than that I enjoyed this issue. SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN continues to be the strongest of the four titles. I look forward to this book getting back to having a more even split between the focus between the two characters but for the moment I am entertained.

4Art - 4: As with the story part of this review I feel like a broken record here. Mahnke's art continues to be amazing. I particularly enjoyed seeing his take on Firestorm at the beginning of the issue even though Ronnie and Jason ended up having a bad day. His Lois was great as well. Mahnke also nailed the image of Superman bursting through a wall George Reeves style. The shadow creature things were creepy but that's not surprising since Mahnke excels at this sort of thing.

4Cover Art - 4: This is a very simple cover but I also think that it is striking. Yes we are getting more of the solemn, unhappy feel that all of the Superman titles have had but at least the image itself is well done.

4Green Lantern 75th Anniversary Variant Cover Art - 4: Another solid variant. I am not in love with the style but at the same time the composition is good and the characters look great. It's odd to see the heroes change from their civilian identities into their uniforms and that makes me a bit sad. Editorializing aside I liked this cover quite a bit.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2015

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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