Gabriella Tutino Comic Reviews

As far as hunting down Batman's killer, there are a lot of questions floating around as to who is responsible and why. The addition of Spoiler in the mix could either muddle things up or help Kyle figure everything out. Only time will tell..

Meanwhile, the Hasigawa Family and Sionis have found out that a few men have defected to the Calabrese family. While they prepare their strategy, Eiko and Spoiler head out into town to see what they can find. The women split up, and shortly after, Eiko ruins into Sionis — it doesn't end well for her, and hints at the introduction of a new, vicious character.

Selina's "retirement" will be a refreshing change. The series has been rather boring with its portrayal of such a mild-mannered mafia boss. While the intention is to split the action and identity of Selina between mob boss and Catwoman, it dulls the story. The political intrigue, or lack thereof, is drawn out, and there have been few times where we see Catwoman bring out her claws. Maybe this new risk will change that, and up the excitement factor.

THE KINGS OF THE WASTELAND is an overall decent attempt at telling an old tale in a fresh, new way. With a more focused effort on dialogue and some added depth to the characters, this series has the potential to be gripping.

The opening scene is a familiar situation for any female clubgoers- while dancing, a man approaches Diana and after being shut down, attempts to grab her without her permission. She of course, puts him in his place. Following that, and prior to Diana's hit, the womencome across a homeless man and offer to take care of him. Once again, in very few pages, Meredith & David Finch are able to conveyDiana not just as a goddess, but as an everyday hero who stands up for herself and helps others. Wonder Woman doesn't have a hero complex; she's relatable and kind, but has a strong sense of justice. It's easy to admire her and look up to her because she seems perfect — a point brought up in the end in the conversation between Donna and a strange woman. Is it a hint to the underlying themes for this new arc?

The rewarding part of this issue, however, is the small dive into Donna's backstory, and the hints of how she and Diana are connected in more ways than one. Historically, Donna Troy's superheroine identities have been known as Wonder Girl and Darkstar, and her origin stories have been retconned and revisited multiple times. With the words from the Fates in mind, it seems that this next arc will explore both Donna's myths as well as Amazonian history, which will in turn build a richer, more complex series.

The death of the Fates has set off some unexpected consequences, complicating things even further for Wonder Woman.

The next logical step will pit Wonder Woman, the God of War, against Eirene, the Goddess of Peace. Eirene seems to be mad at Diana for killing Ares, and there's an undercurrent of a love-triangle brewing in this tension, which doesn't sound too great. Overall, Issue #45 was great, but I believe it leaves the series at a weird point.