Comic Reviews by Walt

Rise of the Olympian part 7: Compound Fracture

Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Associate Editor: Sean Ryan
Editor: Elisabeth Gehrlein
Cover: Aaron Lopresti & Hi-Fi (variant by Francis Manapul & Jeremy Roberts)
Publisher: DC Comics

THere’s a lot going on in this issue, even though much if it is essentially just an extended fight sequence. With six prior issues of build, with fights showing both sides discovering the other’s limits, it comes down to this do-or-die battle as Wonder Woman must overcome Genocide or lose all she holds dear. We also see as other elements come together that will cause plenty of trouble down the road, beyond Genocide.

What initially interested me in this story–the thing that prompted me to see it out from the start–was that Genocide was compared to Doomsday, in terms of the role it would play for Diana. And I must say that the comparison’s a fair one, though obviously with much different characters and story beats and all that.

Simone has a great handle on the character–I’m actually interested in this incarnation of Diana/Wonder Woman; I’m interested in the supporting cast (even though I can’t even remember their names yet), and I’m interested in the Bigger Picture–what’s going on with Zeus and his Olympian(s), and in general find that while Genocide brought me to the table, it’s the writing–the story itself–that has me quite willing to stick around.

The art’s pretty, too–visually, this looks like a comic book, but there’s a quality to the thing that is beyond any “generic” art. One definitely gets a sense from the visuals just how brutal this battle is, and how much of a beating Diana’s already taken. A page toward the end of the battle is particularly gruesome, though due at least in part to not being overly graphic and leaving it to the individual to fill in the extra details.

This both feels like a story ending and yet doesn’t. Elements that have been seen throughout the arc are continuing and probably about to come to far more prominence than we’ve had with ’em so far. But the meat of the story–the battle with Genocide–has a definite ending, while keeping the door open to future stories that’ll certainly reference this.

Though I stuck around for a handful of Rucka’s issues a few years ago and enjoyed them at the time–this current arc is the most I’ve been interested in Wonder Woman and the most I’ve really enjoyed the story overall. If you didn’t follow this arc, I’d recommend considering it in collected volume format, and giving the series a chance with the next issue, whatever story officially kicks off.

Story: 9/10
Art: 8.5/10
Whole: 8.5/10

Filed under: DC, DC Universe, Wonder Woman | Tagged: Aaron Lopresti, Comic Reviews, Compound Fracture, DC, DC Comics, Elisabeth Gehrlein, Gail Simone, Genocide, Hi-Fi, Matt Ryan, Rise of the Olympian, Sean Ryan, Travis Lanham, Wonder Woman |