This is a "man's world"

 
If you have not been keeping up with Wonder Woman, then you are perhaps missing out on one of her best story lines in years. Gail Simone does an amazing job capturing the warrior spirit of the character, yet has been able to add a level of vulnerability to the displaced Amazonian princess giving her a more balance. Issue #37 continues to revolve around the upheaval of Themyscira and its newly appointed king, Achilles. Following the events of " Rise of the Olympian," Achilles now rules over both Amazon, and Olympian alike, as ordered by Zeus. Having been confronted, and once again defeated, Achilles shows Wonder Woman the depths at which he will go to keep her from interfering in Zeus' plan. Explaining to the princess that her mother's ( Hippolyta) life will be forfeit should she continue to appose Zeus. Although Achilles seems to be an honorable warrior at heart; his unwavering devotion to Zeus and the poisonous manipulation of his newly appointed Queen, Alkyone; have set him on a collision course with Wonder Woman.

Achilles may be one of the most prominent and over looked characters to come out of 2009. His loyalty and dedication reminds me a lot of Captain America. He is the quintessential "good
soldier." He truly believes he is serving the greater good and is dedicated to the future of the Amazons and Olympians. Unlike Ares, Alkyone, or even Zeus, Achilles has no hidden agenda which makes his character very compelling. Will he eventually see what is unfolding behind the scenes and play the role of hero? Or will he remain foolishly devoted to the Gods? It is a very interesting sub plot. As we see in this issue, he hangs on Alkyone every word and is completely trusting of her council. Which actually makes a lot of sense, cause despite Alkyone's deep seeded hatred for the Dragon (Wonder Woman), she ultimately believes what she wants is best for Themyscira. It makes sense for Achilles to see their union as a politically strategic move more then a union of love.


After being visited in a dream by the now deceased Ares; Wonder Woman decides that she will no longer let her adversaries use her love for her family and innocent lives as a weapon against her and returns home. Upon her arrival, she finds Achilles waiting for her.
The new King has a surprise in store for the displaced Amazon princess, her sister, Donna Troy. Who blames Wonder Woman for the death of her family. Fiercely the two go back and forth in a highly charged battle. I was actually really impressed with the way Gail Simone portrayed Donna Troy although I admit, I do not know much about the character. I felt that her appearance really added some star power to the issue. I wont give the rest away but the ending is somewhat shocking and will leave you eagerly anticipating issue #38.


All in all this was a really good read. You can feel the build up to something climatic and Gail really brings each character's personality into view. From the honor but duty stricken hero Achilles, to the vengeful yet displaced patriotism of Alkyone, she really captures what each character is feeling and what drives them. I give Wonder Woman #37 a 3.5 out of 5.   

So I picked up Batgirl #3 today despite being one of the biggest Stephine Brown haters on this site. At this point I'm only reading it in hopes of catching a guest appearance by Cassandra Cain. From the start of the series it was easy to see what direction  Bryan Q Miller would be taking the book and to be honest, its the exact same thing the t.v. series Buffy the Vampire Slayer did. A teenage girl dealing with the pressures of school, home, and family, while at the same time secretly fighting crime and hoping not to get caught by mother. Maybe I'm just to old for the new direction Batgirl has taken. Frat parties, secret crushes, getting grounded, and crying about an ex boyfriend are things I'd expect to see in a Spiderman comic, not my Batgirl comics. Now remember, this is just my point of view. I'm sure lots of readers can easily relate to the vulnerability of Steph. She's constantly searching for her place and it gives the reader a glimpse at a hero who doesn't always have the answers and lacks the self confidence of an established crime fighter. Her insecurities make her more human then the other characters we usually see wearing the Bat suits.
 
Right at the start of the issue we see Steph getting ready to infiltrate "Devil's Square" after members of Scarecrows crew attacked Steph's first campus party (again with the collage thing. We get it, you're in school) using a new drug cocktail named "Thrill." We also get to see part of the reason why Steph has such low self-esteem. Barbra Gordon still seems reluctant to acknowledge Steph as Batgirl even going so far as to refer to Steph's utility belt as Cassandra's (I loved that part). Now even though I hate on Steph, this issue does provide us with the first real fight Steph has with a legitimate Rogue of Batman's. How does she fair? Well I wont give it all away but I did have to smile a couple times.
 
 
I will admit Steph is a fighter. Not so much skill wise but emotionally. She refuses to quit or be told she's not good enough which is admirable. The only problem is, sometimes when people tell you you're not good enough........they're right. But it seems in this case Steph has won over at least one person. By the end of the issue we see where, and by whom, the new Batgirl suit comes from. Which is good for Steph as she no longer has to run around in Cassandra's hand me downs. She's got her own look now and one of the greatest minds in the DCU backing her up. Time will tell if she'll be able to replace the last two Batgirls.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is just my own theory here, but I think Calculator's daughter, Wendy Harris,  will end up being Batgirl at some point. She keeps showing up with the most random appearances not to have an important role to play. Keep an eye on her.