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    Wonder Woman #24

    Wonder Woman » Wonder Woman #24 - Combat Zone released by DC Comics on December 1988.

    Short summary describing this issue.

    Combat Zone last edited by ltjfleetwood41 on 09/01/18 09:40PM View full history

    Vanessa is gawking at the TV as she is watching a report of Hermes being attacked filmed by the cameraman before the reel had stopped working. Analysts are studying the film they are provided with to see if this is a hoax or not. At the scene, two policemen find the camera lying on the ground, and then they hear something that sparks their attention and see the cameraman cowering in the corner. They calm him down and he babbles something about the soundman saying that this building was strange. One officer assumes he is high on drugs, but the other officer agrees with him, as this really is an empty lot. Meanwhile, under the building is Ixion who is chained to a stone wheel. Hermes still recognises him after he had put him away many, many years ago. Hermes is then confused with how Ixion managed to escape, and Phobos replies that when the gods were too busy with cosmic migration and that it was simple as sneaking in into the Underworld and snatching him there. However, he could only take him away from the torture, not the chains and since Hermes was the one that forged them, only he can break them. Hermes tell them that they will pay for this and Phobos gloats that now he has the Caduceus, he can undo what Hermes had done to Ixion and blasts an energy bolt towards him. The ground above shake as the two officers and cameraman can feel it. One of the officers enters the building and finds Euryale, who immediately turns him into stone. Ixion then breaks the chains he was once imprisoned by and another camera person captures Ixion rising up from the building.

    Vanessa, who is watching, stares in horror as the events unfold. She runs downstairs to Julia and Horace who are drinking coffee and excitedly yells what is happening. Julia calmly replies that it should wait until later, but Vanessa grabs the remote and turns of the TV. Julia jumps out of her chair, shocked, to find that it is Phobos, who once tried to kill her.

    At the scene, Phobos tells the onlookers that they will die as Ixion stands over them with Hermes in his grip. As the police arrive, the captain speaks into a loud speaker to give up Hermes, but Euryale just laughs and petrifies the captain. The police, meanwhile, stand in awe as Ixion lumbers to them. Hermes pleads for him to not harm any mortals. The police fire upon him, but bullets are useless and Ixion lifts his foot and stomps down on them. He laughs and it echoes across the city as civilians flee. The camera person is still filming and her producers tell her to get out of there, but it is too late as Euryale does her stuff and Ixion slams down his foot, shattering her to pieces.

    Meanwhile, Julia is in shock from seeing Phobos and screams for the television to be turned off. Where’s Diana when they need her?

    Hermes is still being held in Ixion’s hand and he goes stronger each time he kills an innocent. The only reason why Ixion is holding Hermes in his hand is that so he can witness each death in horror. Hermes much read his Caduceus, as that is the only hope left.

    Miles away, Diana is in New Hampshire where Hermes took his mortal form and had built a temple for himself. Diana is taking a swim and relaxing, when Hermes appears as Diana asks what is wrong. He says that Boston is under attack by Ixion and many are already dead. She instantly shoots up from the water and grabbing her armour and changing into it then swiftly taking to the skies.

    Somewhere else on a small island in the South Pacific, Etta Candy monitors her console and calls over her senior officer, telling him that she has found a transmission. She has decoded it and she shows her senior officer. Suddenly, he takes an interest and he has been in the air force long enough to know what that is. It’s an invasion!

    In Boston, Ixion is still rampaging around with Phobos sitting on his shoulders, but suddenly a punch from Wonder Woman sends him flying. Wonder Woman wraps her lasso around him and tells him that with this, he will no longer spew lies. Phobos replies that she killed his brother Deimos, and for that, many mortals will die. Nearby, Ixion lifts up some kind of frigate and Hermes watches in guilt, but then Wonder Woman snatches the vessel and places it back in the water and Hermes yells out to her, telling her to concentrate on getting the Caduceus and she replies that she doesn’t know where she is, and looking for it may cost her. She has no choice but to attack Ixion. With that, she launches herself at Ixion but she is swatted away like a fly and comes to her senses just before she flies into a building and she realises that she needs to get Ixion onto open ground so then she can fight him without any complications. Before Ixion can react, she lifts him up and he lets go of Hermes. There she carries the closet open ground and thinks Gayhead Cliffs and slams him into the red cliff. She hovers over him, wondering if she threw too hard, but then a hand tries to grab her but she evades just in time. She punches him and he starts throwing boulders at her as he rages that he will not be taken back by Hades.

    Back in Boston, the National Guard open fire on Phobos as he calls for help from Euryale. She emerges and asks him who tied him up and he replies it was Wonder Woman. Phobos swears that Wonder Woman will be tortured for his and Euryale begins to undo the lasso as another weak hand reaches for the Caduceus. Euryale sees the movement but is too late as she is killed by a blast of energy which decapitates her. Hermes stands over Phobos and he asks them to hold their fire and turns to Phobos, saying that he has underestimated him. When Ixion had let go, he managed to make his way through the city’s sewers and he points the glowing Caduceus at Phobos, threatening him to tell him what he needs to know unless he wants to suffer a more horrible death than the Gorgon could ever execute.

    At Gayhead Cliffs, Ixion is slammed against the cliffs as Wonder Woman tells him that she can feel his strength fading. He is no longer a match for her, and he should just surrender. He replies that he would rather not go back to torture and would rather die. Just then, Hermes appears with Phobos following him, still bound. He continues how Phobos has helped him find the right punishment for Ixion and then he raises his Caduceus in which the serpents coiled around it come to life and he tells Ixion that he should prepare to return to inferno and Ixion begs for him to be killed, and Hermes tells him that his torture has just begun. He is chained to the Great Wheel once again and screams as he knows that he is bound for all eternity. A confused Wonder Woman says that Tartarus has been absorbed in the cosmic migration and questions where the Great Wheel will be placed and Phobos tells Hermes to reveal where Ixion is imprisoned. "Tell the pathetic fool that all her sisterhood's sacrifices have been for nothing, that the Assassin must be placed beneath her beloved Paradise Island - making it a fortress once more." Wonder Woman is shocked, and Hermes apologises but once the new Olympus has been formed, he will be kept in Tartarus once again. She asks how long that will be as the Amazons have made many plans and says that surely there is an alternative and it was Hermes who freed him in the first place! Hermes begs Wonder Woman to calm down and reminds her that even the gods are not infallible. She replies that the Amazons are not infallible either. For centuries she has been told to suffer for her own sins, and now they must suffer for the gods’ sins? That is not fair! Then, air force jets fly near the fight and the squadron leader tells them to hold their fire as it seems that the situation is under control. Just then, the impossible seems to have come true as Ixion breaks from his chains. As Ixion goes for the jets, Wonder Woman prepares to attack him but Hermes holds her back and tells her that she had prayed for an alternative and the fates have provided her one. Wonder Woman watches as Ixion lifts up a huge chunk of the cliff and prepares the hurl it to the jets. But they open fire as Ixion’s screams fill the night. Wonder Woman becomes a statue upon hearing those screams and she wishes to intercede, but every fibre in her body is telling her not to, for these are the screams of relief as this marks the end of Ixion and he has paid his final penance.

    Later at the Kapatelis home, Julia and Vanessa watch as Ixion’s body falls and the news reader begins to report how many have been killed as the number is in the hundreds now. Only Wonder Woman stopped the numbers from increasing and the police are also tracking down a man who calls himself Hermes as he was the last one seen carrying the alleged mastermind. Vanessa asks her mother if Diana is OK and Diana has in fact been watching them and reassures that she is fine. Vanessa is overjoyed and asks where Hermes is and she replies that she does not know. Julia then asks Vanessa to leave for a moment as the two of them have to talk for a bit. Vanessa goes up to her room, and Diana apologises for putting Julia in such a confrontational position with Hermes. Julia reassures her that nothing is wrong, and apologises again as she let Hermes cloud her judgement. Even though every instinct told her that Julia was right, she just couldn’t go against the gods. Julia then tells her that it wasn’t Diana or Hermes and she guesses that the Amazons have never gone through menopause and Diana replies that she has read about it. Julia hugs Diana and tells her that if she dares to leave, she will tie her in her own lasso! From upstairs Vanessa watches the two women hug and tears rolls down her face as that is true friendship and Diana warns that things are going to get much tougher. Julia replies that they will get through it together and she asks if Hermes is OK. Diana says he should’ve been back by now and prays that nothing has gone wrong. Outside the house, Hermes listens in and he hears Julia tell Diana that he needs time. He is probably suffering from guilt and shame and Diana adds that she probably shouldn’t have lectured him. Julia, surprised, says that Hermes must have taken a hard hit if he were to be lectured by Diana and Diana nods. Julia replies that she can imagine, as she has seen the way he looks at her. Diana quickly replies that their relationship is not like that at all but Julia asks her if she sure that Hermes knows that for a fact and Diana replies that he must because he is a god.

    "Yes sweetheart," Hermes hears Julia softly reply, "but remember... even a God can be all too human." Hermes leaves, with Julia’s words in his head.

    Notes:

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    A little lacking 0

    Here we follow the second of a two story arc, but this one is focused mostly on the action.  Phobos, Eurayle and Ixion are rampaging across Boston, only to cause destruction and inflict a little payback on Hermes along the way.  Diana is absent for most of the issue but when she realizes what has been going on she rushes to the aid of Boston and Hermes.  She arrives in time to free Hermes and shift the battle elsewhere.  The action was all right, just not as good as has been in previous issues. ...

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