Wonder Woman Vol. 3 # 35 - Birds of Paradise, Part Two: Cradle to Grave

 

Part Two of this two part story was much better than the last, but I still seem to be disillusioned by the team of Simone and Lopresti (and have been for the last few issues). For the most part, I enjoyed the conversation between Wonder Woman and Black Canary, who no longer comes off as a bubble head (compared to last issue).   A definite point of interest for the story is Diana’s coming to terms with her current situation after she has rejected her beliefs and heritage of the Amazons.   Both heroines manage to accomplish their mission, rescuing Sgt. Steel from the body of Dr. Psycho, but the Amazon’s infamous protagonist seems to lack much of his insane banter and malicious mischief. Perhaps that’s because Simone focuses on a new foe for the former princess, Pele, daughter of the now deceased god, Kane Milohai. Kane was slain by Zeus, which is one of the reasons Diana turned her back on the Gods of Olympus. Soon realizing she’s no match for the Goddess of Fire on the mental plane that they battle, Diana instead comes up with a surprising compromise that’s sure to affect her future.   Unfortunately Lopresti doesn’t capture this epic fight with the right amount of grandeur or flare and it threatens to leave this monumental occasion flat. Even Black Canary looks foolish in her Matrix-style coat while she combats an army of meta-human villains in a caged arena. It could be said the most interesting scene comes at the conclusion, with Diana and Nemesis finally dealing with their fallout from the last big story that hit this book. Unfortunately, the scene cuts short for a dramatic cliffhanger and there appears to be no resolution in nearby sight.  

The conversations between Diana and Dianh was really entertaining, I liked Dianh's carefree personality while Diana is still formal and all. They go into a cage fight with a bunch of supervillians while get info on the whereabouts of Dr. Psycho. There Diana fights a pissed off Goddess Pele whos father was murdered by Diana for his crimes, but was later forgiven. The conclusion was Nemesis handing back the staff (that hippolyta gave to him as a member of the Amazons) to Diana, ending their relationship...though it was a cliffhanger. Too bad that it had to end though.
 
What I like was the art design and inking, of course the plot and action, and...Black Canary looks dangerous but SEXY with her matrix jacket on. This is one of the sum of Wonder Woman comics I enjoyed, but don't expect to see a great confrontation between Wonder Woman and the Goddess, not much going on their.