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​​​​​​​Wonder Woman: The Truth (DC Comics, 2016; #13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25)

“The Truth” picks up where Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: The Lies left off.  Going in, I hoped that Rucka would resolve some of the more problematic elements of the first arc in the second.  

That did not happen.

  • Diana spends half of this trade non-responsive in reaction to the reveal from the end of “The Lies”—for much of that time, she sits institutionalized.
  • And after years of gaslighting by the gods, Diana accepts being lied to and manipulated as her own fault because she should have known better but let herself be manipulated—and then she gets better.
  • Steve spends much of the arc “saving” her by using her as bait and then throwing her into a mental institution, and we’re still supposed to accept him as the good guy he thinks he is.
  • But when things are most desperate, it all works out because a man gave her the power she needed to save the day!
  • I have no complaints about the book’s art, at least; Sharp, Guedes, Evely, Martin, Fajardo, and Hi-Fi’s pages look fantastic.

I can’t remember the last time a comic’s plot made me this angry.  Sure, there's nothing glaringly wrong with Rucka's writing from a technical perspective.  But the actual content of that writing is mind-boggling.  Wonder Woman is reduced to prop, victim, and fool—and when the dust settles, none of those who put her in those positions see consequences for their actions.  I’m disappointed by this story, to say the least.

Collected in

  • Wonder Woman, Vol. 3: The Truth (#13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25)

Credits

Writer: Greg Rucka | Artists: Liam Sharp, Renato Guedes (13), Bilquis Evely (25) | Colorists: Laura Martin, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Hi-Fi | Letterer: Jodi Wynne | Covers: Liam Sharp & Laura Martin

​​​​​​​Invincible: Happy Days (Image Comics, 2016; #54-59)

Daredevil: Supersonic (Marvel Comics, 2015; #11-15)