Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #2 (of 3)

Yeah, I'm just not feeling the magic on this series.

Wonder Woman and the Furies gives us the background behind the war between Atlantis and the Amazons, which requires piling one implausible action on top of another until the whole story collapses under its own weight.

Which is surprising, since it's written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning - they've turned in some terrific stories in the past, but this isn't one of them.

This issue follows up on the murder of Queen Hippolyta by (it seems) an Atlantean. The Amazons cry for war, but Aquaman tries to negotiate peace with Wonder Woman. He's so anxious, he brings a delegation to Themyscira, to talk terms on the home turf of a bloodthirsty, warlike race. What could go wrong?

The answer, of course, is everything, as both sides continue to escalate the conflict and threaten to tear apart the planet in their search for vengeance.

But there's no mystery here, because the reader can see from the start that this is all part of some ridiculous scheme by the bad guys in the room to bring about conflict. Sadly, as written here, Aquaman and Diana are too dim to see the plot.

The artwork by Agustin Padilla and Jose Aviles is workmanlike and tells the story, but it's not outstanding - the story just feels very disjointed and erratic, with no real flow to the action sequences.

It's funny that Wonder Woman is supposed to be an agent of peace, yet anytime she shows up in an alternate universe, she's a cold-blooded killer.

Not sure what to make of that, but there it is.

Grade: C+

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