Wonder Woman #195-205 by Greg Rucka Review

[Wonder Woman : Down To Earth]

• Wonder Woman #195 - "The Mission" = Awesome! Supporting cast seems to be a lot of fun, though it might take some time to learn everybody since they're all regular humans (besides Ferdinand ofc), but the dynamic and framing of this run's direction is extremely interesting.
• Wonder Woman #196 - Down To Earth, Part I : "Publish or Perish!" = I am loving the heck out of this! Wonder Woman's world and supporting cast and rogues have never been more interesting and engaging than this since the Rebirth run written by the same author! The Psycho sequence had to be my favorite; a perverse misogynist with psychic powers playing around in your mind is way scarier than any Doomsday or Darkseid brawl. The Olympus sequence got me hooked right from the start; presenting these gods so casually brings a fascinating juxtaposition, let me see more of that! I had no idea this was Veronica Cale's first appearance nor did I know that Rucka created her (I know she's based off of a golden age character called Veronica Callow). Even without any world ending Geoff Johnsian threats or Morrisonian meta-trippiness, this book stands tall leaning against the enormous monolith that is Rucka's prose. Everything in this is spectacular.
• Wonder Woman #197 - Down To Earth, Part II : "The Flash & The Furious!" = Flash is on the cover, but even though he only has a brief sequence it's still freaking great. That whole forest fire scene really epitomizes Diana's character: she sees the whole picture, she isn't impulsive like many attempt to characterize her (Johns, Azzarello, sometimes Kelly). I loved Kelly's Golden Perfect arc during his JLA run, but Rucka's presentation of Diana is much more an attempt to move forward from the headstrong and instinctive Diana, which I think is really cool. Also, Cale is Texan? I wonder what her motivations are going to be for the smear campaign of destroying the Amazon Princess.
• Wonder Woman #198 - Down To Earth, Part III : "Bad Medicine!" = It just gets better and better! One of the biggest strengths of this book lies in Rucka's ability to bring relevance and intrigue to every single subplot. I'm baffled by my investment in Diana's human entourage, Cale's machinations are scene stealers, and the Olympus check-ins are so much fun! I have to give a mention to Drew Johnson, who's pencils fit the script so freaking well. it does tend to fall in the 2000's cringe color trope, but his line work makes up for it. The use of Bastalleros and Silver Swan has me hyped, and that debate sequence was perfectly written. At the end of the day, I'm pretty depressed that anthropomorphic minotaurs don't exist to make me crepes. 
• Wonder Woman #199 - Down To Earth, Part IV : "The Truth Hurts" = Wow. Ares committed the robbery and stole the heck out of this issue. The mirror sequence with him and Diana might be some of the most fascinating comic book writing I've ever had the pleasure of reading in my life. I absolutely love the idea of shifting hierarchy in Olympus based around the emotions and fears of humanity. Having the Olympians tethered to the sentiments of every day people brings a whole new perspective to how these gods operate (alongside the wonderful fashion choices). Was that feather connected to Silver Swan? Why does Ares want collusion between Zeus and Artemis? What is Cale's animus with Diana? What horrors will Psycho unleash?
• Wonder Woman #200 - Down To Earth, Part V : "Sensational" = Dang! I had to do some research regarding the current state of Themyscira/Paradise Island (apparently they're floating islands now post Our Worlds At War?), but Hera kicked that thing down like a sandcastle. Diana's monologue was wonderful, and the Silver Swan fight was brutal as mess. Loved her refusal to give up on her friend, who is most likely being controlled by Cale. The Psycho stuff was great, but even though the bait was laid out, I know he isn't dead due to his presence in the Secret Society during Infinite Crisis. Wonderful back-up with Cassie and Ferdinand, excited to see the Gorgons return hopefully later in this run.

[Wonder Woman : Bitter Rivals] ~ {Written by Greg Rucka}

• Wonder Woman #201 - "Ripples" = This one felt so short! Love the introduction of the Gorgons as well as Circe, her dialogue especially is a lot of fun what with the references to Odysseus and Achilles. The stressful back to back dilemmas plaguing Diana create an interesting conflict for her; it appears that both Ares and Cale's machinations have resulted in a don't stop till you drop barrage of ordeals: Silver Swan to riots to flooded Themyscira to stopping a tsunami and sacrificing the invisible jet's consciousness. No time to breathe for the amazon princess! Let's see where this arc takes us.
• Wonder Woman #202 - "Leaks" = Fascinating dive into the enigma that is Veronica Cale! IIRC the motivations here are different from Rucka's Rebirth stint, but I do still love this female-Luthor type character, not necessarily embodying the anti-Wonder Woman traits but more of a rival without super-powers. Sadowski's pencils were great, and it's nice to see him outside of Johns' JSA run. Interested to see Cale's counter-attack now that she's dealt with the mole who leaked the playbook.
• Wonder Woman #203 - Bitter Pills, Part I : "Amazons In Need" = Very much a calm before the storm issue, checking in with each subplot with some connecting tissue starting to manifest. I'm not sure if it works as well as an opener to a story arc, but Rucka's writing continues to be captivating. The most interesting sequence has to be with Artemis on Themyscira; I'm a total sucker for any of the Greek mythology dumps. The gorgon stuff is fun as well, but I would love some more of the Olympus plot-line that was hilarious during the first volume.
• Wonder Woman #204 - Bitter Pills, Part II : "Behind The Veil" = WHAT THE MATH!?! The Fallon body reveal and the final twist with Psycho has my head spinning! How does the continuity work? Was the Cale we saw in #202 not Cale? No way, it has to have been after #202 because of the origin stuff and Fallon being alive... wait! That Fallon could have been Psycho all along, and the real Fallon murdered after the Embassy crisis in #200! I would also like to say that the Circe/Poseidon segment was so good that I had to go back and read the Cassie story from #200 where she explained the backstory behind the Gorgons. Everything is coming together!
• Wonder Woman #205 - Bitter Pills, Part III : "A Gorgon Reborn" = What an arc! The funniest thing about this issue is the payoff for the cover; I spent so much time trying to think about how Rucka was going to introduce Joker someway into the storyline, just for it to be one of Psycho's hallucinations! Brilliant! The chase was so much fun, expertly conveying why Psycho is so dangerous, while the Leslie/Veronica stuff brings up an interesting theory: did Cale really fake her capture to trick Wonder Woman? That would explain Psycho getting out, but it doesn't justify killing Fallon (unless she needed less loose ends because of the embassy incident?). We need these answers! Medusa coming back was cool, and I wonder how she will factor in with the Cale/Psycho stuff.