Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #4 features a story that profoundly affected me for days! The comic book features an anthonlogy of stories. “The Prayer” is written by Andrew Constant who also wrote Future State: Nightwing #1-2 with artist Nicola Scott. The artist worked on Gail Simone’s run with #42-44 (2010) and also “The Lies” storyline with Greg Rucka’s Wonder Woman comics starting with #1 (2016). Side note: Rucka and Scott worked on Black Magick for Image Comics. It opens with three panels, Wonder Woman’s face, then struggling against the neck of an eagle creature, and then apologizes to the griffin, her lasso tied around it, and we see the pallor of the griffin’s face. She has snapped its neck! The gold of her lasso and tiara really pop against the black and white with colors by Annette Kwok. We see in a splash the body of the griffin with lasso around it, the griffin’s death just reads tragic, Diana is sorrowful for killing it with the forest around her. The black and white may make this scene especially sad.
She checks on the family, there are by their RV with its back roof slashed apart by the griffin and broken tree trunks. We can see what led to the end of the battle. Diana tells them that it is over for them, she has a tearful face, the facial expression is so powerful. Also, we see the slash on the right side of her cheek, a scar, but it looks like a lasting tear. As the RV drives away, Diana notes that she knew the griffin that lived in Egypt, and when it was dying moved to the forest against her warnings. We see the mother driving the family away and then the exhaust from the RV. Diana notes that age has turned the griffin into a monster. We see Wonder Woman sitting next to the griffin bound by the lasso. She takes blood from her cheek wound to make a symbol on the griffin. Diana makes a prayer to Artemis and the lasso sends out flames that ignite the body, now we have some powerful yellows with the funeral pyre. Diana is greeted by a deer with a waning crescent moon symbol on her head. This story and art was just stunning to me.
The next story, “Amazing” is by writer/artist, Paul Azaceta, he worked on the Batman Begins Movie Adaptation #1 (2005) for DC and also Outcast for Image Comics. Azaceta has some thick lines and the European comics style. Lucy, dressed up as Batman, is playing with her brother and throws a toy batarang at him. He complains to their madre who chastizes her. They hear a loud noise and run towards it. Wonder Woman is battling Giganta her foe from Wonder Woman #9 (1944). The battle sends the ninos falling, but Wonder Woman pulls up Lucy by her hood, she calls her Batman! Then, sets them down on the street, the battle continues and Lucy is stunned. They walk up to Wonder Woman who gives Lucy the end of her lasso to help out. I really like Lucy’s blond hair at the end. A charming story. “Whatever Happened to Cathy Perkins?” is by Sina Grace, who wrote Sensational Wonder Woman #11-12 and art by Leonardo Romero.
Wonder Woman is speaking at the UN, kinda ironic since she was chosen IRL as an UN ambassador and then dropped, when she sees Cathy Perkins. She takes Wonder Woman to her dress shop, Mod-ly Modern,which is an old favorite for Diana. Two crooks like 60’s gangsters show up so Wonder Woman and Cathy, who has kept up with her training, defeat the criminals. Wonder Woman notes that these are the same punks they had met before. Suddenly, she has a coat and boots like her mod 60’s look. Next, they are attacked by Them, the group of bullies in absurd clothes that was in Cathy Perkins first appearance along with Mod-ly Modern in Wonder Woman #189 (1969). In the fight, Cathy reveals her medical condition. There is a magic to keep her alive, but Diana has a way to live without the magic. Some flashback fun with this story. “Love Failed” is a bizarre story by writer/artist, Andrew McLean. He is the creator of the Head Lopper series from Image Comics.
Wonder Woman faces a cult leader, Hypnota the Guiding Light, when she attends a meeting with her friend Teresa. It is unclear what work they have in common, Diana is a superhero, I guess it’s an office job? Hynota uses her power to make Wonder Woman face her as an alien like Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons. Kinda confusing. “Wing Woman” is by Sherri L. Smith, the author of the novel Flygirl (2010), with Colleen Doran, who has pencilled Sandman issues and also Orbiter (2004) graphic novel. a fighter plane, ]a P-51 Mustang, heads into the orangish skies. The pilot is Delia “Big Deal” Burns who has a queen of hearts pinned to her controls. Delia is part of the W.A.S.P., Women Airforce Service Pilots, but encounters a Nazi jet fighter plane, a Messerschmitt Me 262? It fires on her and Delia throws out her yellow dancing dress and shoes which covers the other plane’s canopy. Still, they are pulled off by the winds. Delia is in trouble which of course brings Wonder Woman and her Invisible Jet! I like the historical details and the beautiful art by Doran. Some fun stories with incredible art in Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #4, but the standout is the first story!
Four Lassos of Truth out of Five!
#WonderWomanBlackandGold, #AndrewConstant, #NicolaScott, #PaulAzaceta, #SinaGrace, #LeoRomero, #AndrewMaclean, #SherriLSmith, #ColleenDoran
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