The penultimate issue of “Trial of the Amazons” is out this week and it promises a big resolution to one of its biggest questions: Who killed Hippolyta? Carrying on from Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl #1, issue #2 takes on a decidedly more whodunnit perspective as Cassie Sandsmark knows the culprit and lays it all out for Queen Nubia. Meanwhile, Doom’s Doorway continues to grow in power!
Joëlle Jones writes and draws this issue, unveiling it like everyone’s favorite part of a mystery when the detective rules out suspects. Drawn to perfection in hyper detail, Cassie lays out specific people that could have done it, but also reasons why they aren’t the killer. It’s the kind of buildup that leads to the big reveal and everyone knows for certain Cassie is right. The explanations for each are well written albeit a little long, but Jones is as thorough in her pencils as she is in this mystery.
A big takeaway from this issue is that the overall event has been a bit thin. It’s hard to not see Cassie’s explanations as a means to draw out the story. Intercut with her thoughts on each person who didn’t do it, before getting to the big reveal, Jones intercuts star Amazons rushing towards a specific location. There isn’t a lot for them to do beyond rush, and even Yara Flor draws things out as she poses in a cool way and is called out for it. Ultimately, this murder mystery could have been condensed into a single issue, or at the very least there could have been more to the b-story.
Cassie lays it all out.
Credit: DC Comics
That said, if you love Wonder Girl, you’ll love what Cassie does here. She proves she’s a great detective and it’s certainly not easy for her–or Jones–to unravel who committed the crime. Some choice black and white flashbacks help convey Cassie’s thoughts on who could have done the crime and why they’re also innocent. It’s a clever way to juxtapose the good and the bad while unveiling it visually as Cassie speaks to a crowd of people.
Jones is joined by Adriana Melo on art who appears to finish the last three or so pages. The art looks good and matches Jones’ style well enough with a tasteful layout structure. The layouts throughout mix things up well, helping to amp up the overly explanatory captions and dialogue.
Expect a major reveal in Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl #2, but expect it to be told in a drawn-out way. Everyone loves the big reveal in a whodunnit, but there isn’t enough here in the b-plot to entice readers. Instead, it’s an issue that’ll have you possibly flipping to the end to find out who the murderer is out of impatience.
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