Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 brings the miniseries to a satisfying conclusion, delivering a strong finale that ties up the various plot threads that have been building throughout the series. In this issue, we see Wonder Woman face off against Hera in a final battle, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance. The issue also features a backup story focusing on the patron goddesses of Themyscira, as they join the fight against Hades in a bid to protect their home. And finally, a new status quo is reached for Billy Batson and Mary Bromfield.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4!
The issue begins right where Wonder Woman #798 left off, with Mary Bromfield having given her powers to Diana, who is now about to engage in a final battle with Hera. With the Lasso of Truth wrapped around her, Hera calls upon the Wizard and is granted even more powers. But Diana summons the determination, courage, resilience, intelligence, strength, and loyalty of her allies to deliver a meteoric strike at Hera. Although this attack doesn’t defeat Hera, it makes her allies realize that their war with humanity is pointless because Diana and Hera are too evenly matched for there to be a clear winner. The Wizard then revokes his powers, and Apollo, Hermes, and Mercury begin negotiating a truce with Diana and Ares. It’s agreed that in order to maintain peace between the gods and humanity, the demigods, represented by Atlantiades, will keep the hand of Eros as insurance that the gods won’t attempt another violent takeover.
Credit: DC Comics
In the backup story, the patron goddesses join the fray against Hades in the battle for Themyscira. The tide turns quickly, and Hades retreats to the underworld to bide his time. The patron goddesses then reestablish the barrier around Themyscira, this time giving the enchantment freely to the Amazons, once again protecting it from the world of men.
In something of an epilogue, we see Billy and Mary back in Washington, DC. Billy calls the Wizard and tries to convince him to transfer his powers to Mary. The Wizard finally explains why he sided with the Gods. He felt betrayed by Billy when he cut him off from the rock of eternity way back in Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods and thought that only the already powerful, like Hera, deserved to wield the power of Shazam. But the Wizard realizes that he was wrong, and that Mary and Billy’s selflessness – both being willing to give up the powers of Shazam for the greater good – means they are truly worthy. Before the Wizard can bestow his powers on Mary, however, Hippolyta has a surprise in store. Her deeds in the war against the gods were noticed, and she will be rewarded with the gifts of Selene, Hippolyta, Artemis, Zephyrus, Aurora, and Minerva, creating a whole new pantheon of Shazam.
Credit: DC Comics
Willow manages to competently finish the series. There are nice moments between Diana and Mary and a comedic scene when Billy tries to shoot his shot with Yara in his depowered form. The themes of friendship and loyalty play a big role, and relying on the strength of her allies is what truly allows Wonder Woman to defeat Hera and broker peace between the Gods and humanity. We have interesting new status quos for several characters, including Billy and Mary, and I’m excited to see how their stories develop in the new Shazam! series coming in May. Ultimately, I think that the story suffers from being split between the Wonder Woman tie-ins and the main series. There are pretty significant events, like the decision of Hera and Diana to settle the battle in a one-on-one fight and Mary giving her powers to Diana, that you would miss without reading the tie-ins. Also, after all the fanfare given to the big reveal of Ares as the Stranger, he doesn’t actually help in the battle at all – he merely supplies the hand of Eros as humanity’s bargaining chip.
The art by Tormey, Fernandez and von Grawbadger in the main story is consistent with the previous issues. The fierce facial expressions of Diana and Hera as they do battle with each other sets the tone for the issue. The new Shazam inspired Wonder Woman outfit is also excellent, combining the classic looks of Wonder Woman and Shazam into something instantly recognizable but still fresh. Bellaire’s colors are a tour de force, expertly delivering the electric effects of the Wizard and glowing aura surrounding the Lasso of Truth. The art on the backup by Martinez, Morales and Livesay continues to be excellent. All of the patron Goddesses are beautifully rendered with their own unique character designs. Hades is a larger than life figure that dominates the pages he’s on.
Colorist Alex Guimarães really outdoes himself – there’s a fantastic glowing rainbow effect throughout the last few pages symbolizing the dawn of a new covenant with the Goddesses and the protection of Themyscira. It contrasts beautifully with the previous darkness and ethereal aura brought on by Hades and his endless hordes.
Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4 delivers a satisfying conclusion to the various storylines that have been building up throughout the series. The art by Tormey, Fernandez, von Grawbadger, Martinez, Morales, and Livesay is consistently excellent, with each panel conveying a sense of epic scale and emotional weight. The themes of friendship, loyalty, and sacrifice are explored in depth, as Wonder Woman and her allies work together to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Fans of the character will find much to love in this issue, which serves as a reminder of why Wonder Woman remains one of the most iconic heroes in comics today.
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