Wonder Woman has introduced a new villain and put Diana through great pain, and now, vengeance is at hand. Or maybe it’s justice, as Steve Trevor is dead, but retribution is at hand. In the last issue, The Sovereign has lost much of his wealth, and now, in Wonder Woman #16, it’s Detective Chimp’s turn to knock the villain down a peg.
Detective Chimp takes center stage as Wonder Woman is busy tending to her new baby, but it’s good to have friends who are better at certain aspects of superhero’ing. This issue cuts between Wonder Woman tending to Trinity, Detective Chimp bumbling about with The Sovereign, and The Sovereign narrating via captions. Those captions come from a future where they already know how things will go but are recounting them in real-time as Detective Chimp does his work.
The use of Detective Chimp adds a lighthearted nature to the story as he’s quite cordial and seemingly fumbling at every turn. Artist Bruno Redondo does a good job capturing his endearing qualities, keeping The Sovereign at bay with his overly verbose explanation while he does real detective work.
Detective Chimp’s work is juxtaposed well with Wonder Woman’s acts, as she’s doing quite serious stuff, preparing her child for the life of an Amazon. She stands amongst vast staircases and statues, introducing the child to key characters. Her work with the child is essential and a step needed before she can enter the fight with Sovereign himself.
Surprisingly, this issue reveals a lot about The Sovereign we did not know. Up until this issue he seemed impossible to topple, with centuries of history at his back, but given his wealth took a hit last issue and the work of Detective Chimp, he’s far more human than we might think.
Detective Chimp is putting on a bit of a show here.
Credit: DC Comics
That’s even more clear due to the backup story by Tom King and Khary Randolph, which reveals The Sovereign’s dirty past via Jimmy Olsen’s video blog. Paired with Jimmy’s humor and over-the-top nature, we get a fairly efficient look at how The Sovereign came into power and even where the lasso of lies came from. Randolph’s art enhances Jimmy’s over-the-top nature, all told via four-panel pages.
Given the slow buildup of The Sovereign’s takedown of Wonder Woman, it’s a bit shocking how quickly the villain takes major losses here. That makes this issue, and the last one, feel like a rush to disassemble the villain to nothing. There’s a hint the figurehead may not be the end of the threat, but the brevity is a double-edged sword. There’s a lot to enjoy here, but it weakens the impact when it seems so easy to defeat him.
Wonder Woman #16 is a fun and engaging issue that offers lighthearted moments through Detective Chimp’s spotlight and reveals new layers to The Sovereign. While it excels in humor, art, and character moments, the rush to defeat The Sovereign weakens his narrative impact. This issue feels like a stepping stone rather than a fully satisfying chapter, but it’s still an enjoyable read for fans of Wonder Woman and DC’s quirky supporting characters.
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