Wonder Woman is on a case to save Batman and absolve her mother of a crime she didn’t commit. All of which sounds fairly mundane, until you realize it’s taking place on Mount Olympus! The two-part detective tale wraps up this week in Wonder Woman #21, and with Batman down for the count, Diana is on her own with little time to spare. What is Zeus up to, and why is he rushing this case? We find that out and more in a satisfying conclusion.
Once again, Wonder Woman employs a 9-panel grid on every page save for one, creating a meticulous pace from beginning to end. This allows artist Guillem March the ability to hone in on specific facial expressions, turning a heavy dialogue experience into an acting one. It’s a style writer Tom King loves to use, and it’s effective from beginning to end.
The issue opens with Wonder Woman talking to her imprisoned mother, who seems rather calm given that she may be banished forever. A clue is uncovered involving Hephaestus, whom Wonder Woman immediately meets. He’s angry and uninterested in sharing details. Something is fishy, and Wonder Woman knows it. Through their interaction, we see Wonder Woman as calm as ever and incapable of backing down. She’s a hero who is as resilient in her presence as she is in holding her ground.
Ouch!
Credit: DC Comics
As the story continues, a few elements rise to the top, one of which is that the male gods look down on women. They want women to back down and do as they are told. The latter is something King has used to push Wonder Woman throughout the series, and in typical fashion, she calmly retorts, “No, thank you.” The idea of chauvinism in the pantheon of Greek gods adds a bit of humanity to things, even when one god uses Wonder Woman’s lasso against her.
Another is Wonder Woman’s deep loss of Steve Trevor. It rears its head, and the comfort she gets from Batman is palpable. This element is just under the surface, but it’s a nice way to touch on an ongoing element of the series since his death.
Something missing in the last issue was action, but here we get multiple confrontations. One in particular, where Wonder Woman throws her tiara and holds a god in place, waiting for it to come back and hit him until he gives her info, is a nice touch. In another scene, Wonder Woman is crushed into a brick wall, and March does a fantastic job making it look painful. A full-page splash of Wonder Woman punching out a character is yet another highlight, with a lot of force visualized via effects and angle.
Wonder Woman #21 delivers a satisfying and visually striking conclusion to its Mount Olympus mystery, blending courtroom intrigue, mythological conflict, and powerful character work. Tom King’s layered storytelling, paired with Guillem March’s expressive, grid-driven art style, brings emotional depth and visual clarity to a dialogue-heavy issue that never loses momentum. With thoughtful commentary on gender dynamics among the gods and moments of genuine action, this issue underscores why Diana remains one of DC’s most resilient and noble heroes.
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