TITLE: Superman/Wonder Woman #19
AUTHOR: Peter Tomasi
PENCILLER: Doug Mahnke
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASED: July 15, 2015

By Rob Siebert
Editor, Fanboy Wonder

More than any visual we’ve seen since the Truth storyline began in the Superman books, this issue shows us a powerful, haunting image that may stay with readers for awhile.

The Suicide Squad (Harley Quinn, Deadshot, among others) are the latest to take a shot at the bullseye on Superman’s back now that he’s powered down and his identity his public. Thankfully, he’s got some powerful back up in Wonder Woman. This brawl, which takes place in a cemetery of all places, will have dramatic repercussions. And it will force Clark to take dramatic action.

Sadly, fight itself isn’t much to get excited about. It feels largely disjointed, and it’s filled with hokey dialogue. Peter Tomasi is one of my favorites, but the early part of this issue is a miss. Things get interesting, however, when Deadshot sees an opening and takes it. He riddles Superman with what are apparently specially crafted bullets. Clark’s skin is still super-strong, but it’s not what it was. Thus, for the first time, we see the Man of Steel severely wounded by Earth-made artillery…

The image of a shirtless Superman with all these wounds and markings and scars on his skin is haunting. The image of bullets harmlessly bouncing off the Man of Steel’s chest is so iconic, that to see him sustain this kind of damage from them hits home. And that’s before we see Diana literally pulling them from his flesh. This also gives us an interesting indication of just how de-powered Superman is. We are, after all, still missing certain answers regarding his exact state of being.

This is the first opportunity I’ve had to talk about Wonder Woman’s new costume, so I’m going to take it, despite Tomasi and Mahnke not being the ones who created it. This suit is a David Finch creation. And like most things David Finch draws, this costume is way too dark. Why so much black? I understand the temptation to cover Diana up a bit more, but putting her in so much black is overkill. It reeks of a creative team trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.

Considering Wonder Woman’s role as an ambassador for the Amazons, the end of this issue could have interesting implications for her going forward, as well as her relationship with Clark. Things have certainly changed for our heroes as of late. And while not every creative team has handled that change well, to their credit, Tomasi and Mahnke have.

Image 1 from gamenewshq.com.

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