Diana of Themyscira had always considered honesty the most important of virtues. That made it all the more devastating when it was revealed that everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie.
Her origins as a daughter of Zeus? Her status as the new God of War? The location of her Amazon homeland? All lies.
Her mind broken by the revelation and the fact that a promised portal to Themyscira will not open for her, Diana is all but helpless when she and Steve Trevor—who is accompanying her on the quest for the truth of her origins—are attacked by an elite mercenary unit known as Poison. Barely escaping with their lives, Trevor is forced to hide Diana in plain sight, committing her to a mental hospital.
Trevor knows of Poison’s reputation and that only someone rich and ruthless could afford to hire them. That fact does little to narrow down the number of Wonder Woman’s enemies who might seek to strike the Amazon princess while she is weak. Indeed, several of Diana’s enemies are taking advantage of the current situation, including a new foe with a deep-seated hatred of Diana and a mighty need to find a path to Themyscira. It will be a race against time as Trevor searches for the rest of Diana’s allies in the hope they might find a way to restore his “angel” to her old self even as Wonder Woman’s enemies hunt for her.
Wonder Woman, vol. 3: The Truth continues Greg Rucka’s reconstruction of the Wonder Woman mythos in the wake of DC Comics’ Rebirth initiative. Fans of Rucka’s previous work on the monthly Wonder Woman series will be pleased to note that he brings back several of the characters he created with this storyline, including Ferdinand—a half-man, half-bull —and the fiendish CEO/scientist Veronica Cale.
Rucka’s story also revamps several classic Wonder Woman villains, creating a new version of Doctor Cyber and Colonel Marina Maru—a descendant of Doctor Poison who now leads a mercenary group using the family name. Despite this, Rucka does not merely rehash old-times. The new version of Veronica Cale in particular is noteworthy, having much stronger motivations for hating Wonder Woman than her original incarnation and being a singularly developed character rather than a female version of Lex Luthor.
Liam Sharp’s artwork is as strong here as it was in the first volume and a solid match for Rucka’s writing in terms of complexity. Sharp’s style matches his surname, being deeply detailed yet clear in its precision. The color art by Laura Martin provides the perfect finishes to every single page.
This volume is rated T+ for audiences 12 and up. I consider that to be a fair rating. There is a considerable amount of superheroic violence, but no bloodshed that would be inappropriate for the intended audience. There is no nudity or sexual activity depicted directly, apart from kissing, though the final page does depict Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor lying in bed together, indulging in some post-coital cuddling.
Wonder Woman, vol. 3: The Truth
by Greg Rucka
Art by Liam Sharp
ISBN: 9781401271411
DC Comics, 2017
Publisher Age Rating: 12+
