Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Drew Johnson; Shane Davis; Steve Sadowski; Linda Medley; Ray Snyder; Richard Horie; Tonya Horie; Todd Klein; J.G. Jones; & Matt Wagner
Cover Art by J.G. Jones
SUMMARY:
Collecting Wonder Woman # 201-205 {2nd series} (plus a bonus story from Wonder Woman # 200), DC Comics released this 128-page book in 2004 –the same year these issues were published. Describing the Perseus vs. Medusa myth, teenager Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl) and Ferdinand the Bull-Man tell a bedtime story for two little boys Cassie is babysitting. While Themyscira’s Amazon populace desperately contains the catastrophe that has hit the island, Wonder Woman seeks medical care for Silver Swan. She must also rapidly improvise a miracle to protect the Carolinas from a massive tsunami. Elsewhere, Medusa’s two Gorgon sisters push a rescued Circe to revive the long-dead Medusa.
The unsolved murder of Darrell Keyes, one of Wonder Woman’s most vocal public critics, requires Diana to consult Batman. Veronica Cale chillingly takes revenge for a suspected leak that has sabotaged her efforts to destroy Wonder Woman’s reputation. Diana asks Cale’s business partner, Dr. Leslie Anderson, to aid the hospitalized Silver Swan. Batman & Wonder Woman realize that Cale’s own security chief was evidently involved in Keyes’ assassination. Seeking answers at Cale’s pharmaceutical headquarters, Diana finds out too late that the mind-bending Dr. Psycho is on the loose.
REVIEW:
Writer Greg Rucka’s storyline cohesively juggles its intriguing sub-plots: among them Medusa’s imminent return; Veronica Cale’s illicit scheming; and Dr. Psycho’s elusive antics. Serving as Diana’s back-up, Batman’s role is well-played, as the Keyes murder investigation takes some cool twists.
Despite the art team’s strong support, some of its imagery for the voluptuous Gorgons and Circe, however, is gratuitous (i.e. Medusa’s nudity on the final page). Rucka smartly doesn’t hurry his sub-plots, but that also means that nothing is satisfactorily resolved, at least for now. Bitter Rivals merely continues several storylines in progress. It still makes a worthwhile ride.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a single-page summary of the ongoing storyline. From J.G. Jones and Matt Wagner, the full-page covers for Wonder Woman # 201-205 are also included.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
