Written by John Byrne.
Art by John Byrne & Patricia Mulvihill.
Cover Art by José Luis García-López.
SUMMARY:
Entitled “Harvest of Souls,” DC Comics released this issue for January 1996. Now existing as the Goddess of Truth on Mount Olympus, Diana faces repercussions for her forbidden rescue of her extended family on Earth. Hence, it is revealed why Queen Hippolyta has reluctantly replaced her daughter as Wonder Woman. Among Hippolyta’s first actions as Wonder Woman is rescuing Donna Troy and severing half an arm of a thug menacing her.
Backstage, at a Gateway City carnival, Donna, Hippolyta, young Cassie Sandsmark, and Cassie’s friend, Georgia, deduce t the ominous scheme linking Darkseid to Egg Fu’s ongoing abduction of humans. This quartet is further endangered by a hallucinating Artemis, who sees them as alien swamp monsters she must kill. Elsewhere, amidst Camelot’s ruins, the captive Helena Sandsmark faces an ominous fate from a corrupted Etrigan the Demon.
Parental Note: Donna Troy’s bra is exposed through most of her appearance – after she uses her blouse as a makeshift tourniquet.
REVIEW:
John Byrne’s reliable visuals hold up well more than a quarter-century later. His convoluted plotting, however, makes Issue # 129 a generally blah read. If not for the eye-rolling Egg Fu (reminiscent of Marvel’s MODOK) and some predictable Independence Day-style contrivances pertaining to Georgia’s computer, then Byrne’s storyline would have been a more intriguing adventure.
For fans curious about Byrne’s Wonder Woman run, this issue is still a decent find in the bargain section.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There is a single-page “Amagrams” letters-and-answers column.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
