Wonder Woman Vol. 7 War-Torn review

From The Past: This article has been imported from one of my past blog sites, written in 2017.

---

PLOT

Struggling to come to terms with her role as the new God of War, and the Amazons of Themyscira starting to question her leadership, Diana Prince is torn too thin. Meanwhile, in the world of man, an unknown threat is causing whole villages to disappear without a trace. Is all of this too much for Wonder Woman to handle?

REVIEW

With the release of Wonder Woman mere days away from our cinema screens, and a vast amount of praise surrounding the film, it’s fair to say we’re excited. So with that excitement, we’ve decided to look back at one of Wonder Woman’s more recent adventures, to be more specific, Vol. 7 War-Torn, which collects issues 36-40 as well as Wonder Woman Annual 1 into one neat package.

Going straight in at Vol. 7 War-Torn may seem a little disorganised, but with a quick recap lining out every important change that’s happened to Diana so far, we’re all caught up and ready for action. Battling with her inner demons and Themyscira’s shaken faith towards the new politics, there’s a warning alarm ringing that a lot is happening here, and it could run the risk of feeling both too much for Diana as well as the readers. Luckily, that isn’t the case, as writer Meredith Finch balances everything perfectly, delivering a memorable tale for the new Queen of Themyscira.

The main pull of the book isn’t the action, it isn’t its art, it isn’t any world-destroying events, it's the theme of decisions and consequences. Every action has a reaction, and every decision comes at a price. It’s a theme that carries itself through the entire book (including an interesting epilogue about the antagonist), it helps add gravity to every situation, as well as shedding light on how any action we take can shape another. War-Torn is as ponderous as it is packed with conflict and action. I don’t think I’ll be able to praise Finch’s writing enough here, it’s near flawless. There’s enough time devoted to every plot line, and a good portion given to Diana herself, as she struggles with her place and her increasing number of roles in the world. We can see it getting to her, becoming too much for her, but she’s battling through for the sake of others. And it’s in THIS portrayal of Diana, trying to balance all of her responsibilities, that makes her that little bit more grounded and relatable; she isn’t the perfect heroine, she’s conflicted, and at the mercy of how she handles those problems, despite striving to do what’s right.

All of this internal strife is brought to life through the captivating artwork of David Finch, each panel is incredibly enticing, as they bounce off the pages through the vivid colours of Sonia Oback and the detailed shading of Richard Friend. Each piece accurately represents the feelings of Diana’s struggles and situations, whether that be vicious battles or more intimate moments. None of them ever feels uneven or disjointed; it’s all sewn together perfectly, as they magnetise your eyes to the pages.

Diana isn’t even the only character to receive her fair share of characterisation, each character is given their fair share of time to shine, whether that be them checking up on their friend, or the villain conniving her way around the shaken faith of Themyscira, to achieve her own goals. She progresses through the same underlying theme of War-Torn, as she becomes a victim of her own choices and consequences, just as Diana is. It’s storytelling done right, showing off an alternative path of our heroes' road, and the brief epilogue that explores the villain and her motives further adds to her character, in ways that make you want to read through the whole story again with a fresh set of eyes.

My only real gripe with the story is its resolution. Every plot line involved in Diana’s arc seems to carry so much weight, so when certain elements are resolved in a page or two, they can feel rather rushed. Meaning we have almost no time to dwell on Diana claiming either some form of victory or defeat. With everything else being handled so well, the issue becomes more apparent, but the problem isn’t prominent enough to hinder such a powerful story

Vol. 7 War-Torn delivers on more than I could have hoped going into the book. The emphasis on an over-stretched Diana juggling responsibility is a fascinating, yet relatable take on the heroine, and it delivers some truly memorable moments. Simply put, it’s a read you owe yourself to take.