Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 Annotations
by Andrew Dowdell
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Writer: Greg Rucka
Penciller: Nicola Scott & Eduardo Pansica
Inker: Jonathan Glapion & Eber Ferreira
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Synopsis
The newly-transformed Black Lantern Wonder Woman faces off against Mera, and then proceeds to battle and kill those closest to her. But only a visit from a certain Dark Knight and a reminder about the power of love can help Diana triumph against the force of the Black Lanterns...
Notes
The events of this issue take place between and around Blackest Night #6 pages 12 and 21.
Page 1: Wonder Woman last appeared in Blackest Night #6. In Blackest Night #5, she was killed by Nekron and immediately raised as a Black Lantern.
Pages 2-3: As we can see from Diana's conflicting first person narratives, she has a certain amount of conscious thought even though she is being controlled by the Black Lantern power ring.
Mera, Starfire, Cyborg and Black Lanterns Ice and Donna Troy last appeared in Blackest Night #6.
Mera is feeling rage, which foreshadows her transformation into a Red Lantern.
"Everything, everyone you loved is dead!" The Aqua-family is a little non-existent these days; Aquaman, Tempest, Aquagirl, Dolphin and Arthur, Jr. are all dead.
Pages 4-5: The conflict within Diana grows as the power of the Black Lantern forces her to act in ways contrary to her values.
Mera is feeling rage and fear.
Page 6: Mera can do more than just wield a trident and get punched in the face. She can also increase the density of water and use it to form structures and control its flow.
Page 7: Ouch. That looks like it hurt.
Page 8: Black Lanterns can't just be killed by a trident through their back.
Page 9: Mera is feeling rage again.
Diana's internal struggles intensify.
Page 10: Diana is finally able to take control, if only for a few moments.
Page 12: After a brief victory, Diana is once again taken over by the power of the Black Lantern power ring.
Page 13: As we will soon learn, everyone that Diana now encounters is a figment of Diana's imagination, courtesy of Aphrodite.
Dream version or not, Wonder Girl last appeared in Blackest Night #6.
Page 14: For a brief moment, I actually thought that Cassie was dead and that Diana had killed her. A little shocking, really.
Page 15: And this was the point at which I thought that Diana was getting just a tad bloodthirsty, trying to kill Donna who is already dead. Seems a little redundant, when you think about it.
Page 16: Hippolyta, formerly known as Wonder Woman I. First historical appearance in All-Star Comics #8, first modern appearance in Wonder Woman (second series) #1. Killed in Wonder Woman (second series) #172, returned to life in Amazons Attack! #1. Possesses superhuman strength, speed and reflexes, as well as enhanced fighting skill and immortality.
Page 17: Remember back on page 3, when Diana told Mera that, "Everything, everyone you loved is dead?" Well, it looks like the shoe is on the other foot now.
Page 18: Okay, if you haven't figured it out by now, then the presence of the Bruce Wayne Batman is a pretty sure sign that something fishy is going on here. Because, as we all known Bruce Wayne is dead.
Yeah, right, sure he is...
As Diana begins to admit her feeling for Bruce, a Star Sapphire power ring streaks towards her.
Page 19: Diana's love for Bruce begins to restore her.
The Bruce-Diana relationship has been hinted at and teased for years. It began as a minor flirtation in, of all places, the Justice League animated series. Writer Joe Kelly further developed their relationship during his run on JLA, and the two shared a kiss before going into battle during "The Obsidian Age" storyline. The two finally decided to remain "just friends" in JLA #90, but it's obvious that feeling still linger.
Pages 20-21: These two pages match up with Blackest Night #6 pages 20-21. In that scene, Black Lantern Wonder Woman struggles against the power of the Star Sapphire ring. Here we see the internal battle, as Diana readily accept the power of the Star Sapphire and chooses life over death.
Aphrodite is, of course, the Olympian goddess of love.
Page 22: Diana is now a member of the Star Sapphires, at least for the next twenty-four hours (as explained in Blackest Night #6).
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Check out more Blackest Night annotations at my blog, Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice....
Andrew Dowdell lives in the wonderfully-named Sleepy Hollow, NY, with his wife Allison and miniature schnauzer Casey. Though he works as a bartender, he hopes someday to leave behind the world of customer service to writer for a living. In college, Andrew wrote, directed and produced several theatrical productions, and is currently working to hone his skills as a comic book scriptwriter. In the meantime, he spends his time trying to keep tabs on the convoluted structure and continuity of the DC Universe. His sanity should vanish any minute now. Please feel free to e-mail your questions, comments, thoughts and job offers to andrewdowdell@ymail.com. Emphasis on the "job offers" part...
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