Batman #15 Review

 

Batman #15 Review

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Jorge Jiménez

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles & Jorge Jiménez

Cover Artist: Jorge Jiménez

Variant Cover Artists: Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos; Dustin Nguyen; Becky Cloonan; Jorge Jiménez; David Aja

Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US | Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock) | Variant $7.99 US (foil)

Release Date: November 4, 2026

 

As Tim Drake recovered from police brutality in the hospital, a TV interview with Dr Annika Zeller offered Bruce Wayne hope of helping criminals forge better futures. Instead, Professor Hugo Strange commissioned a high-speed hit on the psychological researcher via Dantai Tozuki’s motorcycle-riding Triple Zeros. Then, the night got even livelier when the sword-wielding Ōjō attempted to assassinate Bruce Wayne. 

 

Now, Bruce Wayne appears on Sophie Silvaire’s talk show. Will the TV interview inspire others to help make Gotham safer? Or might it unleash more deadly attacks on the Bat-family? Let's leap into Batman #15 and see!

 

Story

Jim Gordon’s life has become a nightmare. He’s struggled to uphold the law while Vandal Savage corrupted the GCPD, sent his daughter to Supermax, and ordered his private army to kill masks and bats. But when Batman requests his help, Jim Gordon agrees. Then Jim discovers that, like Vandal Savage, Batman wants him to break the law.

 

Dr Annika Zeller vowed to leave Wayne Enterprises. Then, Bruce Wayne convinced her to stick around a little longer. She and Bruce share more than a disastrous (not a) first date. They both attempt to help others using controversial methods. But remaining on staff at Arkham Towers traps Dr Zeller in Batman’s ethical labyrinth in Batman #15.

 

Batman identified six assassins who want to kill Bruce Wayne. Verity Pennyworth helped him take two off the streets of Gotham. Still, he cannot risk endangering bystanders by letting the remaining four choose when and where to attack him. So, Bruce announces he’s leaving Gotham. Then he gives them one more opportunity to kill him by announcing he will attend the Gran Gala Enmascarada at the Vauxhall Center.

 

Matt Fraction opens his story by interweaving Bruce's public façade on Sophie Silvaire's talk show with his private conversation with Superman and Wonder Woman. The TV interview also evokes Vicki Vale's earlier interview with King Panther, and Bruce's suggested reading for his son. While Sophie Silvaire bookends this story about illusions, Gotham’s modern masque reawakens inhabitants’ love for masked heroes. As they recover from Poison Ivy’s prehistoric plants, the traumatized residents readily embrace a night of glamor, knowing its aura of safety is just another mask that Gotham wears in Batman #15.

 

Art

When he meets with his Justice League friends, Wonder Woman stands before him, while Superman hovers above him. Yet both look down as Bruce tells them his plan. In Gotham, angels rise above the Vauxhall Center. Batman clings to a nearby building, knowing the search lights glowing from every corner aren't sending the bat-signal. Later, he addresses his team beside a bank of monitors. Amid the sterile walls and floors, glass partitions make the Batcave feel like Gotham General.

 

As Jorge Jiménez chronicles Bruce Wayne’s grand illusion, the sun sinks into the distant hills, filling the sky above Bruce, Superman, and Wonder Woman with yellow and orange light. The red carpet before the Vauxhall Center forms a cross, signaling a need for medical attention. Yet the green trees and the living arch surrounding the entrance link with Dr Zeller attending to her patient in Arkham Towers. As she adjusts her Crown of Thorns amid red lighting, Bruce Wayne walks the red carpet in a red suit. The green tank and Robin’s green mask highlight how Annika and Bruce strive to influence those under their care. Yellow and gold link an entertaining TV host with an entertaining killer. Yet Tomeu Morey adorns the walls, floors, and monitors with blue, linking the Batcave with the masked hero who brings hope to Gotham in Batman #15.

 

Clayton Cowles fills white balloons with uppercase black letters, while Bruce Wayne’s interview with Sophie Silvaire appears above images from the TV broadcast. The dialogue grows bold with intonation and shrinks for lowered voices. White offscreen dialogue fills colored boxes, while giant red letters signal a challenge. As the celebrities arrive in classy cars, revving engines signal danger. Sound effects also accompany a confrontation between rivals, while an assassin adapts to Bruce's carefully laid plan. Yet white lowercase letters in a gray box evoke another occasion when an assassin killed people to lure Batman into a trap. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to follow the rules when they make sense and are administered responsibly. But after Vandal Savage and Poison Ivy leave office, Batman isn't the only one wondering if more ethical leaders will take their place. Unable to work openly with Gotham's officials, Bruce Wayne lies while Batman breaks the law. As his friends and enemies worry about his decisions, Batman strives to prevent four assassins from killing people to hurt Bruce Wayne. Yet to capture the world-class killers, he lays a trap at the city’s heavily populated celebration in Batman #15.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see Batman #15 Preview. 

 

For Batman's recent struggle to protect Gotham, see my Bad Seeds Event List.

 

For Bruce Wayne's battle with the Triple Zeros and the assassin Ōjō, see Batman #5 Review. 

 

For the masked people who hired Lady Ōjō, see Batman #11 Preview.   

 

For Vicki Vale's interview with the "Suplex Superman," see Batman #12 Preview. 

Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1 Review

 

Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1 Review

Writers: Matt Fraction & G Willow Wilson

Layouts: Giuseppe Camuncoli

Finishes: Cliff Rathburn

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: Dan Mora; Marcio Takara; Stjepan Šejić; Matteo Scalera & Tomeu Morey

Editors: Jessica Berbey, Rob Levin & Arianna Turturro

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US | Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock) | Variant $8.99 US (Foil)

Release Date: October 28, 2026

 

When Poison Ivy unleashed the superbloom, heroes rose to protect the city, while villains used the chaos for their own gain. Batquinn may be consigned to the history books. Still, Harley Quinn puts off her reunion with Pamela Isley to protect the inhabitants of Throatcutter Hill. With the people he pledged to protect dying, Police Commissioner Vandal Savage makes an all-out assault on his enemies. The staff in Gotham General strive to save people injured and infected by the plants. And as she confronts the results of her actions, Mayor Pamela Isley fights for her life.

 

Who will survive the superbloom, and who will die before the sun rises? And how will the people of Gotham carry on after enduring one of the worst nights ever? Let's leap into Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1, and see!

 

Story

Before she left the mayor’s office, Pamela Isley told Janet from HR to flee. But Pamela often changes her mind. And Pamela protected and forgave her when Janet faltered and aided her enemies. So, as dawn approaches, Janet prepares to resume the next day’s routine as Mayor Isley’s assistant overseeing People and Culture. But today, prehistoric plants rule the streets, and not Poison Ivy's eco-terrorists or Vandal Savage's TUCOs. Blimps soar overhead, dispersing a lethal pesticide designed to kill Janet's boss. In Throatcutter Hill, Vandal Savage finds his enemy in Gotham's government. And just as they did in GCPD Headquarters, his "Gravy SEALs" watch as a physically stronger man attacks his opponent.

 

In Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1, Vandal Savage combats the woman who proved a thorn in his side as Gotham City Police Commissioner. The two combatants personify the larger battle between commerce and ethics in Gotham's government, and Humanity's drive for progress versus the need for ecological conservation. Yet while Savage answers to the TORUS, Pamela Isley answers to the Parliament of Trees. And after Batman and Mr Freeze bring winter to Gotham, the Parliament of Trees isn’t happy with Poison Ivy.

 

As the battle for dominance of Gotham devolves into a grudge match, Batman emerges as the glue that keeps the city together. While he reminds the combatants and the public of the importance of the rule of law, Matt Fraction and G Willow Wilson showcase other characters who support Batman’s efforts to safeguard Gotham. Unlike the TUCOs, they protect the public by helping them make beneficial choices. They may pay for their selfless service. But after the city's strong leaders bring chaos instead of order, they rediscover the civic activism Miss Marjorie inspired Huston Gray to in Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1.

 

Art

Giuseppe Camuncoli and Cliff Rathburn portray the chaos with rectangular scenes and white backgrounds. Larger scenes also provide a blue framework for inset panels. A double-page spread reveals the cryokinetic pulse that Batman orchestrated with Mr Freeze's help. The scenes turn diagonal when events threaten to spiral out of Batman's control. Some scenes threaten to dominate a page. But Batman commands a splash page when he achieves victory.

 

While most of the Bat-family sit or stand, the Signal glows yellow as he leaps above Gotham. Vandal Savage wears a yellow-green shirt while his TUCOs dispense yellow-brown Ivycide. Green no longer links Poison Ivy with the superbloom. Instead, it links her hostile takeover of the planet with a friend. Red rises to the forefront when Vandal Savage uses his living TUCOs like Mr Freeze used his dead workers. It also highlights that he and Poison Ivy share one overriding emotion. Tomeu Morey gets to adorn a page with a loaded palette when the Parliament of Trees appears. Yet Batman shines bright blue, like the premature winter that frees Gotham from Ivy’s superbloom in Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1.

 

Black-and-white boxes identify time and place as Gotham gasps its final breaths. Black uppercase letters in white boxes convey the omniscient narration, while colored boxes deliver off-camera dialogue. Colored balloons highlight people intrinsically linked to the Earth, leaving hope that Poison Ivy's loss is not complete. When the epic battle between Nature and Humanity shrinks to a clash between two opponents, sound effects convey the two combatants lashing out in anger. Then, as Gotham begins to breathe again, Clayton Cowles places lowercase type into paper scraps amid a change of narrator. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

While some leaders cherish the gift of public service, others use power to crush anyone who would oppose them. Dr Annika Zeller has used her Crown of Thorns to help criminals embrace a better approach to life. Yet when corrupt leaders endanger the friends and city they love, reformed villains nonetheless demonstrate how different they are from Gotham's greatest protector in Batman: Bad Seeds—Sunrise #1.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside, see Batman: Bad Seeds–Sunrise #1: Bad Seeds Week 10 Part 4 Preview. 

 

For Batman's recent efforts to safeguard Gotham, see my Bad Seeds Event List. 

 

For how Miss Marjorie inspired Huston Gray, see Batman #3 Review. 

Batman #14 Review

 

Batman #14: Bad Seeds Week 7 Part 1 Review

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist: Matteo Scalera

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Matteo Scalera & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: Dan Mora; Dustin Nguyen; Ryan Sook; Kyuyong Eom; David Aja; Jim Lee & Alex Sinclair; Dan Quintana

Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/$5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: October 7, 2026

 

While Vandal Savage orders police officers back to GCPD Headquarters, Batman protects frightened people from angry plants. He dispenses his Bat-Breathers to those in need and directs them to Gotham Harbor. As Batman assists the exodus, Savage shrugs at those left behind. So, what if a few people die? The Torus that supports him will still find ways to keep him in power.

 

Can Batman prevent the people caught amid Vandal Savage’s war with Poison Ivy from becoming statistics in history books? And who can help Batman safeguard Gotham? Let’s leap into Batman #14 and see!

 

Story

Outside Pennyworth Manor, thieves arrive to burgle it. They claim they’re just redistributing the wealth to more deserving people. Yet while they break into philanthropist Bruce Wayne’s home, Batman journeys beneath Gotham. As the thieves ignore the superbloom’s threat to themselves and their families, Batman seeks to save their city. Yet to do so, he must secure the aid of another villain.

 

While the thieves invade the home Bruce Wayne named after her great-uncle, Verity Pennyworth studies Batman’s records. Thanks to his superior telecommunications, she can speak with Batman while most cellphones and radios no longer work. The thieves' assertion that rich people plan for every contingency may not be true. Still, Bruce Wayne's long-term commitment to safeguarding Gotham helps him protect it even under the direst conditions in Batman #14.

 

As the thieves pay lip service to class struggle, Verity also tests the boundaries of her relationship with her new employer. The Brit may have foisted herself on Batman, thanks to unexpected provisions in her granduncle's will. Yet she clarifies her commitment to his team, even as she insists he respect her position. So, while Batman focuses on saving Gotham from Poison Ivy’s superbloom, he guides Verity through what she needs to know, so she can help him safeguard the city he loves in Batman #14.

 

Art

As the double-cab pickup pulls to a stop, the GCPD markings on the doors and the lightbar on the roof should make people feel safe. Yet the thieves, wearing GCPD uniforms and Batman masks, mock both sets of Gotham's protectors. Unbeknownst to them, Verity sits at a desk, studying papers and items from Batman's evidence boxes. Her earhook earbud may clash with her brass chamberstick. Yet another item Verity studies shows a disturbing parallel with the "police" invading her home.

 

As Matteo Scalera portrays the imminent confrontation between Verity and the thieves, Tomeu Morey adorns Batman #14 with a luminous palette. Without electricity, candles illuminate Verity’s domain, while moonlight and the thieves’ flashlights light their way. As the ambient light evokes Poison Ivy's concerns about long-term sewer planning, Batman also uses a flashlight to aid his journey. But when he reaches a ledge above his enemy's kingdom, the light-blue and red buildings evoke the lightbar atop the thieves' pickup.

 

Clayton Cowles fills white balloons with uppercase black letters, while blue edging and red splotches surround Bat-com balloons. As dialogue grows bold with intonation and shrinks with lowered voices, off-camera dialogue also appears in colored boxes. The yellow boxes link Verity with another woman navigating a long-term relationship. Blue narrative boxes link Batman, his longtime foe, and the thieves as people capable of safeguarding Gotham, if only they have the will to do so. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Any long-term working relationship is like a marriage. Bruce Wayne didn't realize that his late friend had made provisions for his replacement. But as Bruce tries to accommodate Verity Pennyworth's quirks and differing viewpoints, he journeys below Gotham to meet an enemy who has also struggled to make long-term relationships work in Batman #14.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For more of the Bad Seeds Event, see

 

Poison Ivy #47: A Batman: Bad Seeds Prelude: Preview 

 

Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunset #1 Preview 

 

Batman #13: Bad Seeds Week 2 Part 1 Preview 

 

Batgirl #23: Bad Seeds Week 2 Part 2: Preview 

 

Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1--Bad Seeds Week 3 Part 1 Review 

 

Batwoman #7: Bad Seeds Week 4 Part 1 Review 

 

Detective Comics #1113: Bad Seeds Week 4 Part 2 Preview  

 

Catwoman #91: Week 4 Part 3 Preview 

 

Nightwing #142: Bad Seeds Week 4 Part 4 Preview  

 

Harley Quinn #66: Bad Seeds Week 5 Part 1 Preview  

Poison Ivy #48: Bad Seeds Week 6 Part 1 Review 

 

Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1 Review

 

Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1 Review

Writers: Stephanie Williams & Leah Williams

Artists: Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira & Belén Ortega

Colorists: Romulo Fajardo Jr & Triona Farrell

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: Kyuyong Eom, Guillem March & Leirix

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittaney Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US/Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: September 30, 2026

 

Her mother, Emilie, battled Diana for the right to represent Themyscira on the world stage. Her father, the Sovereign, quietly ruled the United States behind the façade of democratic institutions. Lyssa succeeded her father as the Matriarch of the United States. And then she killed everyone who opposed her.

 

How did the girl Diana raised become such a brutal killer? And what happened after Diana defeated the Matriarch in the Temple of the Moirae? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1 and see!

 

Story

After Diana’s fist hurled her through a stone pillar, Lyssa awakens in a boat. Unlike Steve Trevor and Elizabeth, no Ferryman steers her course. And instead of gliding along the River Styx, her wooden vessel floats on the bloody currents of the Phlegethon.

 

While no one travels with her, Lyssa is far from alone in Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1. As the boat carries her toward Tartarus, shades of the heroes he killed rise to meet her. And as in life, Lyssa must decide how to confront them.

 

Stephanie Williams and Leah Williams intersperse Lyssa’s journey through the Underworld with key events from her past. These scenes chart Lyssa’s journey from her childhood on Themyscira to grasping for something that Hippolyta warned Diana she must avoid. But by the time she reaches adulthood, deviating from her Amazons’ code of conduct has become the rule of Lyssa’s life.

 

She may have lost her power ring. Still, Lyssa has someone who travels with her. It’s someone she has not listened to as much as she should have. Instead, this person has become a stranger to her. But after crashing through the barrier of death, this still small voice regains its strength. And unlike in life, Lyssa can no longer repress her conscience in Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1.

 

Art

When she awakens in the boat, no ring adorns her gloved hand. As she rises, Lyssa stands in the middle of the boat between two lamps to light her way. Like Diana in the Colosseum, Lyssa dodges projectiles. When her journey grows rough, Lyssa clings to the boat instead of a Kanga. As dark figures arise, red streams down their heads and backs. Yet when Lyssa meets this test of her strength and skills, no red trickles from her palm when she clenches her fist. Yet as Lyssa remembers how her path diverged from the Amazons, one person reaches out to help another when she falls.

 

As Eduardo Pansica, Júlio Ferreira, and Belén Ortega show Lyssa in black and white on a red river, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Triona Farrell adorn the Matriarch’s past with a vibrant palette. Red mixes with violet and lavender when Lyssa and Elizabeth's paths diverged. The colors return later to convey how far apart they have grown. Blotchy red borders frame gray, brown, and green panels of love and loss. Yet, orange tinges more tragic memories of how Lyssa demonstrated her worth in Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1.

 

While Lyssa sees the Underworld as she viewed the Earth, her uppercase white thoughts appear in black narrative boxes. She cannot vanquish small, lowercase white letters in black boxes. Black uppercase dialogue in white balloons grows bold to convey inflection and shrinks when voices lower. While Clayton Cowles’ sound effects may be few, Lyssa’s dialogue grows progressively larger as the trials grow more difficult. Still, beige uppercase letters in blue boxes force Lyssa to remember the needless pain she has caused. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Every decision we make empowers us. Yet no matter how much they help us accomplish, our decisions also limit us. As Lyssa looks back on her life choices, she measures the narrative she has spun. But if she wishes to act "so that all that will be might not be again," Lyssa must cut the threads binding her to her former life in Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War—The Matriarch Special #1.

 

Rating 9.4/10

To look inside see Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War –The Matriarch Special#1 Preview.

For Steve Trevor and Elizabeth's return to Themyscira, see Wonder Woman #37 Review. 

For the second half of Steve's story about falling in love with Diana, see Wonder Woman #36 Review.

For the first part of Steve's tale, see Wonder Woman #35 Preview. 

For Diana's battle with Lyssa in the Temple of the Moirai, see my review of Wonder Woman #34.

For how Diana, Steve, and Elizabeth enter the Underworld, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For Tammy's interview with the Matriarch, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

 

Wonder Woman #37 Review

 

Wonder Woman #37 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Daniel Sampere

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Kyuyoung Eom; Mahmud Asrar & Mike Spicer

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: September 16, 2026

 

You always know it can happen. Society will always try to prepare you for it. Yet the death of a loved one always leaves you bereft. So, as the Ferryman poles them back along the River Styx, Steve Trevor tells Elizabeth Marston Prince a story. Sharing how he met Diana and why he fell in love with her brings Steve a small measure of comfort.

 

Steve hopes that his tale of how and why Diana left Themyscira can help his daughter embrace her future. Most of all, Steve wants his daughter to realize that her mother didn't become Wonder Woman because of her strength or skills. Instead, it was her inner qualities that helped her become Themyscira's representative in a tumultuous world.

 

Where will the Ferryman deliver Steve and Elizabeth? And what challenges will the broken family face upon their arrival? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #37 and see!

 

Story

As the boat nears Themyscira, the Ferryman tells Steve and Elizabeth how to renew what has grown old. After delivering them to the shore, he reminds them that death cannot diminish the glow they bring to other people’s lives. But the Ferryman doesn’t stick around to explain to the Amazons guarding the island that he has brought his passengers back in time. So, after he departs, the island’s guardians do what Steve feared Hippolyta would when Diana won the right to depart Themyscira with him.

 

While Wonder Woman #37 follows Steve and Elizabeth's return to Themyscira, it also follows Diana's hunt. After Steve died, Diana poured all her love for him into Elizabeth. With Steve gone, she keeps her daughter close. Yet she also guards Lyssa like a daughter. And in her role as a mother and an Amazon warrior, Diana instructs them on how to battle the monsters they will confront. Perhaps the infants are too young to understand her words. Or perhaps her instructions are not solely intended for the children.

 

In Tom King's story, Diana, Steve, and Elizabeth are all grieving. While Diana intends to remain strong for her children, Elizabeth yearns to live up to her mother's expectations. Yet while her Human father mourns, Elizabeth won't let him start retreating from life. They may be traveling back in time to meet a younger version of her mother. Still, Elizabeth feels responsible for ensuring that Diana’s example inspires future generations in Wonder Woman #37.

 

Art

As Diana stands on a rocky promontory, greenery rises around her, partially obscuring the distant sea. Ensconced in the dual baby sling, Lizzie and Lyssa look at each other, pressing their lips shut. Then Diana dives toward the frothing waters of the plunge pool. As he directs his craft, darkness obscures the Ferryman’s features as he interacts with his passengers. When he grounds the craft on the beach, Elizabeth helps her father off the boat using two hands. After he leaves, Steve regards the Amazons with a smile. Yet the emptiness in Elizabeth’s eyes suggests that, right now, nothing can be “wonderful.”

 

As Daniel Sampere chronicles Steve and Elizabeth’s return to Themyscira, Adriano Lucas adorns Wonder Woman #37 with a vibrant palette. The irrepressible foliage links with Steve and the monster who also refuses to let others dictate its fate. The blue cave and Elizabeth’s blue uniform signal the hope that lingers even in the darkest times. Diana and Elizabeth's yellow lassos show how to battle those who attack others out of fear. Diana's costume shines brightly in the dim cave. Yet it links with an act outside, sadly not driven by righteous fury.

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. Words shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation. Large, colored words in deformed balloons accompany raised voices. Yet while the Amazon’s shout fills a spiky balloon, the monster’s growls are gently rounded around each letter. Sound effects presage the fighting and eventually overtake panels as the violence grows increasingly injurious and deadly. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Her mother didn’t want her to leave. The Fates also declared that Diana should remain on Themyscira. But Diana didn't just leave her island home. Her actions inspired people to change their world. Eventually, Diana's sisters followed her lead. As Diana altered their vision of the world, the Fates punished the Amazons by imprisoning or killing those who didn’t retreat to their island home. Then, they punished Diana by decreeing that all the heroes she had loved and fought alongside should also die.

 

Diana may have sacrificed herself in their temple in the hopes of rewriting history and saving all her friends and loved ones. Yet the Fates cling to their vision for the world in Wonder Woman #37.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see Wonder Woman #37 Preview. 

 

For the second half of Steve's story about falling in love with Diana, see Wonder Woman #36 Review.

For the first part of Steve's tale, see Wonder Woman #35 Preview. 

For Diana's battle with Lyssa in the Temple of the Moirai, see my review of Wonder Woman #34.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Daniel Sampere & Bruno Redondo

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Inhyuk Lee; Annie Wu

DC Pride Cover Artist: Fatima Wajid

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

Discovering Steve Trevor on Themyscira should have overjoyed Diana. Yet she had battled and slain soldiers to reach the secret prison. Worse, the Matriarch's male soldiers guarded her sacred shores. So, while Elizabeth hugged the father she knew only from her Corgi-chasing trips through time, Diana held back. Then, defying the Gods that allowed the Matriarch to murder her friends and defile her homeland, Diana used Lex Luthor's God Killer sword to carve open a passage to the Underworld.

 

The Gods dislike it when their subjects defy their omnipotence. So, when Diana, Steve, and Elizabeth enter the Palace of the Moirai, the Fates invite another guest to the impromptu party. Can Elizabeth and Lyssa rediscover their childhood friendship? Or must Wonder Woman and the Matriarch fight to the death in Hades? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #34 and see!

 

Story

The Matriarch smiles, not realizing that the sword stored in her White Palace is a copy. When Diana shatters her sword, the Matriarch is as surprised as when she went too far torturing Superman. But as the Fates debate the origins and meaning of myths, the Matriarch claims that there are more powerful things than gods and their swords. Then she uses her power ring to summon a hard light construct.

 

As the Matriarch confronts Diana in Wonder Woman #34, she recalls how she secured the power ring and what she has done to keep it. While the two warriors fight, Lyssa recognizes that she faces the pride of Themyscira. Diana defeated her mother to become her island's emissary to the world. So, after slaying other superheroes and becoming a world leader, Lyssa regards killing Diana as the final act in securing her domination.

 

While Tom King ponders how we relate to others, he focuses on how we judge our worth and determine what will make us happy. Lyssa may not clothe herself in chains to celebrate her victories. Yet she values strength. As the Matriarch, Lyssa has devoted her life to enduring pain to become the ultimate oppressor. Diana defines herself in different terms. Lyssa thinks she must have everything to be happy. But even amid her greatest trial, Diana protects others and takes only what she needs in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Art

Amid arid terrain, a Green Lantern corpse on the road evokes extraterrestrial events in another reality. As the power ring rises from the still hand in this ravaged future, the red surrounding her eyes defines what drives Tomar-Lyssa. Despite taking place two decades hence, Daniel Sampere and Bruno Redondo adorn the two Amazons in armor that recalls a brutal past, when the strong took whatever they wanted, and might equaled right.

 

As the absolute ruler of the United States wields her hard light sword, the Matriarch’s grayscale hair and armor contrast with Diana's red, white, and blue uniform. The Princess of Themyscira adorns her head, heart, and shoulders with gold in Wonder Woman #34. Yet the scarlet running down their faces defines their anger at what each other represents. While Alejandro Sánchez paints the God Killer sword brown, its organic shape and color link it with the Green, as Diana battles a leader who will destroy everything and everyone to get what she wants.  

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. As block letters emphasizing diagonals locate us in time and space, offscreen dialogue in colored boxes provides divine commentary. Balloons become clouds with wavering arrows when a speaker digs deep to summon extraordinary willpower. Sound effects enhance a battle before disapproving gods who wonder how the combatants will determine their future. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Diana defied Zeus and the order of the Underworld to reach the Palace of the Moirai. Like Steve Trevor, Diana has sinned against the Fates. As she battles the daughter of a woman she sought to rescue, Diana must determine how she will face Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos' judgment in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Wonder Woman #34. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War story arc began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

 

Batman #10 Review

 

Batman #10 Review

Writer: Matt Fraction

Artist & Cover Artist: Jorge Jimenéz

Colorist: Tomeu Morey

Letterer: Clayton Cowles & Jorge Jimenéz

Variant Cover Artists: Dustin Nguyen, Jorge Molina, Ryan Sook, Jorge Jimenéz & David Aja

Editors: Jessica Berbey & Rob Levin

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99 US/$5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: June 3, 2026

 

After Mayor Isley gave Vandal Savage a free hand, Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon knew the police were coming after them. So as Duke Thomas and Stephanie Brown grabbed what they needed from the Batcaves and destroyed the rest, Bruce played backup while Barbara coordinated their efforts. And when Stephanie stepped into the trap Savage's Tactical Urban Combat Officers laid for her, Barbara sacrificed herself to help Stephanie escape. Now, Barbara is behind bars, and Wayne Manor is as unrecoverable as Barbara's hard drives.

 

As he watched his childhood home burn, Bruce told his son that none of his plans mattered before Damian came along. So, what are Batman's plans? And how will Bruce ensure they make a difference for Damian, Barbara, the rest of the Bat-family, and Gotham?

 

Story

As visions of Barbara Gordon in handcuffs fill TV screens, Commissioner Vandal Savage unveils a new initiative. Citizens can call in and report sightings of costumed vigilantes. The more consequential their intel, the more the informants earn.

 

The next time Bruce Wayne meets with his board, he discovers that they will monitor his movements more closely in Batman #10. After ninjas on motorcycles attacked him and Dr Annika Zeller, the board insists the new bodyguards are for Bruce’s own protection. But as Bruce studies the people around the table, he knows they do not share Miss Marjorie's concerns for Gotham and its inhabitants.

 

While Bruce Wayne’s dream of reforming Gotham via Wayne Enterprises is taking a hit, his Bat-family is scattered and fractured. Yet, as Barbara Gordon recently told Dick Grayson in Blüdhaven, it’s nothing Batman hasn’t suffered before. And although the hologram of his late friend counseled him to help his son Damian cope with failure, Bruce insists he’s not beaten. As Bruce Wayne confronts the problems brewing in his financial empire, Matt Fraction ponders the importance of family in our lives in Batman #10.

 

Art

As Vandal Savage watches Wayne Manor burn, he dominates the center of the page, pushing the Bat sidekicks to the edges. While Savage laughs, the cellphone-shaped panels framing him evoke Huston Gray filming the Police Commissioner planting a Batarang on a corpse. After Vandal Savage smiles for the cameras, Jorge Jimenéz uses silhouettes to show the Commissioner barking orders without facing his subordinates. And although Vandal Savage initiates a staring contest, he looks away first.

 

As Tomeu Morey lavishes a loaded palette on Batman #10, white, blue, black, and tan compare the lives of two men who seemingly have the world by the tail. After a night stained by red, men in black suits sit in red upholstered chairs, while Vandal Savage sits in the Gotham Gang’s red studio. And as Bruce contemplates how to resolve the problems afflicting Gotham amid gray and blue, Jim Gordon defends his city with a blue shirt and gray hair.

 

Clayton Cowles and Jorge Jimenéz enliven dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with a variety of background colors, colored letters, and symbols. Uppercase text grows bold with intonation and swells with raised voices, while shouts transform balloons into stars. Amid difficult times, Stephanie Brown seeks comfort, Duke Thomas offers support, and Damian Wayne embodies peace while sending colorful lowercase texts. While he rejoices, Vandal Savage's bold laughter hits speed bumps. Sound effects accompany Bruce Wayne’s war on misery, alarms and gunfire pierce the air. Yet Batman silently regards another assessing pair of eyes. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Batman has faced the worst that costumed criminals can throw at him. Yet the dangers facing his city are more centered around commerce and helping the rich get richer. Batman is less interested in interfering with the crime families than in protecting people. Still, he's happy to spread a little anarchy for the right reasons in Batman #10.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Batman #10.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Batman #9.

To follow Barbara Gordon's journey, see my preview of Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1.

For Miss Marjorie and Huston Gray, see my review of Batman #3.

For Barbara's conversation with Dick Grayson, see my review of Nightwing #134.