Wonder Woman #32 Review

 

Wonder Woman #32 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Daniel Sampere

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey; David Nakayama; Dike Ruan; Daniel Sampere, Tom King & Tomeu Morey

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Jorge Fornés

April Drools Variant Cover Artist: Gerald Parel

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

They grew up together. Even though they always fought, Lizzie and Lyssa loved each other. But Lizzie had a mother. In Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent, she also had two treasured friends who shaped her life as surely as Diana sculpted her upon the shore of Themyscira. And they promised to protect her, regardless of the cost to themselves.

 

Just as life takes us in different directions from our family and friends, it can turn us against each other. As Amazons, Lizzie and Lyssa prize competition above almost all else. But how many people will die as their childhood battles lead to a Wonder War? And is the Matriarch destined to dominate the Earth as effectively as Darkseid? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #32 and see!

 

Story

When Lex Luthor gazed out his office windows in Metropolis, he beheld a golden globe perched atop a nearby tower. But instead of the words Daily Planet, Matriarch orbits the globe. So when Lyssa addresses her subjects, she invites a reporter to the Oval Office. Tammy expresses her readers' confusion about whom they can trust. Lyssa reassures Tammy that, whatever situation afflicts their lives, Americans can rely on her to be their arbiter of truth.

 

As the interview transpires, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos discuss her Wonder War and how Lyssa grasped the reins of absolute power. Yet even as she sits in the White House, assuring Americans that she is omniscient and omnipotent, events occur beyond Lyssa's control. Like the Fates who narrate Wonder Woman #32, Diana and Lizzie interweave their narrative with Lyssa's, demonstrating that the Matriarch is neither all-knowing nor all-powerful.

 

Like the threads Clotho spins, Lechesis measures, and Atropos cuts, democracy is beautiful but fragile. Tom King draws on history, mythology, and conspiracy theories to muse on how the United States might follow Rome’s example. While hinting at the events that transformed Lyssa from Lizzie’s friend into a ruthless leader, he reveals the costs that Lyssa paid for the power to destroy Diana’s world in Wonder Woman #32.

 

Art

As Tammy conducts her interview, Daniel Sampere provides glimpses of how Lyssa founded her Imperium. While the White House sprouts castle-like structures, the sea erupts as the descending white outline of a jet sends bubbles upward. A meeting in the forest ends with silhouettes leaping through a red panel, while a cross adorned with an eagle's head symbolizes the Matriarch's dominance over church and state.

 

After Lyssa dons purple lipstick and a dress, she welcomes Tammy into a mansion topped with purple roofs and spires. Her red eyeshadow evokes her sword as Lyssa carves a path through anyone in her way. Adriano Lucas hints at the reason for Lyssa's affinity for purple. Yet Lyssa dons black and white armor when she roots out the opposition. As a result, Diana mourns as she confronts warriors who wear the same red, white, blue, and gold she and her daughter wear in Wonder Woman #32.

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. Block letters emphasizing diagonals locate us in time and space. While two Fates argue over the origins of the Wonder War in colored boxes, one rues how it will end. Sound effects enhance a brutal battle and make a captive smile while giant yellow letters emphasize an Amazon's pain. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The Amazons thrived on Themyscira. But when two warriors competed for the honor of venturing into the outside world, they upset the balance. Now, as Diana seeks to undo how Lyssa has changed the world, she worries about what her daughter will do with the power that sets her above Humans and Amazons in Wonder Woman #32. 

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside, see my preview of Wonder Woman #32.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

Spirit of the Shadows #3 Review

 

Spirit of the Shadows #3 Review

Writers: Daniel Ziegler & Nick Cagnetti

Artist & Colorist: Nick Cagnetti

Letterer: Ferran Delgado

Designer: Winston Gambro

Editor: Karl Bollers

Cover Artists: Nick Cagnetti & Grey Williamson

Publisher: Oni Press

Price: $4.99

Release Date: March 25, 2026

 

Helena Hextress blames Erik Leroux for her sister's death. But by the time she finds Dr. Hyde Perkins, Erik has slipped through her grasp. The "Spirit of the Shadows" has died, and the Clerical has taken Erik to the Spirit Realm.

 

After a beast tears apart the book of his life, Erik has a brief window of time to reassemble it. But even if Erik can bring the book to the Hall of Judgment and convince the Realmkeepers that he deserves to reunite with his beloved Katrina in the Sacred Realm, Helena Hextress is determined to stop that. Why does Helena hate Erik? And is her sister Elizabeth, slowly turning into a beast in the Spirit Realm, truly beyond saving? Let's leap into Spirit of the Shadows #3 and see!

 

Story

When he found Elizabeth in peril, Erik rescued her. Then, she helped him collect his scattered pages. But Helena's magic interrupts their search when she resurrects Erik. As she gives the disoriented Spirit a truth potion, Erik tries to answer her questions. But just as his memories of life faded after he died, Erik's memories of his search through the Spirit Realm slip away before he can share them with Helena.

 

In Spirit of the Shadows #3, Helena grows frustrated. She yearns for the satisfaction of revenge. Yet the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth's death are complicated. Still, what Erik can tell her arrests her attention. It seems that Dr. Hyde Perkins was far more than he seemed. So Helena Hextress flies off to investigate the relationship between the disgraced doctor and the dead musician.

 

While Daniel Ziegler & Nick Cagnetti follow Helena's search for the truth, they also follow Elizabeth's search for Erik's scattered pages. Erik Leroux, Dr. Hyde Perkins, and Helena Hextress may be more complicated than they seem. Yet Elizabeth seems as loving and pure as Erik's beloved Katrina. Like Erik, a beast tore apart her book before Elizabeth could read it. While Helena seeks someone to punish for her sister's death, Elizabeth risks her future in the Spirit Realm to protect Erik from degenerating into a beast. But what she discovers on those pages may change her mind in Spirit of the Shadows #3.

 

Art

Nick Cagnetti splits a panel to reveal Helena's cottage and her conversation with Erik inside. As steam rises from the glass she hands him, Erik pulls his mask up to expose his lips. When he sits beside Helena and recalls a memory, a corpse with a wound in the back sprawls before the bench. Yet in the Spirit Realm, Elizabeth climbs a tree stretching over a river. Risking her existence, she hooks her legs around the limb, hanging down to reach pages caught on rocks amid the raging waters.

 

While Helena's red hair finds echoes in her attire, Erik's skin is green like his outfit. Nick Cagnetti lavishes a palette of bright colors on Spirit of the Shadows #3, making the Spirit Realm glow with fluorescent hues. As Elizabeth climbs a purple and pink tree, her green and yellow dress links her with Erik, her blonde hair evokes Katrina, while her red claw links her with her sister.

 

Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for intonation, and swell for raised voices. Strong emotion or heightened volume deforms dialogue balloons, while blue letters in blue balloons signal an unexpected change. Sound effects heighten magical spells and scientific experiments, as a muffled noise in a cloudlike balloon foretells tragedy. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

“Death cannot stop true love,” Westley told Buttercup. “All it can do is delay it for a while.” In life, Erik and Katrina wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of their lives together. But one's actions after death threaten to divert the course of true love in Spirit of the Shadows #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

For how this series began, see my review of Spirit of the Shadows #1. 

The Lucky Devils #4 Review

 

Writer: Charles Soule

Artist & Designer: Ryan Browne

Colorists: Ryan Browne & Kevin Knipstein

Art Breakdowns: Zander Cannon

Letterer: Christopher Crank

Logo: Thomas Quinn

Production Design: Erika Schnatz

Cover Artists: Ryan Browne & Andrew MacLean

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 30, 2025

 

“Imagine there’s no Heaven,” Rake sang. (Or perhaps it was John Lennon?) Collar and Rake may not believe in Heaven. Still, they're climbing through the ranks of devil society so they can bring Hell crashing down.

 

Cameron Stane didn’t believe Collar existed. Still, he followed the little devil's advice. Cameron has ascended from an assistant professor to the head of his department. As the daughter of a Baptist preacher, Starr Winslow believes in Rake’s existence. Yet she has let the devil help her become the director of nurses at her hospital. Can Collar and Rake keep rising through the ranks? And how are Cameron and Starr enjoying success? Let's grab our Bibles and The Discourses of Epictetus, leap into The Lucky Devils #4, and find out!

 

Story

Every person influences others. As they grow in influence, Hell assigns a devil to them. The leaders of Hell, who belong to the Nine-Zed, want to protect their realm. They need Humans to spread evil for Hell's continued health. But that relationship carries dangers. If Human influencers flip the script and do good, that anti-evil provokes "natural" disasters in Hell.

 

In The Lucky Devils #4, Wrench Fortune summons the other Nine-Zed. He wants to investigate recent disasters. Instead of working through governmental channels, Wrench drafts in an outsider. But Sandpaper Pinch may not share his sense of urgency.

 

In Charles Soule's densely written story, the higher Rake and Collar advance, the more their supervisors trust them. Three years have passed since Rake and Collar started helping Starr and Cameron. The Humans cannot believe their success. Yet Starr and Cameron aren't sure they like who they are becoming.

 

When the influencers meet in The Lucky Devils #4, Starr and Cameron discover their common bond. By advancing their careers, they help Rake and Collar achieve greater wealth and importance. What seems a philosophical dilemma to the Humans confirms Wrench Fortune's worst fears.

 

Art

Lightning arcs from clouds to charge the high-rises of Hell City. Wrench Fortune pounds the conference table while his contemporaries regard him with doubt and disinterest. Sandpaper Pinch exudes confidence while sitting in a conference chair upholstered with faces. But when she returns home, Sandpaper Pinch summons her nesting eyeball and initiates a three-way on her faded sectional.

 

While colorful fires burn from each devil’s horned head, Sandpaper Pinch’s left arm glows with light blue fire. The sky above Struggle Beach matches Collar’s orange and Rake’s pink skin. Compared with the vibrant colors of Hell, Ryan Browne and Kevin Knipstein apply muted tones to an evening in Chicago. Cameron signs a white and red book for customers in a gray store. Starr sits in a grayish-purple cushioned booth and dines surrounded by brown. But Cameron and Starr’s faces glow pink when their devils join them for dinner in The Lucky Devils #4.

 

White uppercase letters in red banners announce the time and locations as Rake and Collar contemplate joining the Five-Zed ranks. Uppercase letters inhabit white and colored dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The letters grow bold for inflection, enlarge for volume, and rarely shrink. Hammer Wrench writes yellow and white letters in the red air to assert why he believes Hell may come crashing down. Thanks to Image Comics and Silent E Productions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Charles Soule, Ryan Browne, Kevin Knipstein, and Christopher Crank's beautifully told comic asks if evil and power are mutually exclusive. In an era when many confuse material success with virtue, the Lucky Devils #4 reminds us that what we do in the world can hurt our loved ones.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Modville Ashcan Review

 

Writers: Jesse Negron & Joe Matsumoto

Artist: Hendry Prasetya

Colorist: Eko Puteh

Letterer: Tyler Smith

Editor: Dave Elliott

Publisher: Mechanical Cake LLC and Scott Free Productions

 

A House bill established an Autonomous Humanoid Zone in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Thousands of artificial humans, or Mods, have abandoned their posts to join the tight-knit community called Modville. How do the Mods live in their sanctuary? What trials do they face? Let’s leap into the Modville Ashcan and see!

 

Story

In Jesse Negron and Joe Matsumoto's story, floods have struck New Orleans. Abandoned by its human population, the Mods settle in this damaged district. They live a life much like humans anywhere. Yet the Human government polices the district.

 

The Modville Ashcan takes place in 2169 when the American Republic has taken over from the United States. Police cars fly or hover above roads like landspeeders. When violent crimes occur, Juris Operators question victims, witnesses, and suspects by delving directly into their minds.

 

In a world that has endured traumatic change, humans have not learned the value of equality or living together in peace. Villains stalk their prey, and Juris Operators, or Snoops, strip people of privacy by invading their minds. It's a practice as damaging to those questioned as the Juris Operators. But it's all in the name of holding together a troubled nation.

 

Art

Hendry Prasetya and Eko Puteh open the Modville Ashcan with grand scenes of New Orleans. The cinematic widescreen shots set the stage for Humanoid interaction. Teens congregate in this decaying district illuminated by neon lights. As they interact in person and via communicators with holographic projectors, someone watches the Mod youth.

 

The Modville Ashcan features photographic art that shows the hyperreal, decaying world the Humanoids inhabit. It features the text of the House bill and shows the teens’ personalities and vulnerabilities. It also focuses on the Juris Operators, portraying the tools of their trade and delineating the dangers they face in the near and long term.

 

As Ridley Scott's atmospheric worldbuilding style flows through this glossy, magazine-size ashcan, Tyler Smith casts uppercase letters into white dialogue balloons. Green narrative boxes reveal hologrammatic interaction. Jesse Negron closes out the Modville Ashcan by sharing his TV and Filmmaking journey, including his relationship with the Scott Free production company and his plans for his graphic novel series. Thanks to Mechanical Cake LLC and Scott Free Productions for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

The glossy, magazine-style Modville Ashcan invites us into a future world that evokes Blade Runner and Batman, promising an exciting forthcoming graphic novel series.

 

Rating 9.6/10