Review: Wonder Woman Vol. 9- The Enemy of Both Sides

Quick Summary

Pros: The two main story arcs are both engaging and highly imaginative. Artemis is written well throughout the collection. The Wonder Woman-focused stories provide short but worthwhile deconstructions of her character. The artwork is positive throughout the collection.

Cons: Wonder Woman almost feels like a supporting character in the two main story arcs.

Overall: This volume is a unique mix of positives. The bulk of the collection focuses on highly imaginative stories that specifically feature a few secondary characters. However, the volume also contains several short but well-written examinations into different aspects of Wonder Woman as a character. In the end, this collection could appeal to fans of Artemis, fans looking for quick but good Wonder Woman stories, or fans who want a unique standalone collection.

Story

Wonder Woman Vol. 9: The Enemy of Both Sides, by Steve Orlando, is a unique entry in this series that contains an equally unique level of appeal. The volume tells some seriously imaginative stories that highlight exciting bouts of action and well-written emotion within a wonderfully creative setting. However, in these stories, Artemis and a few supporting characters end up stealing the show, to the point where Wonder Woman feels a bit sidelined. However, this collection also contains several short but powerful Wonder Woman stories that really highlight what makes her character so amazing. Altogether, this mix of features creates a volume that will mostly appeal to readers looking for an Artemis/Wonder Woman team-up or those who are simply looking for more atypical Wonder Woman tales.

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The two main story arcs in The Enemy of Both Sides are engaging and imaginative team-ups between Wonder Woman and Artemis. The first has them enter the dimension of an ancient, Aztec god in order to save an Amazon warrior and prevent an invasion while the second has them intercede in a conflict between rogue Amazons and the citizens of the country they are attempting to occupy. Both narratives are pretty out there but the level of imagination in them is awesome to see. It allows this volume to stand apart and define itself as something unique.

However, these team-ups are also a little strange in that they don’t exactly center around Wonder Woman. Instead, Artemis and the other supporting characters end up stealing the spotlight. For fans of these characters, this might work out great. For those entering this book for Wonder Woman though, this might not be as appreciated.

Luckily, The Enemy of Both Sides also includes several solid Wonder Woman stories as well. The volume opens with a fantastic story about Wonder Woman’s visits to a criminal she put in prison. The story works as an expression of Wonder Woman’s capacity for empathy and also as a showcase for the need of empathy like this in reforming criminals, something most comic books end up skipping. Then the volume concludes with a series of short, continuity-free Wonder Woman stories. These each work as a look at a different aspect of Wonder Woman’s character while also simply reading well in general. 

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Art

The artwork in The Enemy of Both Sides is positive throughout the collection. Laura Braga’s work on the opening chapter presents a unique style that still maintains a level of detail that properly captures the emotion present there. Then, ACO’s work on the first major story arc gives an already imaginative storyline some mind-bending visuals to go along with it. This continues in the next story arc, where unique page layouts punch up the action and drama found within the narrative. The volume then closes with a mix of quality in the Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special. The majority of the visuals in this special are alright but work from Rafael Albuquerque, Liam Sharp, and Jill Thompson alongside some beautiful poster art provides several gems throughout the read. Overall, the quality of the visuals are consistently positive throughout this book. 

Continuity

Wonder Woman Vol. 9: The Enemy of Both Sides continues the story from Wonder Woman Vol. 8: The Dark Gods (Review).

The story here continues in Wonder Woman/Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour (Review) (Reading Order).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Aztek was previously seen with the Justice League of America (Reading Order) across Justice League of America Vol. 5: Deadly Fable (Review). This volume also explains the references to a Justice Foundation.
• Artemis’ story in this volume is continued from Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 2: Who Is Artemis? (Review).
• Superwoman was killed in the Justice League: Darkseid War (Review) (Reading Order) event.