Wonder Woman #23.1 – The Cheetah

Wonder Woman #23.1 – The Cheetah

“The Hunt”

Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Victor Ibanez
Colorist: Wil Quintana
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Victor Ibanez

In this special issue of Villain’s Month, readers get a story on the Cheetah. John Ostrander lays out her background, how she became the Cheetah, and her motivations. The story contains some brutal violence and a rather sinister origin story.

Things kick off with the Cheetah’s escape in Louisiana. When not ripping people’s hearts out in the swamp, the issue does flashbacks and dream sequences to fill readers in on the character’s backstory. In one scene, we see her with Wonder Woman as she looks at the God Slayer Knife. In another scene, we see her brutal childhood. Back in the here and now, while on the run, a US Marshal named Mark Shaw has been tasked with hunting the Cheetah down. This leads him to an Amazonian cult compound in Idaho where the Cheetah is likely to strike next.

I liked the sinister edge to the story. The Cheetah is a vicious character, but not blindly so. Her backstory shows how she became what she is. As a side character, Mark gets in over his head. Yet his story thread sets up a future conflict which might be explored in DC Comics new Forever Evil series.

The artwork in this issue is really good. There’s a lot of detail, great coloring, and some cool panels. The style matches the cover in this case as they are both done by the same artist. And as the cover indicates, there will be blood.

With a good story, compelling characters, and good artwork, there’s a lot to like in this issue. It would be nice to see John Ostrander and Victor Ibanez team up for some more issues. Even though I’m not someone who is familiar with the character, I rather enjoyed this issue. I give Wonder Woman #23.1 – The Cheetah a four out of five metal bikinis.

Reviewed By: Skuldren for Roqoo Depot.