Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War – The Matriarch Special #1 (DC COMICS)
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
That is the belief of Lyssa, a Themyscirian who’s blind vision has pushed her past a dark destiny. In the events of the “Wonder War,” Lyssa was mortally defeated by Diana.
This resulted in her descending in Hell. It did not finisher her off. The will of power has now forced her on a morbid journey to get back to the land of the living by any cost.
Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War – The Matriarch Special #1 by Stephanie Williams, Leah Williams , Belén Ortega, Eduardo Pansica, Eber Ferreira, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tríona Farrell & Clayton Cowles (DC COMICS) leads into the next wave of “The Wonder War”.
Let’s take a deeper dive into this chapter.
Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War – The Matriarch Special #1 by Stephanie Williams, Leah Williams , Belén Ortega, Eduardo Pansica, Eber Ferreira, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tríona Farrell & Clayton Cowles (DC COMICS)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Williams and Williams unlock the broken soul of Lyssa with a chilling look at her destiny. her inner monologue challenges her current situation. This pushes a defiant stance in the face of defeat. Even with mysterious involvement, there’s never a moment where Lyssa doesn’t strive to advance. The river’s hurdles throw many adversaries in her path. Her conversation with the narrator offsets her actions, while dodging the emotions trying to creep in.
Readers also get a tragic flashback sequence of happier times. The story with Lizzie and Lyssa evolves the thoughts of destiny, more importantly “Freedom Over Fate”. This rolls into a brooding exchange with Lyssa is confronted about her emotions. The writing harkens back to more challenges while pressuring Lyssa more about the “fate” she has chosen. It crafts an uneasy tension that never escapes her words. With every encounter, this weight keeps getting heavier as Lyssa tries justifying herself while handling the souls of those she’s killed.
This leads to a violent confrontation with an opponent driven to defeat Lyssa. The encounter is highly driven on revenge which works in its’ favor. Readers watch as the fight maneuvers Lyssa into a different space while forcing her to face a inner demon. The result is a brutal finish, fitting for the mad warrior. Its’ epilogue plays with a few notions beofre sending Lyssa into a satisfying yet predictable finish. A solid journey that gives huge depth to a soulless quest for power.
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The art teams throw a few different looks into play while spotlighting Lyssa’s persistence. Lyssa’s opening shot is a full look at the ride through Hell. Her expressions rarely waver as the first attack begins. This allows her rage to build and the combat to take a whole new feel. It is very strong contrast to the flashback scenes. During these pages, Lyssa’s anger starts growing as the rules of destiny and fate start sinking into the young warrior. This is capped off by a bold rescue via full page. It provides a pivot to the current voyage fillign with pain.
Lyssa’s combat is ruthless as the panels show her bringing the fight. There’s never a breaking point when this is unfolding. Pacing only slows down for other flashback sequences. Each carry its’ own impact leading into the major showdown of the issue. A bold full page image brings in Lyssa’s main opponent ready to fight. It sets the tempo and is complimented by another excellent full page shot. This constructs a wild finish to the fight, showing Lyssa’s expressions have forged her devious soul. This ushers in a solid aftermath and closing. Panels never distance themselves from Lyssa’s acceptance of what the present is and the future holds. This wraps up on another impactful full page, igniting a new path of destiny that the world may not be ready for.
FINAL GRADE: 8.8
Lyssa’s journey through Hell exposes dark emotions as the Matriarch looks to take power by any means. The writing peels back the layers of a tortured soul. Panels fill with great action to compliment a look back at the fight between Freedom and Fate. A great jumping on point to a much greater rematch forthcoming.
Let me know your thoughts on Wonder Woman 2026 Annual: Wonder War – The Matriarch Special #1 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
