Superman has been transformed into a were Cheetah and begins attacking his allies. The sound of a horn blows and stops him while the Cheetah takes off. We meet Hara, the leader of the San Tribe, and she gives us some history of the Cheetah. The Cheetah was a force of good and the Goddess of the Hunt. Every generation a human host was chosen and Hara's mother had been the last Cheetah. She had been murdered by a man carrying a weapon called the Godslayer. While Hara's mother died, the Cheetah's spirit entered the Godslayer. The weapon was lost until it was stolen by Barbara Minerva.
With Hara's help Superman is given an antidote to counteract the Cheetah's bite. His alien constitution is the only reason he did not die. Diana, with Barry and Arthur's help, corner the Cheetah and take her in.
They incarcerate the Cheetah in Belle Reve. And Diana, once again, offers to help Barbara to rid her of the curse, which she spurns. Once left alone in her prison cell, Cheetah seems to be in contact with someone on the outside. Black Manta's name is mentioned. Dare we wonder if we are going to see the Legion of Doom at some point? At the Watchtower Diana learns about Barbara Minerva's past. It turns out Barbara was a criminal long before she met Diana and worked with her at ARGUS. Diana had been blaming herself for Barbara becoming the Cheetah but as it turns out Barbara is the one who corrupted the Cheetah. This knowledge hits Diana hard because Barbara had been her "best friend" and she had used her.
Wonder Woman and Superman discuss what went down, and bear in mind we have the knowledge of the shared kiss and those emotions between them. Diana feels betrayed and as if she can't trust anyone and her naivety is at fault. Superman lets her see that it not a weakness but a strength and something he admires in her. He tells her she can trust the team and him. She challenges that. How can she trust someone who does not share much of who he is? Superman is determined and willing to change that.
We see our two heroes having breakfast in a diner in Smallville. People gape and stare while they try to have a quiet meal and talk. Clark's whole point of bringing her to his home town was to share who he is and why he choose to be a hero.
It's a sweet scene and refreshing to see Superman open up and not have to hide and lie about his life and it makes me regret the Kents are not alive to meet Diana. To meet her as his prospective partner, as opposed to just a friend. Diana coming from an island and him coming from rural Kansas in a way sort of shows a kind of connection to the quieter beauty and peace environs like this offer. Clark who has been doing this longer than she has, tells her life wasn't all about heroics and trying to save and protect people either. That he tries to keep connected to the simple, ordinary things that make life worth living.
The emotions they feel for one another naturally gives way to another passionate kiss. But there is a tracer on Clark's cape and guess who is watching them? Batman.
I loved this issue. The Cheetah battle was not that intense but adequate to move the plot along. We learned a lot of important details like the San Tribe, Cheetah's history, the existence of the Godslayer, Black Manta's involvement etc. It is the Clark and Diana scenes that steals the show. Tony Daniel's work brings real emotion and depth. There are some issues with the colorist in some panels though. In some panels I don't know what is happening to Clark's eyes and lips. But these scenes show two people allowing themselves to be vulnerable and on the way to falling in love. Batman watching. Hmm, now I am hoping Bruce only accidentally stumbled on this and he is not going to be a jerk about it. He claims Superman is his friend. We shall see if DC will go the same old trodden route of the paranoid Batman or a wiser Batman who will be happy for his younger friends. I doubt Clark will appreciate being spied on though and Diana, already with trust issues, will not be happy.
I give this 4 out of 5 stars.
Best Panel. Once again I can't choose a panel. I adore the whole page. Here is a Superman I can fall for. A guy who knows what he wants and who he is and is prepared to be honest with a woman who is worth taking that risk for. Tony Daniel draws the most amazing eyes and he manages just like last issue to portray this intense attraction between them.
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