Superman/Wonder Woman The New 52! # 2

 By Mark Rodriguez

Superman and Wonder Woman have become a couple, and while Wondie wishes she would tell the world, Supes wants to keep it secret. After they both go to investigate a storm that appeared out of nowhere, something was strong enough to knock Superman flying out of the ocean. As Superman recovers and helps deal with survivors, Wonder Woman comes face to face with Doomsday, and a bloody battle begins!

Gods and Monsters opens with Wonder Woman being knocked into the sky by Doomsday and dropping to the floor of the destroyed battleship. Her arms and broken and she tries to think of some weakness the monster might have. She thinks of flying away as Doomsday prepares to swing his huge fist down upon her. The surrounding waves are about to splash onto the battleship.

Suddenly the battleship rises, as Superman is lifting it up from underneath. The battleship is safely back on shore and Superman asks Wonder Woman if she's alright and if she saw what hit him earlier. Wondie says she's never been hit that hard before, but she'll be fine since she has divine blood. She describes the huge grey bone-spiked covered monster and tells him he was also flickering and vanished before the waves hit the ship. Superman takes her to the Fortress of Solitude. 

At the Fortress, Superman shows Wonder Woman a device that shows a window into the Phantom Zone. The Phantom Zone is a separate dimension where Superman's people sent those that was just too dangerous and powerful to live among them. He finds the monster and asks Wonder Woman if that's the thing she fought. She confirms it and Superman says this is Doomsday. She asks what Doomsday is since she's never seem him act like this before. Superman says Doomsday is death. 

Wonder Woman says he's just a monster that can't reason. Superman says if he was real enough to attack both of them, then the seals of the Phantom Zone are weakening. He's not sure that he can handle him. Wonder Woman says she has fought beings that have made worlds tremble, and yet they still don't compare to Superman. She says she will defeat him because of who he is, but also because he won't be fighting him alone. 

Later on Wonder Woman takes Superman below Mt. Etna, within the armory of Hephaestus. Wonder Woman is looking for weapons and Hephaestus says he already gave her enough weapons to take down ten armies. She says the weapons will be for Superman. Hephaestus asks why this man is deserving of his aid, he can just pray like the rest of the regular mortals. Wonder Woman tells him that he is different and is strong as them. Hephaestus swings his melding iron at Superman who just catches it in his hand as if it were nothing. 

Sometime later, Wonder Woman asks if her request is possible. Hephaestus says he has built a similar war armor before. She says it would have to be the strongest thing he ever made, since the monster she fought was powerful. Superman thanks him for his help. Hephaestus says he'd do anything for the princess. A voice says to not let his wife hear that since Aphrodite can get very jealous. Apollo and Strife appear to comment on Wonder Woman's latest 'conquest'.

Superman asks Wondie if she told their family about them. She says she didn't but these are gods, they just know things. She explains that Apollo is the lord of Olympus, and from Olympus you can see everything. Apollo says 'at least the last one was a warrior, for being a human' and calls Superman a thing from the stars. He says he doesn't care about who Wonder Woman chooses to sleep with but she should at least have standards. 

Superman asks Apollo if he is indeed a god, to which he responds he is the god of the sun and ruler of Mount Olympus. Superman warns that if he talks to Diana in that way again, he will hit him. Normally he has to hold back when he hits someone, but since Apollo is a god, he can hit him as hard as he wants. Apollo casually slaps him and sends the Man of Steel flying back. 

Back in Metropolis, Cat is trying to contact Clark, whose phone keeps going to answer machine. She leaves the voice message that he better be working on the biggest story ever since their company is supposed to be a partnership. She arrives at work and sees the pile of mail. She decides to call Aaron. 

Strife comments on Superman being sent flying back and says Wonder Woman will never see her boyfriend the same again after losing his first fight. Wonder Woman flies in and grabs Apollo saying he's dead, but he's barely amused. Superman emerges from the flames and says to let him fight. 

Superman swoops in and knocks Apollo onto his back with a powerful punch. Apollo is angry Superman dared to attack him and proclaims that he is the sun as he blasts him with solar flames from his eyes. Superman is still standing and Apollo asks how. The Kryptonian says Apollo doesn't know much about him since he's hitting him with sunlight.

With that huge dose of sunlight, Superman felt like he drank a bucket of adrenaline and could easily bring a mountain down onto Apollo if he wanted with a finger. Superman says he won't, since he is still Diana's brother, so he knocks him through a mountain. 

Superman returns and tells Diana he knows she could have handled it herself, and she says she still enjoyed the show. Strife is very impressed. Superman once again thanks Hephaestus and says he fears that horrible things are coming.

Elsewhere in the Sahara Desert, something suddenly kills a bunch of travelers, faster than the eye can see. As the sand settles we see that General Zod has arrived, also having escaped the Phantom Zone. 

My Opinions-

Pretty good story so far. It seems this is Doomsday's introduction to The New 52 since I'm sure Wonder Woman at the very least knew of him beforehand in the pre-Flashpoint era. With Zod appearing at the cliffhanger it seems the Phantom Zone villains are somehow escaping.

The centerpiece of this issue is pretty much Superman meeting Wonder Woman's family of gods, on her father's side. It's always odd to see these gods like Apollo being seen in some sort of human form. The Dragonball series does similar things where their gods rarely get to get the respect they deserve since they usually pale in comparison to the Saiyans. In a similar fashion, Apollo just looks like another short-lived opponent to Superman. It's clear he's powerful in his own right, but compared to Superman and Wonder Woman, he might as well be a fellow member of the Justice League.

This is a pretty fun issue and we got to see some awesome art of a very pissed off Superman. Imagine Superman knowing he can finally cut loose, and on top of that getting a hell of a sun-powered energy boost. 

I'm curious where this story is gonna go. I'm assuming it won't be until this story end for Cat to finally check her snail mail. For now, I wonder what kind of armor or weapons Hephaestus cooked up for Superman.