Comic Review: Wonder Twins (2019-) #5

Wonder Twins #5

DC Comics

Writer: Mark Russell

Artist: Stephen Byrne

One of the most unexpected joys of DC’s newly minted Wonder Comics line has been Wonder Twins. Young Justice and Dial H For Hero are fan-favourite properties, and Naomi is the debut of an intriguing new character. But the Wonder Twins aren’t exactly DC royalty, they’re mostly a joke among comic fans. Enter Mark Russell, coming in hot off the success of the Snagglepuss Chronicles. I’ll admit that I was skeptical about how good this series would be. Turns out my skepticism was unfounded, as so far this series has been an absolute blast, with rich and likable characters, a fun story, and great art from Stephen Byrne. This winning streak continues with #5. Russell and Byrne combine superhero action, high school drama, political satire, and wacky comedy to create a winning formula.

This issue picks up after the disastrous dates of #4, and Polly Math discovering that her dad is working with the League of Annoyance. She is understandably upset with her dad, and Jayna and Zan take on the League of Annoyance to help her out. The resulting battle is fun and features some creative uses of the Wonder Twins powers. Present for the fight is Red Flag, who is feeling emasculated by Jayna ghosting him. There’s some good satirical commentary on masculinity with this character and some particularly charged racial commentary around a certain event that I won’t spoil. Injecting serious societal issues into a fun and zany comic doesn’t always mesh well, but Russell’s writing is smart enough to balance the tones well and provide good social commentary without making the tone jarring.

Featuring a fun battle, some great one-liners like “No! My emphysema!” and “Looks like Red Flag will be at half-mast for a while”, #5 is another great Wonder Twins comic. While Russell’s script is stellar, Byrne’s art really brings the whole thing together. It sits in the perfect spot between grounded and exaggerated, with fun character designs, great expressions, and dynamic action. Some artists are better at characters, others at action, but Byrne excels at both.

There’s also an interesting plot hook at the end that I won’t spoil. DC has now extended this series from six issues to twelve! Get ready for even more adventures with Jan and Zayna!

Until next time… Wonder Twin powers activate!