Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, Brian Azarello; Wonder Woman #17 finally takes War off the bench and puts him in the game to create a story-driven issue that drives the plot forward in new and exciting directions.

After sitting on the sidelines with a drink in hand for a number of issues, War finally gets some prime time attention in Wonder Woman #17. He’s played the quiet, bloodstained old man in the corner for quite a while, but he proves to be in the right place at the right time here when Diana unites the newly recruited Orion with the rest of her motley crew.

It’s great to see War get his old bones in action, and even better to witness his reunion with former student Wonder Woman. Now, the two are ready to tag team the next step in the search for Zola’s baby.

Azarello’s writing is spot-on as always. Diana is just so kindhearted that even potentially malicious gods like War and Strife don’t have the gall to be harsh with her.

Only the secondary firstborn god plot suffers here. It feels like we’ve known the naked giant from the Arctic for quite a while, and we still don’t have a name for him or a clear goal. In this issue he clashes with Poseidon, so one has to hope that means he will be entering Diana’s world soon enough.

In terms of art, Wonder Woman #17 suffers from the absence of regular Cliff Chiang. Tony Akins filled in admirably on Wonder Woman #14, but it feels like he and Dan Green are in over their heads here. Diana’s face doesn’t look good and her body is at times overly muscular, but that’s not the worst of it.

Akins has done Wonder Woman before, but this is his first crack at her companions, and he doesn’t do so well. The first panel of the comic has Orion looking like a big, dumb oaf straight out of Scooby Doo, and Lennox’s design is a far cry from the usual. On top of that, it’ll take you a while to recognize the firstborn god because he looks nothing at all like he has been depicted before.

Character design troubles aside, Wonder Woman #17 is still a well-executed comic that clips along with witty dialogue and good plot progression.