Ghosts: Wonder Woman Annual #7!

Last August, we started looking at DC's 1998 Ghosts annuals with Aquaman Annual #4 and Green Lantern Annual #7. And now, months later, I've got the rest of the annuals handy. So we'll get started again with Wonder Woman Annual #7, "The Distance Gone" Written by Eric Luke, pencils by Eric Battle, inks by Ray McCarthy and Romeo Tanghal; with a cover by Bernie Wrightson.

After years of her mission to bring peace to man's world, Wonder Woman is a little fed up as she's dealing with "another little man empowered by a gun," and uses her magic lasso to force one to see the truth about himself. "Failing the test," the man kills himself. Before WW can even question if maybe that was a little too far, she is visited by the spirit of her old friend, Myndi Meyer, who had killed herself sometime back. "Save her," is all the spirit says; so WW heads to Boston for answers.

In Boston, she catches up with another of her old supporting cast, Detective Indelicato, who is still smitten with Diana, as he works a case involving new street drug lethe, which can cause permanent amnesia. (I don't know if you'd get a lot of repeat business for that one...) They reopen Meyer's case, and the spirit points to a tree, which leads them to check her family: Myndi had a sister, who had a few drug-related charges. They find her in a local crackhouse, with lethe: Indelicato wonders if Wendy isn't beyond saving, and a tearful Wonder Woman exhorts him to never give up on anyone, as much to herself as to him.

Wendy takes a deal, to lead them to the lathe dealers. She asks Indelicato if maybe he'd like to go out sometime, but is rebuffed, mainly because he doesn't think anyone could measure up to Wonder Woman. Of course, this being a Wonder Woman comic, the dealers are mythological figures, the Cyclopes. (I would've been legitimately surprised if it had been, say, Professor Milo or Kobra.) They're working for the goddess Thalia, Muse of Comedy; who's more than a little pissed her sister Meldomene, muse of tragedy, has so much hold over the world. She figures the best she can offer the mortals is sweet forgetfulness; and Wendy agrees, taking the drug, since she thinks Indelicato is going to waste his life pining for Wonder Woman.

Shamed, Indelicato sees Wendy was right, and wants her back; which makes Thalia wonder if she's doing the right thing. Meanwhile, Myndi's ghost leaves, knowing the detective will watch over her sister, helping her get back as much memory as they can. It's a happy ending...I guess?

We should be back on schedule with these, so we'll probably check out another chapter of Ghosts next week!