The new creative team of writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere launch a new volume of the book, with a brand new issue one. This issue also launches a new title header design.
The story continues from the events depicted in the back-up story that appeared in issue 800
A brawl has broken out at Kanigher’s Cues, a pool hall in West Billings, and it resulted in a series of violent killings. The nineteen victims were men and the perpetrator was a blond woman dressed in an uniform similar to that of Wonder Woman. News outlets are quick to cover the incident. The perpetrator has been identified as an Amazon, which puts both the Amazon embassy and the American government in a difficult situation. The only two survivors from the massacre were women, and this led some to believe that there was an agenda behind those killings.
Sometime later, a government agent is sharing drinks with two criminals. He had lured them into a trap by convincing them that he would sell them state secrets, but he suddenly got a text message about the massacre at West Billings, so that forced the agent to make a change of plans. He removes the glove from his left hand, revealing a prosthetic underneath, and kills the two criminals with a laser from his finger. He leaves his card to the bartender and tells him to show the card to the cops should they start asking questions. The card reads “Sgt. Steel”.
Public opinion has become increasingly divided over the Amazons’ continued presence in America. Some people, like little girls, love Wonder Woman. Others, like grown men, don’t take kindly to the idea of women possibly wanting the entire world to be like their island. They believe that the Amazons are engaging in some kind of genocide and Americans should do something about it.
In time, the Congress passed the Amazon Safety Act, which was signed by the President. Amazons had been banned from the country, with the Amazon Embassy in DC getting shuttered and most of the Amazons living in the country, for whatever reason, agreeing to return home peacefully. Some of them, however, found excuses to stay and were found by the Amazon Extradition Entity, Sgt. Steel’s task force.
The AXE tracked down an Amazon called Nyx living with her wife Cybelle and their daughter. Nyx tried to resist, but AXE shot her to death with special bullets that could pierce through Amazon steel. This, unfortunately, would not be the only time AXE used violence in service of their goal.
At a talk show, the Senator of Montana was interviewed about the AXE’s actions, but he replied the unidentified Amazon’s killings can be considered a terrorist attack on American soil. Also, the Amazon government had failed to respond when asked for an explanation. He even said that Amazon values are not the same as American values and American are entitled to enforce their laws when Amazons, who had been guests up to that point, disobey them. The show’s host then asks the Senator about Wonder Woman’s roll in all of this.
At Themyscira, Queen Nubia asks this same question to one of her messengers, to which the messenger replies that Wonder Woman has returned her sword to the Queen. Although most Amazons had returned to Themyscira, Wonder Woman chose to stay and her decision to relinquish her blade was explained with these words: “In what I now do, I must avoid temptation”.
A month passes and the AXE finally finds Wonder Woman offering her prayers to the victims from that massacre. Sgt. Steel, convinced that Wonder Woman was responsible for the killings, says that her prayers will not absolve her of her crimes. Wonder Woman asserts the innocence of both her sisters and herself in this horrible tragedy and has decided to stay in America, for there are lies in Montana. Steel orders one of his snipers to open fire on Wonder Woman, but the Amazon Princess easily deflects the bullet with her bracelets and engages in combat with the AXE.
Despite their greater numbers, the soldiers stand no chance against Wonder Woman, who easily disarms and incapacitates her opponents with the grace and style of a dancer. Only Steel remains and he is preparing for a fight, but Wonder Woman is simply in the mood for a talk. She has identified the killer as “Emelie” and she will find out why did she kill those men. She quickly wraps her lasso around the last remaining sniper, who is forced to admit that they wanted Wonder Woman to look like the aggressor. His eyes are now open, however, and he can see that Wonder Woman was simply defending herself.
Angry, Steel throws a punch at her, but Wonder Woman grabs his left hand and crushes it. She departs from the scene, but not before admitting that she can’t help but feel that she and Steel will cross paths again.
And so, Wonder Woman became America’s enemy and the government issued an arrest warrant for her. As the hunt for Wonder Woman begins, Diana goes to Washington DC and talks to Steve about Steel. According to Diana, Steel was following orders from someone simply known as “the Sovereign”.
Meanwhile, in a mansion, a servant puts a crown on the head of his master, who is dressed like a king and holding a black lasso, the Lasso of Lies. He is the Sovereign and he rules America with lies.
