Wonder Woman is among the most dangerous people in any fictional genre. She’s skilled beyond belief, is a strategy and combat genius, and has the strength of a god. Even with the abilities and skills to take down Superman and deities, Diana Prince remains a compassionate hero. That’s why some of her enemies become her friends or do their best to become better people. In this case, we have Barbara Minerva, aka Cheetah.
Barbara Minerva wasn’t the first Cheetah. That honor goes to Priscilla Rich, who debuted in Wonder Woman No. 6 in 1943. Meanwhile, Barbara Ann Minerva made her first appearance in 1987 (Wonder Woman Volume 2 No. 7). She might be the most recognized version of the character after becoming a cheetah-like demigod after making a deal with a plant god named Urzkartaga.
From the beginning, Barbara has been a thorn in Diana's side for two reasons. First, Barbara is a criminal who constantly has to be stopped from killing people. Second, Wonder Woman understands that Barbara isn’t an evil person. In most cases, she just needs someone to believe in her. That’s why she made a deal with an evil god and became her wife.
In the first issue of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League, readers see that Barbara's need for raw flesh has become insatiable thanks to Urzkartaga’s pettiness. Rather than go back to her villainous way, Cheetah and Cheshire plan to rob the Justice League Watchtower with a random, but powerful group of villains (Hazard, Klarion Bleak, Featherweight, and Lian Harper) and steal a device that stores all superpowers called the Power Bank.
Cheetah, Cheshire, and Klarion Bleak used the Power Bank theft as a distraction. The real plan was to rob the trophy room. Thanks to their successful mission, Cheetah is free from her godly oppressor after fighting and killing him. But that’s not the best part. After Cheetah gets revenge, and the smoke clears, she’s in her human form and has golden spots on her body. I asked writer Greg Rucka what that means for Barbara Minerva, and he said, “Think demigod werecheetah.”
At the end of the final issue, the last part to read says, “The end (and a new beginning…?).” Sometimes a miniseries will end with this kind of message in hopes that the series continues. In the case of Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League, comic book fans should get more of this team of antagonists and freedom fighters.
The creative team behind this series too characters that some comic book fans didn’t know or care about. Nevertheless, it was fun. And if you’re like me, you ended up wanting more from everyone on Cheetah and Cheshire’s team. They aren’t Joker, Lex Luthor, or Darkseid, but they have to be. They have just as much (if not more) personality than all of them. More importantly, there’s so much potential for DC Comics’ Ocean’s Eleven.