WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Wonder Woman #55 from Steve Orlando, Raul Allen, Patricia Martin, Borja Pindado and Saida Temofonte, in stores now.
In the DC Universe, one of the main things synonymous with Wonder Woman is her Lasso of Truth. Sure, she has her signature headband, bracelets to deflect bullets, and her sword and shield to save the day, but the lasso is her truly iconic weapon.
Its association with the character runs so deep, you won't find her without the lasso in any incarnation, as seen in various cartoons over the years and, of course, the DC filmverse where Gal Gadot brings to life Diana of Themyscira. The latest issue of Wonder Woman takes a deep dive into the lasso, building it up as something more than just a tool used in the heat of battle. In fact, the power it wields and what it can be used for, is redefined so much, it even gets a brand-new name.
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Issue #55 sees Diana trying to lure Artemis back on her side, after the archer sided with Rustam and her Bana Mighdall tribe in waging war on the nation of Qurac. Wonder Woman wants peace and recognizes Artemis is torn between two worlds, but is still not entirely lost. focusing on this ray of hope, and rather than engage in a brutal fistfight with Artemis, the Amazonian princess uses the lasso and wraps it around her comrade. It's here that we see how the lasso really works in the DC Rebirth era.
Diana is able to have a one-on-one with Artemis because it traps the soul of the person it holds, connecting them on the astral plane to Diana. There, the two souls have a heart-to-heart, and Diana brings her back to the heroic side. This is because Diana's ability to speak to someone's soul, their conscience and the most vulnerable version of themselves, allows the person to see the light. Because they literally bare their soul, Diana gets them speak to the truth in this mystical pocket of reality. Thus, they end up speaking the truth in the real world.
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Using this power, Diana can even pacify her opponents, which she does later on when she ropes in Rustam and calms him down, stopping the war he's trying to start. But, as with Artemis, we see the lasso isn't just magical, it's therapy as Diana speaks to one's heart, mind and soul, getting to know the real person and their best self. In another lore-shifting moment, Wonder Woman proceeds to tell Artemis the name of this astral plane, which is what she also calls the lasso itself: The Golden Perfect.
It's actually a tribute to the 2002 Justice League of America arc, "The Golden Perfect," from Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen. That story focused on Wonder Woman undertaking a supernatural mission to rescue a child, only for her unbreakable lasso to snap. This triggered a chain of events that saw the concept of the truth turned upside down on Earth, endangering civilians and our heroes alike, while making Diana reevaluate everything she thought of the world and this weapon. Of course, that was the pre-Rebirth era; now, The Golden Perfect refers to that moment when we're absolutely honest and pure, a snapshot of humanity's perfection.
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The lasso was initially conceived by Wonder Woman's creator William Moulton Marston to be a lie detector, a tool for justice. Gail Simone, in her 2008 run, was the first to explore the idea of the lasso seeing into someone's soul. Now, this current title goes way deeper and shows it's not just something which invades your privacy. It's Diana having a chat with you, trying to get you to better yourself. Luckily, on this day, both her enemies decided to abide by her wishes, proving to us The Golden Perfect is really more than just a lasso; it's a path to peace on Earth.