The Absolute Universe got off to a hot start with DC All In and Absolute Batman. Now it is Absolute Wonder Woman’s turn to keep up the momentum. After how bad the most recent issue of the Wonder Woman ongoing series was it left the door open for Absolute Wonder Woman to takeover the spot of the main comic book series for the franchise. That is something the creative team of Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman can hopefully accomplish. Let’s find out if how things start off with Absolute Wonder Woman #1.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #1 SOLICITATION
“EISNER WINNER KELLY THOMPSON AND BREAKOUT ARTIST HAYDEN SHERMAN REINVENT WONDER WOMAN FROM THE GROUND UP! Without the island paradise… without the sisterhood that shaped her… without a mission of peace… what’s left is the Absolute Amazon!” – DC Comics
REVIEW
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 debuts by kicking down the door to grab your attention and never lets it go from the moment Diana Prince appears on screen. There is such great confidence that this comic book radiates that speaks to the chemistry Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, and Becca Carey have as a creative team. This in turn reinforces how the Absolute Universe is immediately standing out as its own publishing line.
The chemistry of the creative team for Absolute Wonder Woman is the greatest strength of this debut issue. A comic book creative team will always have a chemistry. Though it is noticeable when a chemistry there from the start and one that is built over the course of working together to publish more comics together. Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is most definitely the former as Thompson knows example when it is time for the Sherman and Bellaire’s artwork to take control of the story.
Reading through Absolute Wonder Woman #1 reminded me of Thompson’s Black Widow creative run. There were many moments in that Black Widow run Thompson had her artists in Elena Casagrande, Rafael De Latorre, and Rafael Pimentel tell the story of an entire scene with the artwork. That is the case here with this first issue with Thompson trusting Sherma and Bellaire to make Absolute Wonder Woman’s debut moment badass as possible.
The first time we see Absolute Wonder Woman does so much to establish this version of Diana Prince attitude and visual. Absolute Wonder Woman wielding a buster sword named The Mythical Athena Blade and utilizing magic for her offense does so much to put over her fighting style. This gets across that she isn’t a hand-to-hand fighter as is the preferred fighting style of her mainline DC Universe counterpart.
This mix of styles works to have the middle part of Absolute Wonder Woman #1 focused on showing us the character’s origin story. Thompson, Sherman, and Bellaire do a great job at not wasting time making the reader feel as though Absolute Diana Prince’s origin will be told over time. Everything that the reader needs to know about Diana’s origin is told here. And the one part that is left out when it comes to the Amazons status quo in the Absolute Universe is set up well as a larger mystery for this series to tackle that could be tied to the greater connection to the Darkseid story.
Circe starting off as a apprehensive adoptive mother for Diana after Apollo dropped her off was a strong starting point. Thompson fully understood how Circe is normally portrayed in mythology and in the DC Universe. She didn’t embrace being Diana’s adoptive mother at the start as she was fine with one of creatures on the Isle of Hell to kill the baby Diana. Starting their relationship there created a sense of growth as to how becoming a parent can change a person. It provided natural growth for Circe to be a multi-dimensional character.
Circe growing to embrace being Diana’s mother was helped by the fact that there was a feeling we got to see the decades the two spent together. This is where once again Sherman and Bellaire’s artwork was so important. The multiple double page spreads had excellent framing to give the sense of time passing. This elevated the dialogue Thompson wrote that further drove home the strong mother-daughter connection Circe and Diana built with one another.
Building their relationship so strongly it made the moment Diana embraced her role as the Last Amazon even stronger. This role for Diana makes the mystery of what Zeus, and possibly Darkseid, did to the Amazons in the Absolute Universe have a greater importance. Especially considering that Apollo went to the extremes of banning the word Amazon from being spoken. Diana being the only one to be able to say the word made the final panel where she announced herself as the Last of the Amazons such a powerful statement.
All of this made the demons that Absolute Wonder Woman fought throughout the present day scenes not come across as generic nameless bad guys. Because of all the mythology that is built around this version of Wonder Woman the horde of demons she fights is a good taste for the scale of battles we can expect. With the way she makes her presence known there are sure to bring attention from bigger threats readers are familiar with but in new forms.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is a kick ass start to what is already a must-read comic book. The chemistry Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, and Becca Carey displayed as a creative team was phenomenal. There are so many incredible moments in this debut issue that just consistently remind you that you’re reading something that is special. This is easily the best Wonder Woman has been in a long time. It’s certainly a comic book to make sure to pick up as soon as possible.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
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