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Absolute Wonder Woman (2024) #1-7
Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon
Without the island paradise, without the sisterhood that shaped her, without a mission of peace…she’s still the Absolute Amazon!
Spiraling out of the catastrophic events of Absolute Power, a new side of the DC Universe is born—the Absolute Universe!
In a different, darker world, Diana of Themyscira was not raised in paradise, but instead was exiled to the underworld as a baby and raised by an enemy. Darkness and exile did not destroy her; instead, they made her all the stronger—honed into an even greater weapon by tragedy, danger, and magic. Long denied her Amazonian heritage, Diana has finally reached the time for her to rejoin the surface world. Armed with new weapons forged in Hell, and a mission that looks a bit more like justice than peace, Diana will not be stopped on her quest to save the world and discover her place in it, even if that means carving it herself!
Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson is joined by breakout superstar artist Hayden Sherman to reinvent Wonder Woman from the ground up! Collects Absolute Wonder Woman #1-7.
Spiraling out of the catastrophic events of Absolute Power, a new side of the DC Universe is born—the Absolute Universe!
In a different, darker world, Diana of Themyscira was not raised in paradise, but instead was exiled to the underworld as a baby and raised by an enemy. Darkness and exile did not destroy her; instead, they made her all the stronger—honed into an even greater weapon by tragedy, danger, and magic. Long denied her Amazonian heritage, Diana has finally reached the time for her to rejoin the surface world. Armed with new weapons forged in Hell, and a mission that looks a bit more like justice than peace, Diana will not be stopped on her quest to save the world and discover her place in it, even if that means carving it herself!
Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson is joined by breakout superstar artist Hayden Sherman to reinvent Wonder Woman from the ground up! Collects Absolute Wonder Woman #1-7.
176 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 2025
145 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Thompson
760 books1,014 followersKELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.
Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 437 reviews
October 3, 2025
An Amazon from Hell.
Diana is the last of the Amazons (or so it seems) and was placed with her adoptive mother, Circe, who resides in Hell. The Amazons did something to piss off the gods, and this was their punishment.
This one doesn't seem to be a sweeping hit with all of my friends, so your enjoyment level may depend on how excited you are to read about an Elseworlds Wonder Woman. I'm not personally very interested in the main DC Universe much anymore, so these twisted takes are right up my alley. For now, anyway.
I've described this before as having a horror vibe, and it does but not in a oooh that's scary way, more like in a Diana makes friends with the demons in Hell and rides a skeletal pegasus into battle thinking he's adorable kind of way.
She's more magical hellspawn than Amazon, and her ideas of normal are reflected in that.
But she's still Diana. Her core personality of friendship, sacrifice, and always doing the right, good thing is still the center of who she is and how she reacts to the world around her.
Sometimes when they change a character's origin, it changes who they become. And that's fair. But, in this retelling, she is who she is because...that's who she is.
I loved her relationship with her adoptive mother, Circe, and I really enjoyed the way they introduced Steve Trevor, as well. Steve was a bit more classic Steve but the storyline surrounding their first meeting had some nice twists to keep it fresh.
Overall, I just loved this. And while it might not hit with readers who are just wanting to read a regular Wonder Woman story, I think Kelly Thompson really managed to come up with something unique here that's worth taking a peek at if you're in the mood for something a bit Elseworlds-y.
Highly Recommended.
Diana is the last of the Amazons (or so it seems) and was placed with her adoptive mother, Circe, who resides in Hell. The Amazons did something to piss off the gods, and this was their punishment.
This one doesn't seem to be a sweeping hit with all of my friends, so your enjoyment level may depend on how excited you are to read about an Elseworlds Wonder Woman. I'm not personally very interested in the main DC Universe much anymore, so these twisted takes are right up my alley. For now, anyway.
I've described this before as having a horror vibe, and it does but not in a oooh that's scary way, more like in a Diana makes friends with the demons in Hell and rides a skeletal pegasus into battle thinking he's adorable kind of way.
She's more magical hellspawn than Amazon, and her ideas of normal are reflected in that.
But she's still Diana. Her core personality of friendship, sacrifice, and always doing the right, good thing is still the center of who she is and how she reacts to the world around her.
Sometimes when they change a character's origin, it changes who they become. And that's fair. But, in this retelling, she is who she is because...that's who she is.
I loved her relationship with her adoptive mother, Circe, and I really enjoyed the way they introduced Steve Trevor, as well. Steve was a bit more classic Steve but the storyline surrounding their first meeting had some nice twists to keep it fresh.
Overall, I just loved this. And while it might not hit with readers who are just wanting to read a regular Wonder Woman story, I think Kelly Thompson really managed to come up with something unique here that's worth taking a peek at if you're in the mood for something a bit Elseworlds-y.
Highly Recommended.
May 22, 2025
7.3/10
My first of the "Absolute" titles and if the quality of this one is an indication of what's about to follow, then we are in for a great run.
Diana's origin is different, her looks are different, but her personality remains.
The plot is fine, i more look forward to what's next. The art is good, but the style of the artist is not a perfect fit for this specific story. At least in my eyes.
Fans of Wonder Woman, i believe will like this version of her, at the same time this doesn't require any prior knowledge, so it's good for new readers too.
My first of the "Absolute" titles and if the quality of this one is an indication of what's about to follow, then we are in for a great run.
Diana's origin is different, her looks are different, but her personality remains.
The plot is fine, i more look forward to what's next. The art is good, but the style of the artist is not a perfect fit for this specific story. At least in my eyes.
Fans of Wonder Woman, i believe will like this version of her, at the same time this doesn't require any prior knowledge, so it's good for new readers too.
November 15, 2025
I like this book. I wanted to give it 4.5 stars but there was no way I could round it down to 4 stars. The artwork goes with the story perfectly. I like that Wonder Woman is using more magic, weapons and a big f you to the geek mythology by correcting the injustice in it.
A giant flying island has appeared unleashing demonic creatures but Wonder Woman also appears to challenge them. However can even she stand against the biggest baddies it contains? Cursed to hell, the last of her people and the last hope of humanity.
I have always liked the more warrior version of Wonder Woman than the ambassador, and here she is literally brought up in hell with everything trying to kill her and her mother. The Hurcles reference with the serpent is not lost on me and Diana takes a very similar approach in trying to undo the injustices of cruel hedonistic Greek deities.
If I had one complaint it is that I did not get the usual Kelly Thompson big full-page fight scenes/panels but in fairness, there was no real combination fight to be had in this book. The book finishes with a thumbnail variant cover gallery and character design sketchbook.
A giant flying island has appeared unleashing demonic creatures but Wonder Woman also appears to challenge them. However can even she stand against the biggest baddies it contains? Cursed to hell, the last of her people and the last hope of humanity.
I have always liked the more warrior version of Wonder Woman than the ambassador, and here she is literally brought up in hell with everything trying to kill her and her mother. The Hurcles reference with the serpent is not lost on me and Diana takes a very similar approach in trying to undo the injustices of cruel hedonistic Greek deities.
If I had one complaint it is that I did not get the usual Kelly Thompson big full-page fight scenes/panels but in fairness, there was no real combination fight to be had in this book. The book finishes with a thumbnail variant cover gallery and character design sketchbook.
September 7, 2025
Wow! This is some amazing comic book writing. The absolute universe is a darker universe than the usual DC universe. The Wonder Woman in the absolute universe is not raised on a paradise island by her Amazon sisters, but rather in hell by the witch Circe. This leads to a Wonder Woman that is more magic focused. The real achievement of this book is that it makes clear the power that Wonder Woman's compassion and love for others has. Circe changes from a bitter prisoner of hell into a loving mother, and the corner of hell they live in becomes a home where lost creatures can find refuge. When Wonder Woman leaves hell, her love for humanity and the sacrifices she makes to fight the big bad helps readers to understand why she is a truly admirable hero.
August 19, 2025
In the realm of DC Comics, it has been an exciting time to be a Wonder Woman fan, from Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s current run on the character’s main series to the Black Label comic Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons. While each of those titles have put their own spin of the Amazon princess and her world that can go between ancient Greek fantasy to dealing with current world politics, we now have a new version of the character that is quite the radical departure, but also embodies what is special about her, which is Absolute Wonder Woman by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman.
As part of DC’s Absolute Universe, where already we had Absolute Batman, this reinvents Diana’s origin, as instead of being raised on Themyscira, she is taken to Hell by the god Apollo and entrusted to the witch Circe, who becomes her adoptive mother. Considering that Wonder Woman’s origin has changed over the decades, what immediately sets this apart from previous versions in that initial setting where Diana is stripped away from the paradise and sisterhood of the Amazons.
Being raised on an island in Hell, where she can be put through the ringer, fighting various monsters, there is this touching daughter-mother relationship at the centre between Diana and Circe, the latter of which is known for being one of Wonder Woman’s most significant foes. Imbued with a blend of Amazonian prowess and dark sorcery, as well as wielding a sword that resembles Guts’ Dragon Slayer from Berserk, this Wonder Woman obviously looks bad-ass as if she stepped out of a heavy metal cover.
As the first five issues intercuts between Diana's time in Gateway City and flashbacks to her time in Hell with Circe, we see how she is driven by this heroic compassion, which starts when she first meets Steve Trevor, who washes up on the beaches of the Wild Isle and is rescued by her. Knowing she is destined for greater things and wishing to do good in the surface world, she literally sacrifices her right arm so that Steve can live again. While there are some lingering questions that Thompson lays out for latter issues, such as what really happened to the Amazons and what plans the American government may have towards Diana, Thompson nails that sincere heroism of the titular hero, no matter how hellish her appearance and upbringing was.
From working in indie comics and licenced properties such as Batman: Dark Patterns, artist Hayden Sherman will be gaining more attention due to his amazing contributions in this book. As well as coming up with Wonder Woman’s new design, Sherman also presents amazing redesigns of some of the Greek Gods that appear throughout, to the various creatures such as a skeletal Pegasus that Diana rides. While the initial five issues mostly comprise of Diana trying to defeat a Cthulhu-like monster called the Tetracide from terrorising the city, Sherman makes great use of Diana’s magical spells, whilst experimenting with the panel layouts that resemble the visual storytelling that you would see in ancient Greek pottery patterns.
The final two issues from this volume are a change of pace when Diana is brought to the Underworld by Hades, who is angered at her having gone to the mortal realm. While there is the intercutting between flashbacks that show Diana’s ruse into a warrior to her current situation where Hades has captured Circe and forces Diana to fight a chimera to the death, you have Mattia de Iulis doing the coloured art, which is cinematic and reflects the historical art of many Greek myths.
Concluding with a bunch of short stories from Thompson and artist Dustin Nguyen called “Li’l Diana”, which are very cute, showing a more playful side towards Diana and Circe’s time together learning magic together and dealing with the many creatures of Hell, it cements how multi-faceted Absolute Wonder Woman is. Juggling mythology, monster slaying and a sincere drive to do good for the rest of the world, this reinvention of one of DC’s most iconic superheroes is an instant success that will be interesting to see unfold in subsequent issues.
As part of DC’s Absolute Universe, where already we had Absolute Batman, this reinvents Diana’s origin, as instead of being raised on Themyscira, she is taken to Hell by the god Apollo and entrusted to the witch Circe, who becomes her adoptive mother. Considering that Wonder Woman’s origin has changed over the decades, what immediately sets this apart from previous versions in that initial setting where Diana is stripped away from the paradise and sisterhood of the Amazons.
Being raised on an island in Hell, where she can be put through the ringer, fighting various monsters, there is this touching daughter-mother relationship at the centre between Diana and Circe, the latter of which is known for being one of Wonder Woman’s most significant foes. Imbued with a blend of Amazonian prowess and dark sorcery, as well as wielding a sword that resembles Guts’ Dragon Slayer from Berserk, this Wonder Woman obviously looks bad-ass as if she stepped out of a heavy metal cover.
As the first five issues intercuts between Diana's time in Gateway City and flashbacks to her time in Hell with Circe, we see how she is driven by this heroic compassion, which starts when she first meets Steve Trevor, who washes up on the beaches of the Wild Isle and is rescued by her. Knowing she is destined for greater things and wishing to do good in the surface world, she literally sacrifices her right arm so that Steve can live again. While there are some lingering questions that Thompson lays out for latter issues, such as what really happened to the Amazons and what plans the American government may have towards Diana, Thompson nails that sincere heroism of the titular hero, no matter how hellish her appearance and upbringing was.
From working in indie comics and licenced properties such as Batman: Dark Patterns, artist Hayden Sherman will be gaining more attention due to his amazing contributions in this book. As well as coming up with Wonder Woman’s new design, Sherman also presents amazing redesigns of some of the Greek Gods that appear throughout, to the various creatures such as a skeletal Pegasus that Diana rides. While the initial five issues mostly comprise of Diana trying to defeat a Cthulhu-like monster called the Tetracide from terrorising the city, Sherman makes great use of Diana’s magical spells, whilst experimenting with the panel layouts that resemble the visual storytelling that you would see in ancient Greek pottery patterns.
The final two issues from this volume are a change of pace when Diana is brought to the Underworld by Hades, who is angered at her having gone to the mortal realm. While there is the intercutting between flashbacks that show Diana’s ruse into a warrior to her current situation where Hades has captured Circe and forces Diana to fight a chimera to the death, you have Mattia de Iulis doing the coloured art, which is cinematic and reflects the historical art of many Greek myths.
Concluding with a bunch of short stories from Thompson and artist Dustin Nguyen called “Li’l Diana”, which are very cute, showing a more playful side towards Diana and Circe’s time together learning magic together and dealing with the many creatures of Hell, it cements how multi-faceted Absolute Wonder Woman is. Juggling mythology, monster slaying and a sincere drive to do good for the rest of the world, this reinvention of one of DC’s most iconic superheroes is an instant success that will be interesting to see unfold in subsequent issues.
August 21, 2025
The most original of the first wave of Absolute comics, Absolute Wonder Woman is an immersive and exciting spin on the titular character that breathes fresh life into her whilst maintaining many core elements that contribute to her popularity and longevity. Diana is no longer the princess of Themyscira and is instead raised in the underworld, bringing in the idea of nature vs. nurture; what survives of the OG characterisation, and how does she change as a result? The visual style adds to the ambience and sets it apart from other entries. There's something so captivating about the artwork and redesigns, and coupled with Thompson's writing, it creates a near perfect combination. A pretty unanimous hit, this is absolutely one to experience.
May 29, 2025
Of the 3 titles in the Absolute debut line, this one wins hands down. While radically altering Diana's origins, or at the very least her upbringing, Thompson brings out even more power and goodness in her and keep her spirit very much alive and indomitable.
A perfect introduction to this incarnation of WW, superbly illustrated by Hayden Sherman and Maatia De Iulis - wonderful colours by Jordie Bellaire.
A perfect introduction to this incarnation of WW, superbly illustrated by Hayden Sherman and Maatia De Iulis - wonderful colours by Jordie Bellaire.
August 22, 2025
Raised in Hell, and armed to the teeth with a big ass sword, 3 different magic lassos, magic, and her sharp as nails wit, Kelly Thompson’s Wonder Woman delivers everything I love about comics and I am completely and unabashedly in love with this beautiful book. Diana’s fierceness against injustices, kindness and compassion, makes her the hero we need right now. The art is perfect, the story is engaging and exciting and this may be my favorite ongoing comic right now.
August 31, 2025
Wonder Woman being raised in Hell by Circe? I’m absolutely here for it. These Absolute runs keep flipping the familiar stories on their heads, and instead of feeling gimmicky it comes across as fresh and exciting. The Greek mythology elements aren’t new, but in this context they really click—making Diana’s story feel both ancient and familiar at the same time.
August 27, 2025
Go read this. One of the best takes on WW and her mythos in a long time. Don´t read anything in advace, just go and enjoy.
Vayan y léanlo. Una de las mejores versiones de WW y sus mitos que he leído en mucho tiempo. No lean nada previo, vayan y disfruten.
Vayan y léanlo. Una de las mejores versiones de WW y sus mitos que he leído en mucho tiempo. No lean nada previo, vayan y disfruten.
July 24, 2025
i always love a ‘last of their line’ story, e.g. the last unicorn, the last airbender, the last targaryen. these are all favorites, so i think turning wonder woman into the last amazon was inspired. loneliness is always at the heart of this type of character, a longing for the past, sometimes revenge. personally i think that’s what makes this archetype most compelling. that aspect is undermined here by giving diana a loving mother: she spends her childhood happily in the underworld, learning sorcery, kissing monsters, and befriending goddesses. i’m not quite sure about this decision and would like to see a bit more abt how the loss of her culture has affected her. maybe this has been saved for future issues? i’m hesitantlyyy interested to see where this will go next.
July 21, 2025
The first WonderWoman story I ever read and it sets the bar so soo high. Such a beautiful mix between a pioneer of heroines and mythology. It's my favorite in the Absolute Series so far.
November 2, 2025
3.6 stars
My favourite book of the Absolute line so far. I really quite enjoyed this take on Diana. The art was lovely, too.
My favourite book of the Absolute line so far. I really quite enjoyed this take on Diana. The art was lovely, too.
September 25, 2025
Make room for me on the bandwagon!
The buzz was loud and caught my attention, fortuitously, as I was headed to NYC, so, of course, I had to stop by Mid-Town Comics soon after I got off the train, and, unsurprisingly, they had a fair number of these prominently displayed almost immediately after one stepped into the store, and, yeah, ... I've already read (and enjoyed) ... and now I'm recommending it.
Different, yeah, and plenty dark and disturbing, and ... creative and compelling, and ... OK, it's way out there ... and, since we already know that our (pick your favorite) Greek (or, for that matter, Norse) gods aren't exactly the nicest, kindest, and benevolent of spirits, ... there's more that a dollop of madness and mayhem to go around. In other words, this is very much not your Silver Age Comics Code-era milquetoast superhero fare.
Sure, I feared that, with all the excitement, I was sure to be disappointed ... but I wasn't. Great stuff.
The buzz was loud and caught my attention, fortuitously, as I was headed to NYC, so, of course, I had to stop by Mid-Town Comics soon after I got off the train, and, unsurprisingly, they had a fair number of these prominently displayed almost immediately after one stepped into the store, and, yeah, ... I've already read (and enjoyed) ... and now I'm recommending it.
Different, yeah, and plenty dark and disturbing, and ... creative and compelling, and ... OK, it's way out there ... and, since we already know that our (pick your favorite) Greek (or, for that matter, Norse) gods aren't exactly the nicest, kindest, and benevolent of spirits, ... there's more that a dollop of madness and mayhem to go around. In other words, this is very much not your Silver Age Comics Code-era milquetoast superhero fare.
Sure, I feared that, with all the excitement, I was sure to be disappointed ... but I wasn't. Great stuff.
August 19, 2025
The second released title of the new "Absolute Universe" line from DC Comics, Absolute Wonder Woman takes a dark spin on the tale of the classic character. This universe's Wonder Woman was raised not as Diana of Themyscira, but by the witch Circe who was banished to the Wild Isle, a frontier to Hell itself. The first arc, "The Last Amazon", serves as an introduction to Diana's childhood under Circe's tutelage in the ways of both warrior and witch, and as a result she emerges in the world of men as a very different styled Wonder Woman. Wielding a colossal blade, riding an undead Pegasus and brandishing a fiery new lasso known as Nemesis, Wonder Woman clashes against her first major foe - the Tetracide - a hulking, Lovecraftian entity that will consume all of Gateway City. Familiar characters like Steve Trevor and Barbara Minerva are introduced as well in the first arc spanning the first five issues, each maintaining a degree of familiarity with the regular continuity versions while including a spin that works for this new iteration of Wonder Woman. The action in this series is aplenty, courtesy of the kinetic artwork from Hayden Sherman, but the contemplative and nostalgic moments of Diana's upbringing by Circe are handled just as well.
The following two issues in this volume collected "The Lady or the Tiger", a story that fleshes out more of Wonder Woman's backstory including the crafting of the Nemesis Lasso. Told using a fable of a princess forced into making a choice of life and death, Diana's own humanity and character is elegantly explored. This second arc is illustrated by Mattia De Iulis who employs a more photo-realistic, painterly style in contrast to Sherman's energetic penciling, but it works just as well and adds to the already "Heavy Metal" vibe the series is aiming for. Cute little backup stories featuring "L'il Diana" growing up in the Wild Isle as drawn by Dustin Nguyen are also included here, and add another layer of charm to a fairly badass story thus far.
Needless to say, Absolute Wonder Woman remains one of the standouts of the "Absolute Universe" line, with main creators Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman delivering routinely on an entertaining book. The concept of a Wonder Woman raised in Hell isn't necessarily novel on its own, but the execution of this book has been great so far.
The following two issues in this volume collected "The Lady or the Tiger", a story that fleshes out more of Wonder Woman's backstory including the crafting of the Nemesis Lasso. Told using a fable of a princess forced into making a choice of life and death, Diana's own humanity and character is elegantly explored. This second arc is illustrated by Mattia De Iulis who employs a more photo-realistic, painterly style in contrast to Sherman's energetic penciling, but it works just as well and adds to the already "Heavy Metal" vibe the series is aiming for. Cute little backup stories featuring "L'il Diana" growing up in the Wild Isle as drawn by Dustin Nguyen are also included here, and add another layer of charm to a fairly badass story thus far.
Needless to say, Absolute Wonder Woman remains one of the standouts of the "Absolute Universe" line, with main creators Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman delivering routinely on an entertaining book. The concept of a Wonder Woman raised in Hell isn't necessarily novel on its own, but the execution of this book has been great so far.
August 26, 2025
Outstanding on every level. DC’s Absolute universe is storytelling gold. Get on it! Right now.
October 3, 2025
I have to eat a little crow where this trade is concerned. At this stage in my life, I'm pretty comfortable acknowledging that some people have tremendous love for things I don't get and that there's a lot of wisdom in denying the inclination to yuck somebody else's yum. So it's pretty significant that when I first learned DC Comics was launching its Absolute line of monthly ongoings in 2024, my first reaction was, "Now, why the $@ would they do that?" I was especially put off by what the press release had to say about Absolute Wonder Woman #1 and the cover image accompanying it. "Diana raised in Hell?! Flying a skeleton horse? A full-sleeve's worth of tattoos?! That's too un-Wonder Woman." But I was wrong. Deeply and objectively wrong.
In a typical week, I at least peruse what a comic book website or two have to say about new releases. I didn't keep a record, but I developed this growing sense that the new Wonder Woman was being especially well-received. Just a few weeks after this collection of the first seven issues came out, I read a review of issue #12 that claimed WW was the best title in the Absolute line and a consistently high-quality comic in its own right. So I dropped the cash to see what I'd been missing. I'm glad I did.
I'm not familiar with Kelly Thompson's other work, but I'm impressed with just how much I think she "gets" Diana. Several Elseworld titles I've read, like Red Son and The Dark Side, explore what kind of person Kal-El might have become if his little rocket had landed somewhere far removed from Kansas farmland. My sense is those titles tend to see Superman's strong moral fiber as mostly innate and ultimately irrepressible. I'm still trying to decide if Thompson and her team are offering a similar thesis in this title. And the only thing I haven't quite bought into 100% is that this continuity's Circe is a thoroughly positive influence with no evidence of ulterior motives.
The earliest pages make clear that Diana was indeed born on Themiscyra, even though divine forces end up placing her under the care of Circe on a small island in Hell. So Diana still has the "genes" of an Amazon, and she receives a similar moral upbringing from her adopted mother, but her signature weapons are noticeably different and (the best part!) she's a straight-up witch. And when she engages 21st-century "man's world," she still has a patient, altruistic disposition toward most of the folks she meets. The advertising claim about her lacking the traditional mission for peace isn't false, but I don't feel (as of yet) like that distinction amounts to much of a difference.
This review is already quite long, so I'll wrap up by reiterating how happy my heart is that my gut was so off. This is a 4-star review, but I absolutely see how this series has 5-star potential.
In a typical week, I at least peruse what a comic book website or two have to say about new releases. I didn't keep a record, but I developed this growing sense that the new Wonder Woman was being especially well-received. Just a few weeks after this collection of the first seven issues came out, I read a review of issue #12 that claimed WW was the best title in the Absolute line and a consistently high-quality comic in its own right. So I dropped the cash to see what I'd been missing. I'm glad I did.
I'm not familiar with Kelly Thompson's other work, but I'm impressed with just how much I think she "gets" Diana. Several Elseworld titles I've read, like Red Son and The Dark Side, explore what kind of person Kal-El might have become if his little rocket had landed somewhere far removed from Kansas farmland. My sense is those titles tend to see Superman's strong moral fiber as mostly innate and ultimately irrepressible. I'm still trying to decide if Thompson and her team are offering a similar thesis in this title. And the only thing I haven't quite bought into 100% is that this continuity's Circe is a thoroughly positive influence with no evidence of ulterior motives.
The earliest pages make clear that Diana was indeed born on Themiscyra, even though divine forces end up placing her under the care of Circe on a small island in Hell. So Diana still has the "genes" of an Amazon, and she receives a similar moral upbringing from her adopted mother, but her signature weapons are noticeably different and (the best part!) she's a straight-up witch. And when she engages 21st-century "man's world," she still has a patient, altruistic disposition toward most of the folks she meets. The advertising claim about her lacking the traditional mission for peace isn't false, but I don't feel (as of yet) like that distinction amounts to much of a difference.
This review is already quite long, so I'll wrap up by reiterating how happy my heart is that my gut was so off. This is a 4-star review, but I absolutely see how this series has 5-star potential.
November 13, 2025
This might be the highest-rated comic book I've seen on Goodreads, and I completely agree with every other reviewer. Kelly Thompson's alternate universe take on Wonder Woman is refreshing and new while remaining true to the character's core principles.
The world-building is subtle and scrumptious - I'm salivating for more political wrangling within the realms of the gods. The shifts for our Earthly characters are also intriguing (Etta gets to do more than bumble about!). The action is suitably large-scale for launching a series. Right off the bat, Wonder Woman is tackling a skyscraper-size monster (and doing so in clever ways).
Most of all, the book is just plain fun. The scenes between Circe and young Diana will put a smile on your face, as will all the moments where adult Diana makes a solemn sacrifice, just before saving the day. The art matches up to the storytelling excellence. Hayden Sherman's panel work is engagingly avant garde. Mattia de Iulis is more traditional, but with a gorgeous, painterly quality.
The Last Amazon leaves a lot for the other Absolute series to live up to...
The world-building is subtle and scrumptious - I'm salivating for more political wrangling within the realms of the gods. The shifts for our Earthly characters are also intriguing (Etta gets to do more than bumble about!). The action is suitably large-scale for launching a series. Right off the bat, Wonder Woman is tackling a skyscraper-size monster (and doing so in clever ways).
Most of all, the book is just plain fun. The scenes between Circe and young Diana will put a smile on your face, as will all the moments where adult Diana makes a solemn sacrifice, just before saving the day. The art matches up to the storytelling excellence. Hayden Sherman's panel work is engagingly avant garde. Mattia de Iulis is more traditional, but with a gorgeous, painterly quality.
The Last Amazon leaves a lot for the other Absolute series to live up to...
October 18, 2025
SO FREAKING COOL!
So in my journey in reading all the Absolute books from DC, what I admire about them is how while they do change the origin of the characters, they still keep the core idea and what makes that character awesome. Scott Snyder did that with Batman and Kelly Thompson (great pick to helm this series btw) has done this with Wonder Woman.
This version of Wonder Woman is very different to the main universe one, but still familar in many ways and with a clean slate to tell new fun stories. I don't even really want to talk to much about the story too much to not spoil some of the cool twists they do. The basics: Diana was not rasied on Themescryia and instead in Hel by her mother Circe, whose a familar name to Wonder Woman canon. Instead of her classic lasso of truth, she has 3 lassos, all having different uses, a giant Final Fantasy like buster sword, an undead Peagasus horse instead of her invisible plane and much more.
The art is fantastic too. Very different to other Wonder Woman books, but I think it suits the character very well. And the two stories that are collected here were fun to read. Look forward to the next volume. Recommended to Wonder Woman fans, or if you want to get into the character!
So in my journey in reading all the Absolute books from DC, what I admire about them is how while they do change the origin of the characters, they still keep the core idea and what makes that character awesome. Scott Snyder did that with Batman and Kelly Thompson (great pick to helm this series btw) has done this with Wonder Woman.
This version of Wonder Woman is very different to the main universe one, but still familar in many ways and with a clean slate to tell new fun stories. I don't even really want to talk to much about the story too much to not spoil some of the cool twists they do. The basics: Diana was not rasied on Themescryia and instead in Hel by her mother Circe, whose a familar name to Wonder Woman canon. Instead of her classic lasso of truth, she has 3 lassos, all having different uses, a giant Final Fantasy like buster sword, an undead Peagasus horse instead of her invisible plane and much more.
The art is fantastic too. Very different to other Wonder Woman books, but I think it suits the character very well. And the two stories that are collected here were fun to read. Look forward to the next volume. Recommended to Wonder Woman fans, or if you want to get into the character!
September 11, 2025
This is my first ever Wonder Woman comic, and it went on with absolute flying colors, rainbows, and fireworks. I really enjoyed the mother and daughter relationship with Diana and Circe and as well as the greek goddesses here, especially Persephone (my absolute fave for now). I just love how they girlboss here 🤌🏽.
I'm really invested in this Absolute Universe because this really gave a dark fairytale like vibes and storytelling to me. I'm really excited to see how this goes.
Absolute fave issues would definitely be 5 and 7 🫶.
I'm really invested in this Absolute Universe because this really gave a dark fairytale like vibes and storytelling to me. I'm really excited to see how this goes.
Absolute fave issues would definitely be 5 and 7 🫶.
September 3, 2025
everything I ever dreamed of and more I just wish the de iulius issues had a little less Instagram face Diana going on
May 3, 2025
I liked the look of Diana, but the volume itself was just endless fights and flashbacks.
November 14, 2025
Far and away the best superhero franchise serial I’ve read this year or last.
When I first heard about this, I thought the premise — Princess Diana as a sorceress from Hell — sounded desperate and asinine, some sort of grimdark nonsense. But when I learned it would be written by the diamond-sharp Kelly Thompson, I gave it a shot. Sure am glad I did. Thompson takes the “dark” premise and uses it to reframe and underscore Diana’s basic decency, while casually inventing a whole new mythos. This is one of the best Wonder Woman stories I’ve read, one that wears its feminism, its witchery, and its mythic elements gracefully, never hiding its radical implications.
That the book is drawn by Hayden Sherman and colored by Jordie Bellaire is no small thing. A stranger to Sherman’s work, I didn’t know what to expect, but drawing- and design-wise this is beautiful, distinctive work, so much better than the great majority of contemporary superhero comic art. The only reason I’ve deducted a star from my rating is that there are, alas, fill-in chapters by another artist that slightly vitiate the book’s power (the usual compromise that keeps serials like these in motion). When Sherman’s onboard, it’s great; when Sherman isn’t, the book is still good.
So, DC’s much-hyped “Absolute” imprint does has some heft — this one especially, the best of the lot.
When I first heard about this, I thought the premise — Princess Diana as a sorceress from Hell — sounded desperate and asinine, some sort of grimdark nonsense. But when I learned it would be written by the diamond-sharp Kelly Thompson, I gave it a shot. Sure am glad I did. Thompson takes the “dark” premise and uses it to reframe and underscore Diana’s basic decency, while casually inventing a whole new mythos. This is one of the best Wonder Woman stories I’ve read, one that wears its feminism, its witchery, and its mythic elements gracefully, never hiding its radical implications.
That the book is drawn by Hayden Sherman and colored by Jordie Bellaire is no small thing. A stranger to Sherman’s work, I didn’t know what to expect, but drawing- and design-wise this is beautiful, distinctive work, so much better than the great majority of contemporary superhero comic art. The only reason I’ve deducted a star from my rating is that there are, alas, fill-in chapters by another artist that slightly vitiate the book’s power (the usual compromise that keeps serials like these in motion). When Sherman’s onboard, it’s great; when Sherman isn’t, the book is still good.
So, DC’s much-hyped “Absolute” imprint does has some heft — this one especially, the best of the lot.
September 15, 2025
Really blew me away, both in ways I expected and several ways I didn't.
This is my first Absolute book, and my impression is that they take what is most fundamental to the characters being written and change everything around that, retaining what's important but resulting in radically new and unique takes on these characters. That's actually a double-edged sword in this case, because I've fallen love with this iteration of Wonder Woman and her mythology so much that I don't want to see anything else.
What I expected was a metal-ish warrior take on Wonder Woman, but I got so much more. The mythology was so sick, every idea posed was so insanely cool. There was never a challenge she faced or element of the story that wasn't insanely originally cool. My jaw genuinely dropped several times; at concepts written, thrilling moments, incredible art, and a certain page-wide spread that for some reason was one of the most emotionally evocative things I've seen in a comic.
All these different gods, monsters, magical elements, and grand settings are so cool, but another thing that really caught me off guard was how true the character of Wonder Woman felt. Based on my admittedly limited experience with the character, with this book I've felt possibly the strongest eminence of what her character is supposed to feel like that I have ever felt. A feeling that, while I can't tangibly explain, does feel like the same feeling I vaguely believe I felt while watching the Wonder Woman films. It's an eminence that should feel similar to the feeling of Superman considering the strong morals and traits behind both characters but absolutely feels distinct to this character alone.
My one drawback is that there is a lot of magic in this book, and with a character having access to so much magic you don't know about, it does feel like she could just pull out whatever magic she happens to need for a situation and it will work out. The stakes have been fantastically written so far, but there were one or two times where it did feel like an anime-esque "lemme introduce a move I've never mentioned real quick that is perfect for this situation". Not a terrible complaint considering these are the introduction arcs to the character so I don't expect them to flesh out a magic history while still telling the very active plot that they are, but if we get into book three and she's still literally pulling tricks out of her bag, it might become a bigger issue.
9/10 for me. It sucks that I've been giving so many "five star" ratings to like every comic I read when most of them are actually 4.5s because it feels like I'm losing my inconsequential critical credibility but I don't care I gotta respect ball when I see ball and this comic is absolute ball. Can't wait to see what the other Absolute books have to offer, though I would be surprised if they can surpass this.
This is my first Absolute book, and my impression is that they take what is most fundamental to the characters being written and change everything around that, retaining what's important but resulting in radically new and unique takes on these characters. That's actually a double-edged sword in this case, because I've fallen love with this iteration of Wonder Woman and her mythology so much that I don't want to see anything else.
What I expected was a metal-ish warrior take on Wonder Woman, but I got so much more. The mythology was so sick, every idea posed was so insanely cool. There was never a challenge she faced or element of the story that wasn't insanely originally cool. My jaw genuinely dropped several times; at concepts written, thrilling moments, incredible art, and a certain page-wide spread that for some reason was one of the most emotionally evocative things I've seen in a comic.
All these different gods, monsters, magical elements, and grand settings are so cool, but another thing that really caught me off guard was how true the character of Wonder Woman felt. Based on my admittedly limited experience with the character, with this book I've felt possibly the strongest eminence of what her character is supposed to feel like that I have ever felt. A feeling that, while I can't tangibly explain, does feel like the same feeling I vaguely believe I felt while watching the Wonder Woman films. It's an eminence that should feel similar to the feeling of Superman considering the strong morals and traits behind both characters but absolutely feels distinct to this character alone.
My one drawback is that there is a lot of magic in this book, and with a character having access to so much magic you don't know about, it does feel like she could just pull out whatever magic she happens to need for a situation and it will work out. The stakes have been fantastically written so far, but there were one or two times where it did feel like an anime-esque "lemme introduce a move I've never mentioned real quick that is perfect for this situation". Not a terrible complaint considering these are the introduction arcs to the character so I don't expect them to flesh out a magic history while still telling the very active plot that they are, but if we get into book three and she's still literally pulling tricks out of her bag, it might become a bigger issue.
9/10 for me. It sucks that I've been giving so many "five star" ratings to like every comic I read when most of them are actually 4.5s because it feels like I'm losing my inconsequential critical credibility but I don't care I gotta respect ball when I see ball and this comic is absolute ball. Can't wait to see what the other Absolute books have to offer, though I would be surprised if they can surpass this.
October 15, 2025
The Absolute line of comics has been breathing a very much needed rejuvenation into the comics industry. Wonder Woman is my first read of the six or seven series that are out right now, and I am confident it will remain my favorite.
Diana is in peak form here. She is confident, charismatic, protective, and all around wonderful to read about. A must-read for any comic fan, and a welcome introduction to comics for any potential readers out there.
Diana is in peak form here. She is confident, charismatic, protective, and all around wonderful to read about. A must-read for any comic fan, and a welcome introduction to comics for any potential readers out there.
October 16, 2025
for me not quite the impact ABSOLUTE BATMAN had ..but still an excellent choice for those driven to distraction from the current main WONDER WOMAN series.
November 18, 2025
This is THEE BEST THING!!
September 22, 2025
Really good, loved the art and her characterization! The arm is also pretty awesome
September 6, 2025
Perfection.
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