Absolute Wonder Woman is another reimagining of a classic DC hero. I’ve reviewed both issues of Absolute Batman and Absolute Superman and have enjoyed them for the most part. They left me looking forward to Absolute Wonder Woman.
SPOILERS for Absolute Wonder Woman #1 below.
Naturally, what stands out right away is the art style of this comic. It's quite different from the other Absolute Universe books. The art style feels familiar, but I can't put my finger on exactly how or what it is similar to. I looked up the artist, Hayden Sherman, and I think the art style is reminding me of Old Man Logan. When I looked into it further, I found that Sherman actually isn't the artist for Old Man Logan, but the style is somewhat similar. It's not my favorite art style for comics, but it still works well with the story.
Right away, we can tell that this Diana is not the one we know. She rides atop a skeleton of a horse that almost resembles a Thestral from the Harry Potter series, but it has no skin. Its name is Pegasus, a perfect juxtaposition to its appearance. Diana's armor is also very different. The red, white, blue, and gold color scheme is replaced with black, red, and grey with animal fur, and Diana wears a helmet nearly identical to that of Ares. Her sword has also been changed to look like something out of Dragon Hunter or Final Fantasy. The thing is huge. The blad alone is bigger than Diana's entire person, but she seems to carry it with ease.
At the end of the opening fight between Diana and some sort of pterodactyl like monsters that come out of a floating, upside down pyramid in the sky, we learn that Diana was raised in Hell. That made me raise my eyebrows with surprise and intrigue. I was excited to turn the page.
My excitement was quickly doused when we learn that it isn’t actually Hell. It’s an island called Hell that isn’t actually Hell but serves as a prison for Circe. It’s still an interesting concept, but much less interesting than Diana being raised in actual Hell. We then meet Apollo whose design I found to be strange. He looks nearly identical to the Statue of Liberty if Lady Liberty was wearing a jumpsuit. It was odd, but Apollo isn’t around for long. Apollo delivers a baby Diana to Circe and informs her that she is the last of the Amazons who have apparently been punished for crimes against the gods. It’s unclear if they’ve been completely wiped out as Apollo calls her the last of the Amazons but says she was taken to punish the Amazons. If she is the last of them, why are the gods punishing a people that no longer exist? To add insult to injury, Apollo then declares that the word Amazon is banned and cannot be said. Circe then tries to say the word and can’t.
We see Circe not care about the baby at first, but she eventually decides to raise her. As time goes on, Diana shows that she has a natural care for animals and creatures. This would be a good plot element if she wasn’t shown slaughtering loads of creatures in the first few pages of the book. Later, when Diana is older, she learns who she truly is and is somehow able to say Amazon, the word Apollo just banned. It seemed like Apollo banned everyone from saying it, but maybe it was just Circe, or Diana is somehow immune to this.
This issue, and maybe the series as a whole, doesn't seem to have an overarching villain. The big pyramid thing I mentioned eventually spits out a kaiju sized bird, fish, humanoid hybrid that Diana must fight. Through flashbacks, we see that Diana has accepted the role of protector of mankind, which is why she is fighting the big monster. On the final page, we see this Diana’s version of the Lasso of Truth which is red instead of yellow.
Overall, this comic is an interesting take, but is not well written. Kelly Thompson writes an unclear story with a few conflicting elements. Does Diana create connections with creatures or kill them instantly if they pose a threat? Is the word Amazon banned for everyone or just Circe, or is Diana special in some way? The prospect of Diana being raised in actual Hell was so enticing, that the reveal of Hell actually just being an island prison for Circe was a big let down. The standouts from this issue are Diana’s redesign, her skeleton horse, Pegasus, and the story behind the Amazon’s crimes against the gods.
Overall, I give this comic a mediocre 5/10, but I’m still interested in seeing where Absolute Wonder Woman goes and will read issue two.