We’re only two titles into DC Comics‘s new Absolute Universe, but this is already shaping up to be an all-time debut. Absolute Batman was far above expectations. And once again, Absolute Wonder Woman completely knocks it out of the park, thanks to big action — which was expected — and big emotion — which was not. Plus, artist Hayden Sherman is doing the work of his career here, making this a do-not-miss first issue.
In the first issue, we discover that the Absolute Diana is also into things that are large; though in her case it’s a huge anime-style sword she carries to fight demons attacking unsuspecting bystanders. Why Diana is there, what the demons are, what they want… Unknown. But it’s clear from the get-go that this isn’t some dark and gritty Diana… This is the strong protector we know from the mainline universe, driven and powered by her heart, who was raised in very different circumstances.
Specifically, she was dropped off as a baby by Apollo, in Hell, and raised by Circe… One of Wonder Woman’s worst enemies in the mainline universe. Thompson expertly sets up multiple mysteries here. What happened to the Amazons? Why was Diana spared? How did she get from Hell, to where we find her in the present?
All of that is engaging, and will presumably power at least the first arc of the series, if not more. But the real draw here are the scenes of Circe raising Diana, presented as wide, set-angle panels by Sherman that show the years passing by as Diana grows, and Circe softens to the baby she initially left for dead, but eventually came to think of as a daughter.
It’s trite to call this out, but despite the demons and winged skeleton horses — and the setting in Hell — what Thompson and Sherman most effectively channel here is the first five minutes of Up, without the old folks dying. It completely sells you on the emotional relationship between Circe and Diana to the point that, when it reaches a conclusion the end of the issue, you’ll find yourself in tears.
That’s certainly nothing I expected when going into an issue featuring a massive demon attack on a city, and did I mention that big, honking sword? But it’s also the difference between this Absolute line so far, and, say, what DC did with the Dark Multiverse previously. These are the heroes you know thrust into very dark, very disturbing circumstances. But unlike the Dark Multiverse where it twists and changes them, here we get to see how Batman, Wonder Woman — and presumably Superman — manage to be the heroes we know, even with nearly everything stripped away.
It’s beautiful to behold and pays off on the premise of the Absolute Universe in a big way. That’s what you get in this issue, as well as the intriguing mysteries, and jaw-dropping art from Sherman… You get Wonder Woman’s bold, beating heart infused on every page. And yes, it’s absolutely wonderful.
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 Rating:
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 Official Synopsis:
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!
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