Absolute Wonder Woman #17 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Hayden Sherman, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: The best part of the Absolute Universe is how wildly unpredictable it is, with just about everyone’s allegiance up in the air. The initial reveal that Zatanna was a prisoner of Veronica Cale and would be part of her Suicide Squad-like team to take down Wonder Woman was a great mind-bender, and Zatanna has proven herself to be one of Diana’s deadliest enemies since – using her magic to essentially bind Diana and turn her into a puppet. But now, as the main battle begins and the Suicide Squad invades the gala with Zatanna leading the charge, Zatanna ensorcells Diana once again – and uses that control to do something truly unexpected, revealing just how Cale has been controlling her. It’s clear that the tension between these two is far from over, as Diana won’t be quick to forgive Zatanna, but it’s created a fascinating dynamic between them – one that will have to be explored after the current chaos.
Giganta is the main threat this issue, and she’s far more evil in this version than she is in most of her appearances. She takes advantage of her sheer size in a way that puts everyone in the area in danger, not just destroying property but actively endangering life. Diana is much more of a magical being in this world, so watching her turn into a literal giant woman to combat Giganta is a lot of fun. But it seems like we’ve just scratched the surface of Cale’s plans, and she has a secret weapon up her sleeve that elevates the threat level once again and takes the book in much more of a horror direction. As usual, Hayden Sherman draws magical action like almost no one else in the world can, and the action scenes in this series are unparalleled, but it wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is if Diana wasn’t such a compelling character. This continues to be one of DC’s true all-star books at the moment, every single month.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
