Absolute Wonder Woman #20 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Hayden Sherman, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: This title continues to combine some of the best visuals in the industry with a story that’s bar-none the most intense Wonder Woman story told in decades. As Veronica Cale (a far bigger threat here than she’s ever been) continues to escalate her war against Diana, Zatanna does her best to mitigate the damage and try to protect her new ally. But Diana has been caught in battle with a massive new threat, a lethal robot tasked with capturing Wonder Woman. There’s a four-page segment where Diana battles against the innards of the robot and finds herself more and more ensnared with every move that’s one of the best action segments I’ve ever seen. And in the end, Diana finds herself under the thrall of Cale, as the mastermind uses the same twisted tactics that she used on Zatanna to try to harness Diana’s powers. But as we all know, Diana’s powers aren’t fully her own.
One of the best parts of this series is the way the Gods weave into every single issue. Diana cut a deal with them long ago to escape the underworld, and she still owes them a debt – a debt that comes due at the worst possible time, dragging her away from the friends who need her. This feels very much like the arc where Batman was locked up in Ark M while Bane had his way with his world and destroyed his friends. It’s not a surprise that this line’s two best books have common themes along the way, and this issue has some really haunting scenes between Veronica Cale and Barbara Minerva as the loyal scientist is slowly broken down and we start to see the pieces come together for how she’ll eventually become the Cheetah. There’s also a gorgeous segment involving Hades and Persephone that’s one of the best, most nuanced takes on the myth I’ve ever seen. Just stunning stuff.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
