Absolute Wonder Woman #22 – Kelly Thompson, Writer; Dillon Snook, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: It’s often the case that when a guest artist comes on board, the story winds up being an interlude without big plot developments. The Absolute Universe seems to be determined to subvert that, as every single done-in-one or mini-arc between big arcs seems perfectly curated not just to give the main artist a break, but to let the new artist shine. Dillon Snook is not an artist I’m familiar with before this story, but they’re perfectly suited for this arc heavily geared towards Greek mythology. The main villain here is Scylla, the iconic serpent made famous in the Odyssey – but here seen in full as a rageful villain who has kidnapped Diana’s mother Circe at the behest of Hecate. Backed up by the Manticore and Cerebus, they form a deadly team as Diana races against time to take advantage of her time in the underworld – all the while not knowing what’s happened to her best friend on the surface.
That best friend, of course, is Barbara Minerva, who is being held captive by Veronica Cale. The previous Cheetah, Priscilla Rich, is dead, and Barbara has been left alone in a room to starve with her body – all the while, the Cheetah God within taunts Barbara, trying to get her to give in to the temptation. Barbara Minerva has always been a very different type of villain from other Cheetahs, far less of a generic crook and more of a twisted victim of the hunger the God creates. But this version is driven by curiosity in a way few others are. I’m not even sure if this inevitable transformation will make Barbara a villain to Diana down the line. But this issue has a brilliant pacing, and as Diana saves one of her loved ones, she may have lost another. It sets things up perfectly for a huge next arc as Diana is likely to come back looking for Cale with a rage that even Hell couldn’t contain.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
