THIS WEEK: Reviews of Absolute Wonder Woman #24, Absolute Batman #24, and Absolute Flash #19!
Note: the review below contains spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation on the comics in question, check out the bottom of the article for our final verdict.
Absolute Wonder Woman #24
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Diana’s rage is only tempered by her compassion, a swirling abyss of many different emotions sewn together by immovable will. All of this to say that such a powerful force could only be able to be understood through the masterclass storytelling of Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman.
During Comic-Con, DC’s Absolute Panel hyped the upcoming issues of the Absolute Universe leading up to their #25s, and Absolute Wonder Woman #24 absolutely delivers on the promises. Genuinely, it is almost unbelievable the amount of work and detail that is put into this issue. Thompson delivers her best Absolute Wonder Woman issue yet, without question, and it is possible through the artwork, designs, paneling, and coloring put on display. Seriously, Jordie Bellaire and Becca Carey are put to the test this issue, and much like Diana, they did not falter.
Almost every other page is either a full-on display of Sherman and crew’s capability to encapsulate so much detail, from climatic battles to emotional climaxes, from the moment this issue begins.
In earlier issues, with Dr. Minerva’s disappearance, not to mention Diana’s mother’s disappearance, Diana has been in emotional turmoil, and so much is happening to her all at once. There’s almost no moment in this issue where that isn’t on display. Regardless of whether Diana says it (albeit, she has some choice words to share on that topic), readers are taken on a one-way trip through her psyche, memories, and emotions. You can feel her frustration emanating off the page, and yet, so much of her compassion comes through. That’s one of the comic’s greatest strengths: its ability to not only provide a beautiful story, but also make its characters feel just as. Even when two of them happen to be the twin gods of fear: Phobos (panic and flight) and Deimos (terror and dread).
Although the two gods don’t show up with Wonder Woman sneakers and merchandise (patent still pending), they provide a more strenuous emotional burden to Diana; after all, she’s their mother’s (Aphrodite) favorite, and even they cant help but love her just as well.
Yet more is demanded of her, as always, and in her attempt to fight back against their magic, she falls to the one thing that motivates her: the fear of losing Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva.
In short, Thompson and Sherman just have an intoxicating way of simultaneously making their fans’ hearts beat with excitement and fall still with dread.
Absolute Wonder Woman #24 is the kind of issue that really draws you in, pushing you to keep turning pages, even when you know something terrible is waiting around the corner. Thompson understands that Diana’s greatest strength is not simply her power, but the compassion that survives alongside it. Sherman, Bellaire, and Carey take that idea and turn it into something readers can actually see and feel, whether it is in Diana’s fury, her grief, or the quiet moments where her fear becomes impossible to hide. There is a constant push and pull between what Diana is capable of doing and what she is willing to do, and that tension gives this issue its weight.
Once again, folks were not kidding when they said the lead-up to Absolute Batman #25 would be monumental. It’s hard to articulate just how incredible it is to see Scarecrow break the Bat, only for — SPOILER WARNING — his revival to come at the hands of his own mother. There is something so special about that, especially because her role was always going to have to be important in the grand scheme of this series. Having her not only be alive, but play such an important role, adds an entirely different weight to Bruce’s story. More importantly, readers get to see just what Batman means to Gotham and to the people who have been inspired by him in the context of this book. Batman enacts change not just in Barbara and Alfred here, but in his own mother and the citizens of Gotham. We finally get to see how much of an effect he has actually had on the people around him, what his experiences mean to him, and why the symbol of Batman matters so much beyond Bruce himself. That makes one of the most impactful moments in the issue: Bruce’s rising as Batman, bringing to mind Frank Miller’s iconic “Yes father, I shall become a Bat” moment. It feels well earned because readers understand exactly what it means to Bruce and Batman as a whole. Not to mention a badass Batgirl reveal. Do not skip this issue.
Absolute Flash #19 is brutal. Seriously, Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles put Wally West through a truly harrowing experience. He’s bloody, beaten, and barely holding on, all to set up the introduction of a new character in the run. What makes this introduction interesting is how much it could change the direction of the series. Up to this point, the story has largely been about Wally discovering what it means to be the Flash in this new world, but the addition of another speedster opens the door for the series to explore what that means when Wally is no longer the only one carrying that responsibility. It also gives Lemire another character through whom he can challenge Wally, both physically and emotionally, while expanding the possibilities of what the Absolute Flash mythology can become. That said, it isn’t exactly clear where the story is going from here. Absolute Flash has been fun, without question, and Robles continues to deliver alongside the other artists who have contributed to the series, while Lemire has built an interesting story around this new version of Wally. But with these newest additions, especially an entirely new speedster, the series feels like it is entering a new phase. Whether that ultimately changes the dynamic of Wally’s story remains to be seen, but it certainly gives Absolute Flash somewhere new to run.
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