THIS WEEK: Checking out Absolute Wonder Woman #19, Superman #37, Detective Comics #1109, and more!
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 #19
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
I wasn’t expecting this week’s issue to hit me as hard as it did, and yet, Absolute Wonder Woman managed to deliver a story about a father’s regret and grief through the fires of his own hell. Literally.
In general, the Absolute series have been delivering stories that keep selling out or get reprinted, and while some stand out among others, Absolute Wonder Woman, making it to issue #19, is a huge feat and goes to show just how much Thompson and Sherman have delivered with their series.
Issue #19 gave readers one of the gnarliest versions of Giovanni Zatara that I had seen, whether or not you believe the Zatara’s needed more “screen time”, the latest issues have brought a resurgence of Zatanna love with an incredible new design. So I wasn’t surprised when I saw Giovanni come out on literal hellfire as a walking skeleton, stuck between flashes of who he was and what he has become.
As it has been a common trope with this series, while Diana has been getting into these earth-shattering fights, especially most recently with Giganta, I love that Thompson still makes it clear that Diana chooses to fight only as a last resort. She is constantly looking for an alternative, and in this case, even while being shaken up by Giovanni’s very presence, she chooses to still give him a chance to come back to reality, to come back from the crossroads.
Thompson and Sherman just know how to write emotions, to handle grief and love in such a way that doesn’t leave you confused or wondering what it is that these characters are experiencing. While Thompson can write out what is happening, Sherman orchestrates these beautiful expressions that speak a thousand words. It’s great to see from a comic, even better when you get to pick it up on Wednesday and hold it in your own hands.
What really elevates the story is how Zatanna mirrors Diana. Two witches, both shaped by their relationships with parental figures, both navigating their own versions of hell. The difference is choice. Diana surrounds herself with people and keeps choosing connection, while Zatanna feels trapped, convinced there’s no way out. That is, until Diana pushes her to see otherwise.
It’s that reason that saves Giovanni later in this story, it’s the same reason it saves Diana. Leave it to Thompson to write a story that comes full circle, and yet make it also not that simple.
This idea of love that Thompson has created, what it gives, what it takes, and what it demands, becomes the core of the story, especially when you look back at how it all begins. A flashback to Diana’s childhood, to her last encounter with Aphrodite, where readers will learn that Aphrodite has given Diana a gift. You see, Aphrodite is the goddess of love, and because of this, everybody literally has no choice but to love her. She gives Diana a piece of this, just enough to make her transition into life smoother.
As we have learned, every gift comes with a cost, and this cost means that Diana will never know who loves her truly, or because they have no choice. It’s that decision that truly brings this version of Diana to life, why she tries as hard as she does, and who she goes out of her way to help and support. Thompson absolutely made a brilliant choice here; it’s not just that Diana is an inspirational figure, but people are more inclined to listen to her, to want to see her succeed.
A witch’s curse.
But every gift comes with a cost. Diana will never truly know if she is loved for who she is, or because people have no choice. That idea defines this version of Diana. It explains why she tries as hard as she does, why she goes out of her way to help and support others. Thompson makes a strong choice here. It’s not just that Diana is inspiring; people are drawn to her, compelled to believe in her.
Even though Diana knows this, she pushes herself even further. She tries to become everything people see in her. A symbol of love, virtue, and kindness. Not because she fully believes it, but because she has to. Because she’ll never know who would choose her otherwise.
Diana, in that sense, will always be her own prison.
I believe that’s what makes the comics two, two-panel page spreads so powerful, one where Diana has to fight Giovanni, and the final spread where she chooses to fight for him. Sherman and colorist Jordie Bellaire bring those scenes to LIFEm so much so that I cant help but feel a tightness in my chest seeing Diana be this incredible. All of the things this issue touches on, love, guilt, perseverance, acceptance, and preservation, all into two pages separated by 20 boxes and one very large robot.
I can’t wait for next month.
Verdict: Buy
Superman #37 by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora,, lettered by Ariana Maher, and colored by Alejandro Sanchez, was so close to being my headliner for this article. I genuinely had so much fun reading it, and I’m glad they’re bringing an end to the discourse online over Prime’s sudden redemption. You see, Prime actively makes an effort to be better, to try and do more to help out. More so, he wants to know how to redeem himself, and he chooses to go to Damian Wayne to find out how. I’m sure writer Josh Williamson doesn’t realize how happy that made me. It’s nice to see it’s not just some fluke that Prime is here. I also like that he is being held accountable, and I really look forward to seeing what Williamson does to help flush out his story, and, of course, it helps that Mora just knows how to draw these characters. 
Detective Comics #1109 by Tom Taylor, Pete Woods, Bruno Abdias, and Wes Abbot has left me very interested in this current Detective Comics run. To be fair, trying to set up a story with Wildcat’s Wake and then adding Dinah and Oliver to the story hits a bit of a soft spot for me. However, pivoting to writing a story about a character we hadn’t heard about before, Prion, who would turn out to be someone close to Bruce and the others, left me wanting to know the rest of this mystery. To the point that their conversation in the first half of the story made me want to learn more about the kid. Now dealing with the “Hatchbat”, seriously, I love the addition of new bat-named items, and a murderous ghost girl, color me intrigued for the next issue. 
Absolute Flash #14 by Jeff Lemire and huest artist Haining, colored by Adriano Lucas and lettered by Tom Napolitano, sets up what is to come with the future of the series. To be fair, it is a bit hectic; a lot is happening at once in this comic. Albeit with beautiful visuals, Haining really does deliver on their art, especially with the fact that six of the issue pages are two-page spreads and upside down to mirror (heh, get it?) the mirror masters’ distorted world. So you might be a bit lost in the plot, but it does make me wonder what’s to come. A lot has been set up for the series, and fan discourse says they want people to see what they see in this series. To an extent, I have to agree, as far as absolute titles go, Absolute Flash has seen a brilliant reimagining of The Flash, and I love that Wally is now on his own, not to mention him being reconnected with Linda. Time will tell what’s to come, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
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