Absolute Wonder Woman #5 // Review
There were missiles fired at a giant monster. It was a perfectly understandable response to the situation from the U.S. military. Given the fact that it was as close to a major city as it was, it WAS kind of reckless. A woman approaches one of the fighter jets. She says, “So. I need to to not do that again, all right?” The woman in question has a lot of challenges ahead of her in Absolute Wonder Woman #5. Writer Kelly Thompson continues to develop the most compelling alternate Wonder Woman story in history with artist Hayden Sherman and colorist Jordie Bellaire.
Wonder Woman just nearly sliced the giant monster in half, but it wasn’t enough. The missiles that had been fired at the things weren’t enough either. It’s regenerating t a vey, very fast rate. It’s only a mater of time before it lashes out again with much more anger than it had initially used to strike Gateway City. There’s only a brief moment in which to act. If she’s going to be able to defeat a monster, she might just have to become one. She may defeat the creature, but every victory must be paid for as Diana’s journey continues.
Thompson’s writing is deeply captivating. Modern heroic magic stories often overlook the fact that there’s a price for everything. One can do great things with magic, but there’s always a deal that’s struck whenever magic is used. Thompson’s “Wonder Woman as witch,” concept is a lot of fun, but it wouldn’t be much more than a ripoff of Dr. Strange or Dr. Fate if it weren’t for the fact that Thompson s actively working to ground the magical action in a state of clever connection with traditional beliefs of magic that tie into nearly every pre-modern folktale.
It’s all well and good to present an epic-level story of humble heroes defeating great odds against ridiculously large creatures. It’s another thing entirely to bring it all to the page in a way that’s going to be even remotely original. Sherman frames the action in a way that works breathtakingly well. There are some jaw-dropping visuals as the tiny, little Wonder Woman is contrasted like a little insect against a Lovecraftian monster the size of a small island. Bellaire brilliantly amplifies the mood with deliciously atmospheric colors that feel positively radiant in places while managing quite a bit of energy around the edges of everything.
The first major plot arc of the series draws to a close with a cliffhanger ending that finds Diana being pulled straight into hell. So...y’know...no rest for the hero. It’s cool that there’s no breather between one climax and the introduction of the next big conflict, but it would be nice to allow Wonder Woman a bit of time to get acclimated to a world that she hasn’t quite found herself able to adjust to quite yet. Every previous incarnation of Wonder Woman has allowed for that on some level. The constant peril is another clever stylistic Thompson addition to Diana’s narrative rendering.
