ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #18 (DC COMICS)
Gateway City has suddenly turned into a magical place, hasn’t it?
Veronica Cale has unleashed her “Suicide Squad” to attack. A gala event becomes a war zone quickly as they lock Wonder Woman into their trap. Barely escaping the encounter, a new figure has made their present felt. Their magic is strong enough to handle taking Diana’s arm.
Has Diana of the Wild Isle’s luck run out?
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #18 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, & Becca Carey (DC COMICS) pits the Absolute Warrior against a force out of her realm.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s unfolding now.
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #18 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, & Becca Carey (DC COMICS)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
Thompson pits Diana in very uncharted waters. The original stand-off with the fiery villain is brief but displays the damage done. Readers watch as the retreat back to the Hieron carries a dire feel. Diana is losing this round badly. This results in an unlikely assist from a polarizing character. Zatanna’s status remains questionable while she jumps in. Once the pain has shifted away, Diana shows no patience in conveying her feelings.
The conversation dream with Aphrodite is a great stop-break from the drama. Diana’s thoughts of Love as a strength is insightful to the champion that she is. Once events snap back to reality, fans are treated to the grudge match they’ve been waiting for. The writing sets up the event perfectly right to its’ finish. Fallout leads into a more calm moment as the dialogue ramps up. Diana’s attacker reveal is a stunning one. It leads to a very solid closing act. Diana’s moves are staged to focus in on the main event. The final page lights a match for a much larger explosion. Get ready for what’s coming.
READ LAST ISSUE’S REVIEW HERE!
Sherman and Bellaire open with a full shot of Diana under attack. The scene raises the bar of danger as Diana’s face reflects the tone set. Her escape moves quickly as the pain she’s enduring is unavoidable. Once events come back home, readers are locked in for who comes in for the save. The full shot of Zatanna “healing” Diana is a crowd pleaser. It is followed up by a special “Thank You” from Wonder Woman, providing a pivot before the action. Readers watch as Diana’s flashback injects some optimism into the issues at hand. As events snap back to reality, the fight doesn’t take long to get going.
Belliare’s switching of eye color indicates where Diana is going to defeat the magical character. Sherman’s depiction of the brawl is superb in building up suspense. Readers are glued to the pages as each strike is thrown. This leads to an incredible two page spread. This moment morphs into another near full shot of action. A fantastic full page image ends the fight to move events into a more calmer phase. The art indicates the conflicted emotions by both parties. Once at the closing pages, the rematch is set up splendidly as Diana is ready another go. The final full page is exactly what fans need to be on the edge of their seats till next time. Another spectacular performance here.
FINAL GRADE: 9.3
There’s more than magic in the air as a new threat looks to finish Diana off once and for all in this latest chapter. Thompson delivers on a huge face-off building to much more. Sherman and Bellaire construct phenomenal art as the fight mounts to a blazing emotional inferno. AWW continues to live to its’ hype of high class storytelling.
Let me know your thoughts on Absolute Wonder Woman #18 in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
