Absolute Wonder Woman #11 is written by Kelly Thompson and published by DC. Artwork is by Hayden Sherman, colours by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Becca Carey. Main cover art (left) is by Sherman and Bellaire.
Absolute Wonder Woman 11 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
The balance of power inside the maze is tilting with Diana’s presence, but itmay just tilt into full-blown chaos. Chaos in an underground maze prison…that’s bad, right?
Review
Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s Absolute Wonder Woman reaches the penultimate chapter of its “As My Mothers Made Me” arc today. With Diana still trapped in the maze below Area 41, the series is ticking off a major event from its bucket list. But it’s also teeing up a major confrontation in readiness for next month’s landmark celebration of the book’s first year in stores.
Thompson and Sherman continue to keep things colourful as we return to the maze. Given its cavernous, subterranean setting it’s charming to see how they’ve been able to bring so much colour to the story. With Diana still amongst the hallucinogenic flowers we return to Absolute Wonder Woman during a moment of panic for our hero. She quickly needs to find her footing and understand her true surroundings. A moment which teases a huge emotional beat to the story which makes good on a plot point which reaches right back to issue #1.
But Thompson has also never been one to reveal too much too soon. So with a meeting of the Amazons teased, after the credits page we’re diving back in to the “Before” times. Back on The Wild Isle we’re joining Young Diana as she learns an important lesson from one of the goddesses. This moment has an important place in the narrative, giving us another piece of the puzzle as to who Absolute Diana is. After almost a year of storytelling these flashback sequences are well established. There’s a clear message in these scenes which Thompson uses to emphasise the overall message of the book.
Stepping back in to the present day and it’s time for Diana and Io to meet face-to-face finally. It’s a seismic moment for both characters. Whilst Io has been stuck in the maze for decades, the arrival of Diana offers hope for a a real escape as well as connection to her people. The fact it’s the mythical daughter of Hippolyta who is the one to stage this rescue is enough to bring Io to her knees. But all of this poses a huge challenge for Diana, meeting another Amazon for the first time in her young life.
Thompson handles this moment with incredible responsibility and care. We’ve been building to this for an entire year. Choosing to finally play out the scene in the middle of a dangerous incarceration in the maze with the threat of Clea looming feels right for the book. It gives Diana little time to linger on just how enormous this moment is in her life. What is joyous to read is the simplicity and warmth in their connection. Coming at the half-way point in the issue allows this new relationship to underpin the rest of the story. It offers up just a hint of where Absolute Wonder Woman could go next once Diana escapes the maze…
The setting for this arc seems to have offered up boundless opportunity for Hayden Sherman to get creative. We’ve seen more traditional maze-like structures. But there’s been ample chance other weird and wonderful scenes as Diana has uncovered more of what lurks around every murky corner. This issue is no different. The opening scenes play beautifully to the strength of Jordie Bellaire’s colours, finding intensity in the dark. Whilst later scenes allow for both Sherman and Bellaire to dig in to deeply-rooted emotions in Thompson’s story.
When Diana and Io finally come face-to-face Sherman’s approach to character work takes on an almost Disney-like quality. It’s so animated and charmingly captures everything this meeting means to both characters. Looks closely at how Sherman draws both Diana and Io’s eyes. There’s so much subtext and depth. Honestly, incredible.
There’s a lot of ground to cover this issue. After finding a potential escape route back to the Hieron and Steve, Diana doubles back for a final confrontation with Clea. Thompson rightly leaves issue #11 on a cliffhanger ending that perfectly tees up what should be an action-packed finale. Tonally it feels like the right place to leave the story, even after offering Diana a glimmer of hope for finding her people.
Verdict
Absolute Wonder Woman #11 is a swift, energetic penultimate chapter for the “As My Mothers Made Me” arc. Kelly Thompson is palpably grasping at each of the series dangling plot threads, weaving them together in readiness for the series impending first birthday.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
