Absolute Wonder Woman #19 Review
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Editors: Ash Padilla & Chris Conroy
Cover Artists: Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire; Ben
Oliver; Carmine Di Giandomenico; Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: April 22, 2026
When Zatanna's father attacked her, Diana fled. Barbara
Minerva watched as the Amazon she dedicated her new exhibit to abandoned her.
Then, the people of Gateway City saw Wonder Woman fall into the sea. When
Pegasus carried her to the Hieron, Zatanna blew past Diana’s wards, invading
her sacred home.
Zatanna released Diana from her spell, but she won’t help the
Amazon attack her father. Diana has witnessed how Veronica Cale can force
people to commit unspeakable crimes. Still, she must protect the people in Gateway
City from the burning skeleton, Giganta, and whatever else Cale sends to attack
them. Can the Troika free Giovanni Zatara from Cale's control? And will the
attack in the Natural History Museum shake the public's faith in Diana? Let’s leap
into Absolute Wonder Woman #19 and see!
Story
Giovanni Zatara tormented Diana with fire. As her magic arm
melted away, fire burned in her veins. Zatara’s daughter may have freed Diana
from her control. Still, restoring her body and her magic arm takes a toll on
Diana. As she returns to Gateway City, Diana marches toward Zatara. She doesn’t
know if she can free him from Veronica Cale’s control. Nor does Diana know if
she can survive the encounter. Still, Diana risks her life to protect people
from overwhelming forces.
In Absolute Wonder Woman #19, Diana wields a new lasso.
Imbued with the essence of three gods, she hopes it can reveal the magician’s
deepest secrets. Harnessing her magic to help people is nothing new to Diana.
After experiencing Medusa’s pain, Diana couldn’t rest until she braved the
Gorgon’s glare to free her from her isolation. This time, Diana carries the
Troika instead of Sacrifice, the lasso of Transmogrification. But she is weak
and may lack the concentration to control it.
Diana has always been special. Exiled from her people, Circe
raised her on an island in Hell. Yet her patron goddesses visited Diana
regularly to talk with her, train her, and show her how much they loved her.
After Diana confronted Gaia with the truth about their world, Kelly Thompson
reveals why the gods trained her and fortified the Amazon with aspects of
themselves.
Diana may never know why the goddess she loved abandoned
her. Her longing to see Aphrodite again plagues her flagging spirit. Yet to
protect the people of Gateway City and heal a tormented magician, Diana
confronts Zatara in Absolute Wonder Woman #19.
Art
While Circe works with glowing thread, Aphrodite gazes into
the fire. When the goddess rises from the floor, Circe abandons the yarn and
her chair, pausing to gaze at her adoptive daughter before obeying. As she
dwells in Diana's heart, Aphrodite occupies the center of each page in which
she appears. Yet when readers arrive in the present, a tall, thin panel obscures
an overhead view of Gateway City as Steve and Etta carry the endangered to
safety.
As Diana appears fighting the skeleton, the panel shapes of
the two-page layout evoke the yellow and orange flames Zatara hurls at her. The
same orange fires that warmed Circe’s home in Hell burn in Gateway City. The
overwhelming orange tinges Giganta’s hair and skin as she seeks an adversary.
Despite wielding the Troika instead of Sacrifice, Diana's skin turns green,
evoking Medusa and her sisters, as she and Zatara undergo their trial. Yet as
the colors of his inner torment link past with present, Veronica Cale's pink
jacket evokes Diana's beloved goddess in Absolute Wonder Woman #19.
While Hayden Sherman’s inventive page layouts and Jordie
Bellaire’s contrasting colors make powerful visual statements, Becca Carey uses
white block letters to differentiate time and place. Uppercase black letters
occupy white dialogue balloons. Diana’s thoughts fill white narrative boxes
with WW in the top-left corner. Blue backwards words in white balloons with
blue borders attempt to repel adversaries. As Aphrodite’s white words in red
balloons with pink borders convey concern, Diana’s white letters in black
balloons with purple and pink borders offer assistance. Sound effects change
from yellow to orange and red as the stakes for everyone rise in Gateway City.
Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Life is a journey of continual transformation. But each time
we enter another chapter of our lives, it takes bravery to approach the
crossroads. We need strength and clarity to navigate the intersecting paths,
and the determination to travel a new one. When Diana moved to Gateway City,
each of her new friends chose to brave the crossroads to begin a new journey
with her. But now, as a weakened Diana approaches an angry, tormented magician,
the Amazon wonders if she can guide Giovanni Zatara through his crossroads in
Absolute Wonder Woman #19.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.
For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #18.
For Diana's encounter with Medusa, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman Annual #1.
