Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Review

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Review

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Hayden Sherman

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Letterer: Becca Carey

Editors: Ash Padilla & Chris Conroy

Cover Artists: Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire; Mark Brooks; Babs Tarr; Bryan Hitch & Brad Anderson; Alexander Lozano

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $5.99 US | Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: October 28, 2026

 

Growing up on the Wild Isle, Artemis taught Diana to keep a level head and never let an opponent shake her. But when the Gods of Fear arrived in Gateway City, Diana's concern for Barbara Ann Minerva got the better of her. Diana knows that people like Veronica Cale will use whatever she does as an excuse to attack her. But Phobos and Deimos know how to hurt Diana more effectively than the government's greatest military leaders.

 

Can the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite turn Barbara against Diana? And has the god Urzkartaga kept his word that Barbara would control their partnership? Let’s leap into Absolute Wonder Woman #25 and see!

 

Story

As Diana works in the Hieron, Steve Trevor worries. When she emerges from her incantations, Diana brings her fear antidote. She doesn't know what she will find when she visits the Natural History Museum. But after tangling with Phobos and Deimos, Diana must not let her emotions triumph over her reason.

 

While Diana prepares to confront the friend she abandoned, Etta Candy returns to Gotham in Absolute Wonder Woman #25. When Gia greets her at the airstrip, her sister brings along some new friends. After suffering through the Suicide Squad’s attack, Gia is glad her sister didn’t have to endure their latest ordeal. As they ride back, Etta learns that the city is suffering because Diana acceded to Steven’s wishes.

 

While checking in with the Candy sisters and Veronica Cale, Kelly Thompson’s story intertwines Diana’s ordeal at the Natural History Museum with Steve's in the Hieron. Yet it also shows how Diana dealt with the trauma of being forced to abandon Barbara.

 

During her stay in the Underworld, Diana took measures to ascertain how Barbara was coping with her incarceration in Area 41X. Now, the Princess of Hell deploys them on Barbara’s behalf to save her friend from the choices she has made. Still, every victory comes at a price. In the Underworld, Circe has suffered for her daughter's triumphs. And on Earth, Barbara Ann Minerva isn't the only person who may pay a price for loving Diana in Absolute Wonder Woman #25.

 

Art

As Diana kneels on a rock, fire rises from a Greek pot to lick at her fingers. The glowing vessel rests in the river that sustains Petra's life. When she returns carrying the black-figure pot, Steve, Ferdinand, and the siren frame Diana as she enters through an oval doorway. As she pours out her potion, the bulb-shaped vials evoke the hologrammatic display. Yet when Diana drinks her potion, a close-up evokes feline eyes.

 

Outside Gateway City, stars shine in an obsidian sky. Yet the green light inside Gia’s car links with the green in the Heiron. Two characters make battle plans amid gray. After descending through the blue sky over Gateway City, Diana walks amid the blue ruins of the collection Barbara curated.

 

As Diana carries a pink lasso, the same smoky pink that fills the air over the Hieron and the Underworld also colors Cheetah's hide. Hayden Sherman uses double-page layouts to portray Barbara's confrontations with the gods and Diana, and Etta's reunion with her sister. Yet yellowish green shines on the splash pages as Jordie Bellaire heralds the gods’ increasing interactions with Diana’s friends in Absolute Wonder Woman #25.

 

Becca Carey uses white block letters to differentiate time and place. Uppercase black letters fill white dialogue balloons. Diana’s thoughts inhabit white narrative boxes with WW in the top-left corner. While gods speak white letters in colored shapes, white letters in black fields link a god with their creations. As Barbara speaks small black letters into edgy white balloons with orange borders, letters shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation. Yet letters swell in spiky balloons, and tails become lightning bolts when "Cheetah" doesn't like what she hears. After the gods clash, tapping and distant explosions threaten a former Air Force Colonel's resolve to sit on the sidelines. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

After Apollo brought Diana to the Wild Isle, Circe guided the child to adulthood. In addition to Circe’s lessons in magic, the gods also taught Diana how to employ the power wisely. Her friend, Barbara Ann Minerva, has studied Diana’s history, mythology, and culture. After the archeologist's Win-Win bargain with Urzkartaga, Diana discovers how divine power has transformed Barbara in Absolute Wonder Woman #25.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Preview. 

 

For Diana's confrontation with Phobos and Deimos, see Absolute Wonder Woman #24 Preview. 

For how Ares gets along with his father, see Absolute Wonder Woman #23 Preview. 

For Diana's search for her mother, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #22. 

For Barbara Minerva's conversation with a god, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #21.

For how Veronica Gale captured Diana, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For how Aphrodite both blessed and cursed Diana, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Preview

 

When she grew up on the Wild Isle, Artemis taught Diana to keep a level head and never let an opponent shake her. But when the Gods of Fear arrived in Gateway City, Diana’s concern for Barbara Ann Minerva got the better of her. Diana knows that people like Veronica Cale will use whatever she does as an excuse to attack her. But Phobos and Deimos know how to hurt Diana more effectively than the government’s greatest military leaders.

 

Can the twin sons of Ares and Aphrodite turn Barbara Minerva against Diana? And has the god Urzkartaga kept his word that Barbara will remain in control of their partnership?

 

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

 

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Preview

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist & Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: Terry Dodson & Mark Brooks

Glow-In-The-Dark Variant Cover Artist: Babs Tarr

Connecting Variant Cover Artist: Bryan Hitch

Showcase Variant Cover Artist: Alexander Lozano ($24.99 US)

Also Available: Blank Sketch Cover

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Price: $5.99 US | Variant $6.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: October 28, 2026 

 

 

"Heretic" Takes A Shocking Turn

As The Absolute Cheetah Arrives!

 

 

The world-shaking "Heretic" arc kicks into a new gear as Diana’s search for Barbara Minerva comes to a bloody end in a milestone oversized issue! Do not miss the debut of the devastating Absolute Cheetah—she’s not quite what anyone expected…which is the only way Barbara Minerva would have it!

 

 

 

 

 

 Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For Diana's confrontation with Phobos and Deimos, see Absolute Wonder Woman #24 Preview. 

For how Ares gets along with his father, see Absolute Wonder Woman #23 Preview. 

For Diana's search for her mother, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #22. 

For Barbara Minerva's conversation with a god, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #21.

For how Veronica Gale captured Diana, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For how Aphrodite both blessed and cursed Diana, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #24 Preview

 

When Veronica Gale sent her Suicide Squad to kill Diana, Giganta plowed through Gateway City like a wrecking ball before abducting Dr Barbara Minerva. Diana didn’t mind getting imprisoned in Area 41X if it gave her a chance to rescue her friend. But then Hades called time and forced Diana to return to the Underworld for a month.

 

Now, Diana’s back in Gateway City. She’s used her new Wrecking Ball Mode to plow through Veronica Gale’s defenses. Diana has even learned Veronica’s most painful secret. But she still needs to find her friend. After traveling to Gotham to confer with Barbara Gordon, can Etta Candy help Diana find the historian? And what price will Diana pay for channeling so much rage?

 

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #24 Preview

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist & Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Chris Burnham & Carmine Di Giandomenico

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: September 23, 2026

 

 

“Heretic” Kicks into High Gear!

 

 

Diana has lost so much in the last month that she’s not about to give up on the search for her friend, but with Gateway City descending into chaos as the gods put their fingers on the scale, she may have no other choice. Diana’s return to the surface came with new weapons from hell, forged by Diana, Circe, and Hephaestus... will they be enough to beat back even gods?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For how Ares gets along with his father, see Absolute Wonder Woman #23 Preview. 

For Diana's search for her mother, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #22. 

For Barbara Minerva's conversation with a god, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #21.

For how Veronica Gale captured Diana, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For how Aphrodite both blessed and cursed Diana, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #23 Preview

 

Diana has faced many uphill battles lately. Veronica Cale was willing to destroy Gateway City to kill Diana. Or better yet, find a way to weaponize her. Then, Hades forced Diana to return to the Underworld before she could rescue Barbara Ann Minerva from Veronica Cale's inhuman experiments. 

But then, uphill battles are nothing new to Diana. She's climbed mountains to beg a boon from Prometheus, free Medusa from a curse, and rescue her mother from Scylla's imprisonment. How will Circe prepare Diana for the battles awaiting her when Diana returns to the surface world? And how will Barbara Ann Minerva's pact with the god Urzkartaga change her relationship with the Princess of Hell?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #23 Preview

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist & Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Steve Skroce & Yasmine Putri

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 26, 2026

 

 

Absolute Ares Is Here--

And The Epic "Heretic" Arc Begins!

 

 

Back from the underworld, Diana returns to Area 41 with more than justice on her mind. What she finds is not what she expected, but neither is life in Gateway, as a new threat is rising. Unfortunately, Diana recognizes this particular threat…the gods themselves have come to Gateway City!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #22. 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #21.

For what happened even before that, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For what happened even more before that, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

 

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #22 Preview

 

Her mother may have been trapped on the Wild Isle, but Diana didn't want to spend her life in the Underworld. But as she protects Gateway City from Veronica Cale's manufactured threats, Hades calls time. Diana must spend a month in the Underworld before returning to the world. It's part of the deal she struck to live a life on the surface. Yet it comes at a bad time, when her detractors are calling on the authorities to censure the Princess of Hell. 

What changes will Diana discover when she returns to the Wild Isle? And how will her friends fare in her absence?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Absolute Wonder Woman #22 Preview

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Dillon Snook

Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Rahzzah & Giuseppe Camuncoli

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card stock)

Release Date: July 22, 2026

 

 

A Divine Threat Hits Home for Diana!

 

 

Diana and Circe work together against an impossible mythological force, trying to steal a win from the jaws of defeat. Elsewhere, a growing threat to Diana makes an evolutionary leap forward…

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #21.

For what happened before that, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For what happened even before that, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #21

 

After Zatanna Zatara weakened Diana, Giovanni Zatara attacked her. With Veronica Cale's attack squad wreaking havoc in Gateway City, Barbara Minerva watched the woman she idolized flee. After regaining a measure of strength at the Hieron, Diana returned to the fighting. Still, the Amazon she admired couldn't prevent Giganta from capturing her. 

Even if she fled the fighting once, Barbara believed that Diana would rescue her from Cale's clutches. But as she lay on a torture table, Veronica Cale tells Barbara that Diana escaped from Area 41 without rescuing her. Again. How will the woman who celebrated Diana's return to her world with a museum exhibit react to Cale's announcement? And bound in the Underworld by her deal with Hades, what can Diana do to aid Barbara?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #21

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Dillon Snook

Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama, Terry Dodson & Giuseppe Camuncoli

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

A harsh reality comes to light!

 

 

Diana’s worst nightmares come to light. The Hieron finds a new host. Barbara faces a harsh reality. Cale loses control.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

For how this story arc began, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #16. 

 

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #20 Preview

 

While Steve Trevor and Gia Candy prayed to Hecate for protection from Veronica Cale's Suicide Squad, Diana risked her life to rescue Giovanni Zatara from the spell that bound him. But in her weakened state, Diana needed Zatanna Zatara to rescue her from her comatose state. Now, as Veronica Cale sends her mobile prison to capture Giovanni and his daughter, Diana urges them to flee. Can Diana defend the father and daughter from the Iron Maiden? And can she rescue her friend, Dr Barbara Minerva, from Veronica Cale's clutches?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Absolute Wonder Woman #20 Preview

Written by Kelly Thompson

Artist & Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: Terry Dodson, Karl Kerschl & Clayton Crain

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: May 27, 2026

 

 

“Season of the Witch” reaches its bloody finale!

 

Against the wall, Diana and Zatanna must join forces or perish. When Diana makes the ultimate sacrifice to end the conflict and face her true foe head on, things become more complicated than she feared. Wonder Woman is not an island unto herself, and other forces have vested interests in her mission. Don’t miss the finale of the epic “Season of the Witch”!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

For how this story arc began, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #16. 

Absolute Wonder Woman #19 Review

 

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.