Absolute Wonder Woman (2024-) #5

Absolute Wonder Woman (2024) #5

by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman (artist)

It’s only been a few hours since Diana took up the mission of the missing Amazons and swore to protect Gateway City from an unspeakable cosmic horror…and her first battle may already be ending in defeat, unless her own homegrown tribe of Amazons steps into the breach beside her!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Wonder Woman, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Superheroes

Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2025

About the author

KELLY THOMPSON has a degree in Sequential Art from The Savannah College of Art & Design. Her love of comics and superheroes have compelled her since she first discovered them as a teenager. Currently living in Portland, Oregon with her boyfriend and the two brilliant cats that run their lives, you can find Kelly all over the Internet where she is generally well liked, except where she's detested.

Kelly has published two novels - THE GIRL WHO WOULD BE KING (2012) and STORYKILLER (2014) and the graphic novel HEART IN A BOX from Dark Horse Comics (2015). She's currently writing ROGUE & GAMBIT, HAWKEYE, and PHASMA for Marvel Comics and GHOSTBUSTERS for IDW. Other major credits include: A-Force, Captain Marvel & The Carol Corps, Jem and The Holograms, Misfits, Power Rangers Pink, and the creator-owned mini-series Mega Princess.

Kelly's ambitions are eclipsed only by her desire to exist entirely in pajamas. Fortunately pajamas and writers go hand in hand (most of the time). Please buy all her stuff so that she can buy (and wear) more pajamas.

Reviews

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! Absolute Wonder Woman is everything!!! Everything you could want from a Wonder Woman story. Could not possibly ask for anything better. Diana is strong, she is resourceful, and she is wise. Another instant classic to me from Kelly Thompson.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Wonder Woman we've had in YEARS.

She's great here, the two scenes that sold me were the plane scene and also the amazing scene with transforming and based on her mother's flashback. I really loved all of it. A 5 out of 5.

[Machiavelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great end to the arc… loved the hellish color palette

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book continues to be amazing

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

5
This and Ultimate Spider-Man are the best current ongoing titles.

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading “Women and Other Monsters”, Wonder Woman’s transformation or transmogrification into Medusa is made all the more intriguing. Why does Wonder Woman choose to become this monster? We know her conscious reasoning, but what about her subconscious? Does she feel close to monstrousness because of her abilities or because of the place she comes from? Or is it less about perceived monstrousness and more about taking one’s limitations and making a weapon out of them?

I might be looking too deeply into a DC comic, but there’s a lot to be said about Medusa and her connection to powerful women.

[Izzy Batres-Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When my feelings about the injustice of Medusa’s plight burn bright, I try to remember that all of us, even the Gods, are vulnerable to our hearts becoming twisted with hate. Hate and fear drive us only to the worst versions of ourselves. We need to be better than that. All of us.”

[Frodo · Rating 5 out of 5]

creo que é a miña serie favorita do universo absolute agora mesmo, moi bonita visualmente

[cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

super cool chapter (rip scuttle actually). unfortunately they pulled the whole love prevails thing (kinda) to turn her back but it’s whateve ig

[Celina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank God that dude was around coz that would have been another statue disaster.. I love it.

[Murphy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

12/6/25

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

That concludes the first Absolute Wonder Woman story!! This is the coolest alternate version of Wonder Woman there’s ever been this story was fantastic.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! What an amazing issue to round out the 5 part storyline, legitimately had me tearing up near the end, it’s just so powerful!! As we left the last issue where Diana took her sword and made it big enough to cut the monster in half…we now find out that it isn’t even dead!! And even now it’s rebuilding itself! Seems the local Air Force understood that and attempted to try and blast it with missiles, that only ended up getting deflected by the monster right back to the city! Forcing Diana to break her chain of thought and go after them. She even almost missed one, if Pegasus wasn’t there to destroy it. This lead to quite a funny interaction where she flew up to the jets and asked them not to do that again. But she still has a tetracide to worry about…and now it’s time for a desperate idea.

As we see Diana pull out what looks to be a green lasso, we flashback to her time on the wild isle when she first received it from Circe. It’s a last resort weapon, that has transmogrification abilities, and it is named sacrifice. She has tried to use it before when facing a Harpy, we do not see the outcome but Diana is horrified and found it cruel. After having an argument with Circe about the use of it afterwards, Diana was left worried whether she cannot see the cruelty or doesn’t care. It is then that Diana is met with the image of Hectate, for a somewhat casual conversation. Hecate agrees that both points may apply to Circe, but perhaps she does not care because she knows how to weigh things. But even with Diana’s concerns about its use, Hecate is here to inform her otherwise. Her mother made that lasso and it is also her. She made it with love and blood and the lasso has transformative skills because that is what Circe knows best and she only demands the best for Diana…and it was Diana that made her believe in transformation in the first place. With this newfound understanding Diana returned to her mother and apologized, and asked to be taught how to use it fully.

Back in gateway city we see as Diana prepares to use it. She begins to plan how she will wrap it around the tetracide but then looking to Pegasus flying around she has another idea…an answer that was in front of her the entire time. She takes the lasso and she begins to wrap it around her own arm, and begins to transform herself. “For now…I am become doom…I am Medusa. And none that see my face shall live.” As the rest of the city watches on in shock as she transforms into a giant monster in front of them, we see as she approaches the tetracide and finally ends the fight by turning it to stone. But it’s not so simple, she has changed and she no longer knows herself…and Steve intends to remind her. Taking a blindfold he steps out into the city to meet Diana through her rampage. Where he begins to speak to her and remind her who she truly is:

Steve: “Y-you are a great hero and warrior, who save me from the underworld. You cut off your arm, an incredible sacrifice, to free me, to send me home. You must remember…you are Diana, witch of the wild isle…daughter of Circe…Diana, the last of the amazons. Wonder Woman, hero of gateway city.”

Diana: “One good man can save the world, Steve. Thank you.”

With Diana returned it now becomes the fun part, as she flies over and delivers a massive shockwave of a punch to shatter the stone tetracide. I really love in this moment as Diana descends to the ground she thanks all the women gods who lent her strength. Really reminds me back to the Perez run of WW when we see the goddesses imbue each of their strengths into Diana when she was formed. But as we come to an end, all of the friends Diana has already grown meet with her. There is much more to be done…and in a shocking turn of events Diana won’t be there to help! As the ground quickly opens up and a giant blue flaming hand reaches out and pulls her into the depths. The rest are all just standing there shocked and if the tag line for the next issue is any indication…we will see you all in Hell! Welcome home!

[Alexis Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this issue. I love, love the richness and the back and forth analysis and message behind the literal plot but also the deeper connections. What the role of cruelty is in peace and harmony. How seemingly things of destruction and violence can be used for so much more. How using it can be corrosive to the self and sometimes it takes someone else to see yourself and stop yourself. And i really love how Circe gave her the lasso that Diana thought was too cruel to use but later ended up needing to use despite not wanting to and acknowledging that sometimes those around you might know better then you, but they don’t force you to see it that way. Instead, they give you the tool and hope you never have to use, but if you do, they hope you can use it in a way that preserves you. Steve ended up acting as that mechanism to help keep Diana herself and as an insulting mechanism from letting the violence take to much of Diana.

[Arch Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can start off saying is that this was a magnificent end to the first portion of this Absolute Wonder Woman saga.

The first four issues built up the story perfectly to learning the character of Diana and how methodical she is with her every action. The revisiting of her time back in hell with her mother and finally learning to have faith in her, but more importantly with her self was an amazing callback that paid in dividends when she used the weapon on herself to strategically become Medusa!

Honestly, no review will do it justice. It’s such an amazing read, that I beg of anyone who reads this to just go and read this sh*t. Easily 5/5 stars and is now on par with Absolute Batman for me.

Cannot wait for more. Also a glimpse into Absolute Flash. DC Comics, you have got me in a chokehold.

ABSOLUTE CINEMA!

[John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic conclusion to this first arc of the book. I loved how the flashbacks in this issue were used to further the relationship between Diana and Circe, especially with Diana's conversation with Hecate. I'd like to highlight the artist of this book for a minute, Hayden Sherman, because the sequential storytelling they employ in this book is just phenomenal, especially during that Medusa scene. I was seriously in awe when I turned the page to that splash panel, with Wonder Woman transforming into Medusa. Kelly Thompson did a great job of tying Medusa into how the gods are just like humans and are victims of their temper as well. That twist at the end was great as well, and has me wondering what will happen next.

[Duncs Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an achievement this first story arc has been for Absolute Wonder Woman!

I've enjoyed seeing the way Kelly Thompson has maintained the essence and character of Diana within this remixed context. She has effortlessly integrated themes of self-sacrifice, patience and love into a story where an Amazonian warrior fights against kaiju of eldritch horror. A well-paced crowd pleaser.

Looking forward to seeing more from this red-eyed, one-armed Wonder Woman.

[Devin Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still have a lot of faith in Absolute Wonder Woman and I still love issues 2 and 3, but this arc as a whole has been very unsatisfying to me. I just don't find the solution to the big problem to be very cathartic, and... I dunno; so many elements just feel so disconnected and--yeah--just viscerally unsatisfying to me.

There's a lot to like in each of the first five issues, but overall I'm a bit disappointed.

I'm still on board, though.

[Siegfried · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,75/5,0
Loved the resolution of the first act.
ALSO got a answer for my question on who the big bad is: the GODS
Love the interaction of Diana and the gods in general.
Circe is amazing.
The flow, art and relationship remind me of Sandman Kindly Ones
Which is my favourite.
Would give it a 5 IF there was a true resolution.
Noy literally a deux ex machina pulling her down under

"the actions of one good man can save the world"

[nat · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so cool. i sound like a broken record just repeating how epic everything is but it REALLY IS like WOW. no words. i’m a little confused on how the lasso works but i found kelly thompson explaining it on reddit 😭 so that cleared it up a wee bit. very good stuff wow wow wow i love diana. if you ever see me draw diana without extra muscle, just shoot me cuz that isn’t me 🤣🤣🤣 i would never do that best believe

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a finale for the first arc of Absolute Wonder Woman! From beginning to end, it kept me on the edge of my seat. The continued focus on magic is just as engaging as ever, and the new transformation lasso ability was especially intriguing. I really hope this is a power that returns and not a one-time deus ex machina. Overall, this entire arc was fantastic, and I cannot wait to see where the story goes next. Highly recommend.
Grade: A

[Eddie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lasso of friendship. 7/10.

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stellar issue. Amazing monster fight scenes but the draw continues to be Diana’s genuine relationships with everyone around her, especially the mother-daughter relationship that deepens with complexity every issue. “You are self-made, like a stone carved through horror and pain.” “…and later, by love.”

[Tyler Leto · Rating 5 out of 5]

BLAMMO

All great things must end but every ending is a beginning. This issue bears the brunt of winding down all the threads started way back in issue #1. Continuing with the twist that Circe the Witch is Diana's adopted mother in this universe, and all her blessings are witchcraft, Diana embraces one particularly nasty Greek myth to achieve victory.

[Wasim Mahmud · Rating 5 out of 5]

৫ ইস্যুতে একটা আর্ক শেষ হলো। অ্যাবসোলিউট ওয়ান্ডার উওম্যানের একজন উইচের বিভ্রান্তি থেকে বেরিয়ে আসার গল্প, তাঁর এক পুরাণের চরিত্রে রূপান্তর, নরকে পালক মায়ের কাছ থেকে পাওয়া উইজডম ও ল্যাসো সম্পর্কে নতুন এবং গুরুত্বপূর্ণ সারকথা সব মিলিয়ে আসলেই একটা দুর্দান্ত আর্ক পড়ে শেষ করলাম। বিভিন্ন স্ববিরোধি ও বিভ্রান্তিকর অনুভূতির উর্ধ্বে যে স্বয়ং দেবতারাও নন সেটার ইঙ্গিত পাওয়া গেছে। আর্টয়োর্ক অসাধারণ।

[ComicBookCult Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Wonder Woman #5 ends the first story arc with a bang, lots of background lore and laying the groundwork for this absolute universes Wonder Woman, the playing field is now set, we have our first threat out the way. Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman did incredibly well on these first 5, that final page tease only excites me more for what’s to come.

[˙⋆✮ ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana and Circe's mother and daughter dynamic in this run is so real and raw, the dialogues and the illustrations made me so emotional reading this issue. It was so beautiful to see she can save the world and her friends and they can save her back. The way she speaks with love and unerstanding about everything and treats it all with justice, ughhh i love Diana so much

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Cool action, I like the role her love interest played as a helper. Lovely end to an arch. There was a cool discussion of motherhood in this that I appreciated. The depiction of gods in this is pretty interesting and maintains the vibe of greek mythos where gods are imperfect like humans but poweful.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tetracide is damaged but not beaten! Diana must rely on the power of the lasso made by her mother in order to seal deal, but at what cost?

This was awesome, this series continues to surprise me in the directions in takes and I love the spin they put on Diana’s trusty lasso. Wholesome and resonant issue.

[Andy Waldron · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTEly stupendous!! this is the best book dc is putting out by a mile. what a satisfying conclusion to the first arc, and right into the excitement for the next chapter. i hope this creative team stays for a while, just a gorgeous book that is so satisfying to read. bravo!!