Absolute Wonder Woman #9

Absolute Wonder Woman is back for its ninth issue, and with the newest cover, this franchise further exposes its determination to torment my megalophobia. In our review of the last issue of Absolute Wonder Woman, I had mentioned that this series enjoyed giving me whiplash, and I would never get too comfortable in any particular plot direction. With Absolute Wonder Woman #9, my cautious approach proved to be the right call.

While we usually try to steer clear of spoilers in our comic reviews, there’s far too much that I want to say about this series for me to obey that rule. I’ve been following Absolute Wonder Woman very closely, and I cannot wait to share my thoughts on this release. So, let’s get into it! It’s time to dive into this review of Absolute Wonder Woman #9!

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Absolute Wonder Woman #9 Review

Image by DC Comics

One of the themes that Absolute Wonder Woman #9 explored early-on, a theme that I was really fascinated by, was Diana’s greater understanding of monsters than humans. In a conversation with Doctor Poison, the Doctor points out that Diana appears to be angrier confronting her than when she took down the Tetracide, to which Diana responds that the Tetracide was simply an animal, with no concept of right or wrong. This justification of animalistic behaviour, as well as Diana’s difficulty understanding why humans choose to act with malice has always made the character stand out from many of her DC contemporaries, and I’m glad that the theme is being brought up here, even if only for a brief moment.

After this conversation, Absolute Wonder Woman #9 quickly moves into the actual plot of this arc, which involves a labyrinthine prison housing an Amazon. I will say, it was a little disappointing to see Doctor Poison hit the road so quickly after being introduced. In fact, the character served little purpose at all in Absolute Wonder Woman, aside from providing Diana with the necessary exposition for her to find her way to the underground maze. I’m sure this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Doctor Poison (or at least I hope it isn’t), but I was fairly excited to see the character act as the villain of the next few upcoming issues. I hope this isn’t the start of a trend for Absolute Wonder Woman, but more on that trend later.

Another, slightly more hilarious, trend that Absolute Wonder Woman #9 continues is this series’ willingness to just let Diana do anything she wants to resolve whatever obstacle placed in front of her. In this issue, she conjures up a door into the maze, after being asked by her friends how she planned to infiltrate such a heavily guarded zone. It’s starting to feel like this iteration of Wonder Woman is a little unbeatable. I love seeing her be unapologetically powerful, but this toes a line a little. To play Devil’s advocate, I’m sure older versions of Diana would have just brute-forced her way in to the maze, essentially bringing us to the same endpoint. However, while I do love this new Wonder Woman, her ability to do ‘everything’ is starting to feel more in line with a character like Scarlet Witch.

Image by DC Comics

Within the maze, Wonder Woman soon comes across Ferdinand, a peaceful bull, and though my brain quickly went to that 2017 John Cena movie, I soon remembered that this is based on a classic novel from the 1930’s. I find it interesting how often Absolute Wonder Woman turns to classic storytelling in its issues, be it Greek mythology, or wartime literature. I particularly respect these decisions when compared with the other comics in the Absolute initiative, which focus quite heavily on comic book characters of the past. Absolute Wonder Woman feels like it is constantly throwing in tongue-in-cheek references, and I hope that this playfulness continues.

With that being said, while I do enjoy the general whimsy of Absolute Wonder Woman #9, I do wish we had a little more information on where exactly we are in this issue. Doctor Poison fairly bluntly states that there is an ancient maze under where she works. We don’t get much more of an idea of where this is, or why it exists. Sure, the explanation here could be summed up to ‘it’s a trap, so Doctor Poison didn’t tell her anything else’, but I feel like Poison could have at least made up some more info about it. The idea of a massive ancient maze just sort of, existing, in Area 41 is pretty comical, and makes Wonder Woman herself look somewhat aloof to go charging straight in.

I am glad she did however, as the closing pages of this issue introduce us to Queen Clea, the next foe in Diana’s path, and potentially one of her greatest challengers yet. I really enjoy this take on Queen Clea as a character – in the comics of old, Clea was a dictator who ruled over Venturia, an Atlantean kingdom. To see her take up her old tendencies in an entirely new environment, as she claims dominion over the ancient maze, is a really refreshing take on the character, while keeping her personality in tact. In many ways, Absolute Wonder Woman can be praised for doing this with its characters on all fronts. It manages to make drastic leaps in characters’ storylines, whilst keeping the essence of these characters alive.

Image by DC Comics

With Queen Clea’s reveal, Absolute Wonder Woman #9 comes to a close, and what a wild ride this issue was! It seems like the series has embraced the more chaotic side and potential of Wonder Woman’s stories, and we’ve gone full Dungeons & Dragons for this next arc. In early reviews of the series, I tried to cling to the human side of Absolute Wonder Woman, but at this point, I am relieving my grasp. We’ve lost all footing in reality, and dived headfirst into the world of the mythical, and I’m not against it.

Now, with that being said, a lot is riding on Absolute Wonder Woman #10 to solidify my enjoyment of the series. This was, for the most part, a set-up chapter. I can’t imagine that the next issue won’t kick-off on an explosive note with Diana and Clea coming face-to-face. However, I am really hoping that Clea is not another ‘villain of the week’. Give her some time to shine in future issues! Make her feel like a real, formidable threat! The treatment of Doctor Poison has made me question if Absolute Wonder Woman is really dedicated to the portrayal of its villains – here’s hoping the next issue proves me wrong with Queen Clea.

I’m very excited to see where Wonder Woman’s journey through the maze takes her next, and with promises of a new villain on the horizon, I cannot wait to see how the next issue kicks off. What are your thoughts on Absolute Wonder Woman #9, and the entire Absolute universe so far? Be sure to share them with us in the comment section of this article, and thank you for reading!

See also: The Cold Witch #2 Review

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