Absolute Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: The Last Amazon by Kelly Thompson

Art by Hayden Sherman, Mattia de Iulis, and Jordie Bellaire.

Wow. Just … wow.

Wonder Woman has always been my favourite DC character, ever since I was a young kid watching Lynda Carter spinning like a top on my TV screen, and this new incarnation of the character is, if anything, even better that those that have gone before.

In this latest take on the Amazon princess, she is the last of the Amazons, the rest having been consigned to eternity by Zeus. Diana herself has been raised in Hell by Circe, taught how to fight and wield magic, and gifted with some pretty amazing toys to play with. On top of that, even without the sisterhood of Themyscira and the safety and comfort of her usual home, she naturally develops the soul and heart of an Amazon, instinctively wanting to help and guide those around her.

The first story arc of this new Wonder Woman sees her going up against what is essentially a critter straight out of the Cthulhu mythos, and this is followed by a shorter two-part tale of how she earns her permanent release from Hell (and earns the enmity of Hades at the same time – some things will never change). The main story is interspersed with flashbacks outlining her growth to power, and showing us this incarnations version of her first meeting with Steve Trevor.

The writing here is absolutely fantastic. Kelly Thompson has given us a great start to this new series, and her words are backed up by some incredibly gorgeous artwork from Hayden Sherman, Mattia De Iulis, and Jordie Bellaire. As with Absolute Batman the colour palette is a bit on the dark side, with a lot of red in this one, but there’s still a lot going on, and I am so down for more from this series.

A very definite five stars from me on this one, and if you’re a fan of Wonder Woman you really should give it a try.