The third and final Wonder Woman tie-in to Absolute Power is out this week. It features a mad dash to free the heroes in Amanda Waller’s prison. After the hilarious back and forth between Damian and Diana, this issue continues to utilize the two, with Steve Trevor’s added wrinkle. While the prison break takes place, the smooching doesn’t stop!
Picking up where we left off, Wonder Woman and Damian know where the heroes are locked away, so it’s just a matter of infiltrating and figuring out the next steps. Along for the ride is Steve Trevor, who can’t stop locking lips with Wonder Woman. So begins a recurring gag of the two being unable to keep their hands off each other while Damian cringes.
That gag works for two reasons. One is that Damian is a young boy and thus thinks kissing like this is kinda gross. The other is that it shows Steve and Diana are fairly confident and, thus, are okay with taking kissing breaks. Sure, it can sometimes feel a bit much, but it works. Damian is also overly serious about the breakout, creating a nice juxtaposition between the two vibes.
The dynamic between the three is pretty great.
Credit: DC Comics
If you like Tom King’s dialogue, you will dig this issue. The back-and-forth between Steve, Damian, and Diana is great, as it sounds natural and casual. The love between Diana and Steve is also apparent through the dialogue as they tease each other and get each other going.
This issue feels very important for the larger event plot progression. Not only are key heroes popping up and getting freed, but it also progresses that element for the next Absolute Power chapter. This is yet another example of DC Comics making sure every tie-in feels important and not just some cash grab. One could argue it’s a bit too easy to break out the heroes, but that’s not really what this issue is about.
Art by Tony S. Daniel is good, with the angles pushed in as needed since this is largely a dialogue-focused story. One of the best sequences involves a de-powered Wonder Woman facing off against men with machine guns. Daniel uses smart angles to show their confidence and utter fear when they realize they’re in trouble.
Also contained here is a backup by King and artist Khary Randolph. This is a clever tale that hinges on the point of view of Damian from the future. He’s detailing the events of this issue and past issues to Trinity, but from his slanted perspective. We get to see the events of this issue, but with Wonder Woman being in awe of Damian and the dialogue being overly sanctimonious and wordy. It’s basically a bit, but it works.
Randolph’s art has a slight cartoony vibe that plays along with Damian’s point of view. That means he looks super cool while Wonder Woman looks older and more stoic. The character acting sells Damian’s clearly augmented retelling of the facts.
Wonder Woman #13 closes out the Absolute Power tie-in story well, playing up the Damian team-up aspect and progressing the larger story nicely. More importantly, King’s dialogue lands every time, feeling natural and apt for his take on Wonder Woman.
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