We have not seen Wonder Woman so beaten as she is at the start of Absolute Wonder Woman #17. Zatanna and her Suicide Squad have taken her magic away in some kind of mission, revealing Zatanna is either far more powerful than Wonder Woman, or at least she caught her off guard. In a fight-comic-first issue, Wonder Woman battles to gain an edge against multiple supervillains, but can she win?
Absolute Wonder Woman #17 opens where we left off, with Wonder Woman frozen, incapable of moving, as blue and white light surrounds her. Zatanna’s crew consists of Doctor Poison, Men-Fish Queen, Giganta, and Cheetah. All new threats to Wonder Woman, it seems the jig is up, but fairly quickly, Zatanna gets what she wants and teleports away, freeing Wonder Woman to fight back. It seems Zatanna had no beef with Wonder Woman, but it seems the other villains don’t mind fighting even with handlers watching them.
For a fight comic, there’s a lot happening in this issue, from Wonder Woman using spells to level the playing field to Giganta growing larger and more of a handful as the story progresses. It’s a single issue, but there are event-caliber twists and turns in this battle that make it more than worthy of your attention.
I honestly had a hard time reading that Zatanna word balloon, though that’s by design.
Credit: DC Comics
Hayden Sherman does another great job with art, with far more panels on some pages than they usually bring to their layouts. That makes every punch and foot stomp a little more intense. Giganta’s scale is well done here, too, with each jump in size adding to the threat level and supernatural awe in superhero comics on the page. Details of backgrounds help keep the fight easy to follow, with dramatic angles always keeping your interest up. Sherman’s art always feels dynamic and in your face, not unlike Jack Kirby, making the art feel larger than life.
Another visual that works is Giganta’s dialogue in a larger font, seemingly because her size demands it. Becca Carey’s letters also get to play around with gobbledygook magic spells, making the magic feel extra chaotic. There’s the background dialogue of Zatanna, complete with glowy blue color, that may break your brain, but enhances Zatanna as a character. Sound effects, whether they are by Carey or Sherman, are a ton of fun in this issue, like a “FLING” written on the ground in one panel, or a “SLAM” seemingly getting crushed down by Wonder Woman’s body.
Jordie Bellaire’s colors add warmth to scenes, with the humanity of these characters coming alive through the coloring of their skin.
Absolute Wonder Woman #17 delivers a powerhouse fight issue that never loses clarity or momentum. The creative team leans fully into spectacle, but the craft behind it elevates the experience. Sherman’s layouts crackle with energy, Carey’s lettering adds personality and scale, and Bellaire’s colors inject warmth into the carnage. While Zatanna’s larger agenda still lingers in the background, the issue succeeds as a tense, visually inventive showdown that proves Wonder Woman can still dominate even when stripped of her greatest advantage.
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