Wow, those eyes hit like a Mack truck, huh?
Coming off of the previous installment of Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson and Matias Bergara take readers on a thrilling adventure featuring sexy magicians, bondage (the vine kind), and the bargaining of Goddesses as we conclude the two-part saga, “The Price”. Focusing on the present themes, I have had such a fascinating time with this issue with Thompson’s more erotic writing between Diana and her cast of rag-tag theology nerds + Steve and Bergara’s Miller-esque aesthetics throughout.
Our big and beautiful warrior of Hell finds herself bound by the mysterious magician Zatanna who appears to her in an astral form; now burdened by a “witches’ curse”, Diana sets off to deal with the entities battling her and try to bargain with a Goddess along the way.
Kelly Thompson enters this issue with a backwards word generator and some more complicated subject matter between Diana and Zatanna. Script wise, the most glaring issue has to be Thompson’s love for large and wordy dialogue bubbles. It’s been an issue throughout the series, but it’s not as egregious as some would make it out to be. The more noticeable dialogue stacking comes some time after the book’s initial opening, when Diana returns to The Hieron and explains a lot of what she feels is going on. Certain parts of the sequence could’ve been chopped down just a hair and it would feel a lot more natural than the final product.
DC
Thompson’s scripting abilities has been a more controversial subject among many due to how she chooses to present dialogue between pages. From my time making comics, I can say that the biggest issue many comic writers face is sometimes writing so much that it becomes distracting in regard to the art. Comics are a “show, don’t tell” medium, so the idea of talking way too much is something many are scared of. However, Thompson does seem to share a clear bond with series regular Hayden Sherman and is typically improving on that issue with the varying guest collaborators such as this arc’s guest Matias Bergara.
Speaking of Zatanna, I loved her appearance, but to tell you all the truth, I can’t read backwards dialogue that well. I had to employ the help of my long-time collaborator and parasitic creature, Eric, to read the binding spell that Zatanna was casting on Diana. He was having a very hard time reading the word “daughter”.
Dialogue issues aside, I think Thompson’s strongest work this issue has to be the more subtle nods to our titular heroes’ past in eroticism. Personally, I don’t see this version of Wonder Woman doing the whole ‘fall in love’ shtick, but there is a clear sensual air to the character that’s seen throughout the series. Diana is a big strong warrior and charms both her enemies and the audience all at once. Thompson takes a much more subtle approach to the sensual/erotic interpretation of the character with this; not to be tonally sexual but to create the atmosphere of jealously and suggestion. In fact, it all feels somewhat resonant to the Marston era of Wonder Woman.
DC
Moving onto the art, Bergara’s work is a treat. Known at DC for his Hellblazer work with longtime collaborator Si Spurrier, his work stands out to me as a proper love letter to the unusual elegance of Frank Miller’s sense of style. Furthermore, his character work fits this series perfectly with his usage of watercolors and heavier pencils to emphasize more jagged shapes and spaces throughout each panel. I feel that the true highlight of his work this installment has to be the scenes with Gaia where Diana is being pulled through the Earth.
In conclusion, Absolute Wonder Woman #14 is a simple, slower-paced issue that functions as a much needed breather from the chaos happening in the Absolute Universe. Kelly Thompson and Matias Bergara opt to focus on setup and smaller character moments that add a much-needed depth to the world around Diana. Through this, they calm the audience for the eventual Hell called Gotham City in next month’s installment. Naturally, the mystery of Zatanna will be eventually expanded. Maybe by then, I’ll know how to read backwards.
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