Written by: Kelly Thompson
Art by: Hayden Sherman
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: Becca Carey
Cover art by: Hayden Sherman (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: July 23, 2025
First Impressions
Right out of the gate, this chapter feels like classic myth seasoned with sharp grit. It’s claustrophobic, relentless, and just a little bit unhinged—in a way that keeps the tension throttled instead of slipping into melodrama.
Recap
Last issue hurled Wonder Woman headlong into Area 41's bizarre magical labyrinth. After a quick scuffle with the scientist Doctor Poison, Diana used raw magical force and a truly oversized sword to break into the maze searching for lost Amazons. There she met Ferdinand, a surprisingly sensitive minotaur, and ran into Queen Clea and her army of fish-men who are trying to snare Diana as their prize. By the end, Diana’s mission had morphed from a rescue into survival, with the threat of Clea and her monstrous minions closing in, and the stakes for Diana and her companions never higher.Plot Analysis
Diana opens the issue cornered with Ferdinand and the siren Petra, dodging Clea’s perfume of aquatic goons. Clea’s fish-men struggle to keep Diana’s crew pinned, but she’s not one to play bait for long. A tense confrontation ends with Diana making a promise of rescue to Ferdinand as she pushes Petra, their mostly mute fellow prisoner, to safety. Meanwhile, Clea, whose motivations for wanting Petra verge on villainous cliché, demands that her minions capture the siren alive and show no mercy to Diana.
The story pivots to a series of flashbacks, focusing on Diana’s upbringing by Circe in Hell’s Wild Isle. There, Circe and the gods bicker about Diana’s destiny. They debate making a weapon versus raising a compassionate child, with Circe agonizing over Diana’s capacity for empathy. For all the world-building, these scenes mostly underscore Diana’s nature as both monster-slayer and mercy-bringer—a point hammered over several panels of hellish pep talks.
Back in the present, Diana uses tactical smarts and sheer brawn to maneuver Petra through the maze’s traps, determined to not leave Ferdinand behind. The action is interrupted by slapstick as Steve Trevor and company bicker over whether an unconscious, blue girl is actually Diana (hint: she’s not). These moments, light as they are, provide a rare breath in the otherwise relentless slog through the maze.
The climax is suitably psychedelic: Diana, tripping on hallucinogens from Clea’s forces, is shoved into a monstrous pit by brainless fish-minions, sacrificing herself for Ferdinand’s safety. The issue closes with a promise of greater danger lurking deeper in the maze—a good old-fashioned comic book cliffhanger that practically begs for the next punch-up.
Story
Kelly Thompson goes for broke on the mythos, layering big themes of compassion, destiny, and violence while maintaining a laser focus on action. Each beat pushes Diana to prove that kindness is not weakness—even if her greatest strength is also her Achilles’ heel. The script moves fast but doesn’t always land the nuance of some characters, falling into exposition dumps (especially during Circe’s flashbacks) that could use more show, less tell.
Art
Hayden Sherman’s art is a jagged, feverish blend of grotesque and elegant. The panel layouts twist and knot like the maze itself, sometimes at the expense of clarity (especially in fight scenes with Clea’s minions, where distinguishing limbs gets tricky). Still, the visceral energy leaps off the page, and Jordie Bellaire’s colors—acidic, moody, often bruised—complete the otherworldly vibe. The style fits the chaos but may put off readers hoping for a cleaner heroic look.
Characters
Diana gets the lion’s share of attention, her commitment to hope under fire making her more stubborn than a minotaur in traffic. Ferdinand and Petra remain mostly ciphers: Ferdinand shines as the reluctant ally, but Petra’s silenced siren act is still more plot device than person. Circe in flashback steals scenes when she’s allowed to simmer, but the story’s need to explain her role saps some of her power. Clea as a villain is painted with broad strokes; she twirls her metaphorical mustache at every opportunity but does it with enough gusto to keep her interesting.
Positives
The book’s relentless pacing keeps adrenaline high, refusing to let the reader (or Diana) breathe for long. The blending of classic myth with grindhouse fantasy is gutsy, and the art, for all its wildness, brings a unique energy and physicality. Diana’s voice is consistent and authentic: she is powerful, compassionate, and dangerously principled all at once.
Negatives
The issue stumbles hardest in the balance between mythic depth and over-explanation. Some flashbacks to Diana’s upbringing cross the line into ham-fisted, spelling out themes that are already obvious on the main stage. Action sequences, while energetic, sometimes lose clarity to the point of confusion. Supporting characters are mostly window dressing; Circe gets stuck narrating Diana’s virtues, and Petra is barely present except as a plot excuse. The maze, as a setting, never feels fully lived-in or dangerous despite the constant bickering about its peril.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Absolute Wonder Woman #10 is a high-energy brawl dripping with dense myth and strange beauty, let down only by uneven pacing and a habit of telling what it should be showing. Sharp writing, bold art, but a crowd of undercooked side characters and a few too many monologues hold it back from greatness.
6.5/10
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The flashbacks to Diana’s upbringing are intriguing, but I get what you mean about them sometimes feeling a bit heavy-handed.
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