or why Kelly Thompson just turned Hell into the ultimate rom-com set with kaiju cameos.
Oh, my amazing comic crew, if Absolute Wonder Woman #1 was Diana’s fiery debutante ball, crimson cloaks whipping, swords slashing, and that “I am an Amazon” mic drop, then Absolute Wonder Woman #2 is the afterparty where the drinks flow (with hellfire chasers), the plus-one shows up unexpectedly. The dance floor turns into a beachside monster mash.
Sweeties, this issue dropped like a Hydra tentacle on November 27, 2024, and by December 10, 2025, it had already hit its fifth printing, because, duh, it’s serving emotional devastation wrapped in mythic mayhem. Kelly Thompson’s script is a love letter to Diana’s unbreakable heart, Hayden Sherman’s art evolves into something even more intoxicating, and the whole thing clocks in at a lush 32 pages that left me ugly-crying over pancakes.
We’re talking spoilers from jump, honey, no holding back, because if you’re here, you know the drill: Dive into the Wild Isle with me, and let’s unpack how this hell-raised Amazon finds tenderness amid the terror. Trust me, you guys, this isn’t just a sequel, it’s the glow-up Diana (and we) deserved.
The Harbinger Prime Throwdown: Lasso Nemesis Steals the Show
We slam right back into that cliffhanger beach brawl from #1, Gateway City’s sands turning into a warzone as Diana faces down Harbinger Prime, that tomato-red, squid-pterodactyl abomination rising from the ocean like it RSVP’d for destruction. Swarms of flying Harbingers (those screeching, reptilian imps) are dive-bombing civilians, and our girl?
She’s on her skeletal steed Pegasus, hellblade in one hand, Lasso of Truth, wait, no, in the other.
Spoiler alert: It’s actually called Nemesis, forged from basilisk hide, infused with Prometheus’s blood, and blessed by Demeter herself. Not your grandma’s truth serum, oh no, this bad boy inflicts pain proportional to your sins. Diana lassos the Prime mid-roar, monologues like a Greek tragedy queen (“Your crimes weigh heavier than your wings, beast”), and negotiates it into submission. It doesn’t die (yet)—it flees back to the depths, whimpering like a scolded hellhound.
The Nemesis Lasso vs. The Lasso of Truth
- Its Origin: While the classic Lasso was forged by Hephaestus and given to Diana by her mother, Nemesis is a weapon Diana brought with her from her upbringing in Hell.
- Its Appearance: Visually, it is often depicted as a glowing, ethereal chain or cord that matches the occult and “witchy” aesthetic of the series.
- Its Function:
- The Classic Lasso is primarily a defensive and diplomatic tool used to compel the truth and restrain enemies without harming them.
- Nemesis is a offensive weapon of judgment. It is often used in tandem with her massive claymore to deliver decisive, brutal strikes.
- The Name Symbolism: The name “Nemesis” refers to the Greek goddess of retribution and vengeance. In the Absolute Universe, Diana isn’t an ambassador seeking truth; she is a warrior meting out justice and retribution against those who spread violence.
But here’s the tea: Midway through the chaos, a voice crackles over military radios, Steve Trevor.
Our Diana freezes, eyes wide, heart visibly skipping (more on that swoon in a sec). The military rolls up, guns blazing at the retreating monsters, and Diana? She plants her feet, stares down the general like he’s a knockoff Manolos, and declares, “I’m helping whether you like it or not.” The whole sequence is pure Diana, fierce protector, unyielding diplomat, with just enough hellfire edge to make it chef’s kiss. And that W-shaped panel layout for her speech? Genius. It’s like the page itself is bowing to her.
Flashback Feels: That Meet-Cute with Absolute Steve Trevor on Hell’s Shores
Cut to the Wild Isle (Hellscyra, for the uninitiated), where young Diana’s strolling the obsidian beaches, dodging lava flows like they’re paparazzi. Then, splash! A fighter pilot crashes from the sky, washing up half-drowned and very much not from around here.
Enter Absolute Steve Trevor: Rugged Air Force flyboy, classical everyman with a jawline that could cut glass and a bewildered “Am I dead?” vibe. Diana drags him from the surf, casts a quick translation spell (because multilingual magic is her love language), and boom, Hydra tentacle alert! One massive sea serpent lunges for snack time, but Diana wrestles it bare-handed, sword through the throat, saving her new beach buddy.
Cue the rom-com montage: Steve wakes in Circe’s cottage (Mommy Dearest is not thrilled about the mortal intruder), and what follows is weeks of awkward, adorable world-building. He teaches her about “man’s world” over demon-snake picnics (yes, really), and she shows him survival sorcery under blood-red sunsets. Their chemistry? Electric. Steve’s all wide-eyed awe at her power (“Your eyes are… something else”), Diana’s softening like forged steel in a kiln, laughing at his jokes, sharing stories of the gods’ pettiness.
Spoiler: They bond over wondering if good people end up in Hell (foreshadowing her present-day doubts), and by the end, he’s her anchor, her window to humanity. It’s giving Han Solo crash-landing on Tatooine, but with more tentacles and zero smugglers, pure, earned tenderness that makes you root for their present-day reunion hard.
Iconic Moments: Diana’s “I’m Helping, Deal With It” General Smackdown
Post-battle, the military’s all “Stand down, witch!” and Diana? She doesn’t swing, she speaks. That full-page spread of her towering over the general, Nemesis coiled like a promise, delivering a takedown on autonomy, protection, and why heroes don’t need permission? Iconic. “You fight shadows while I face the storm,” she says (paraphrased, but you feel it).
It’s Thompson channeling every Wonder Woman speech ever, but laced with infernal gravitas. And the emotional kicker? Hearing Steve’s voice again mid-fight, Sherman draws her shock as this raw, vulnerable pause amid the frenzy.
My heart? Shattered and sewn back with hellthread.
Art Deep Dive: Hayden Sherman’s Style Shift – From #1’s Brutal Berserker Absolute Wonder Woman #2’s Indie Heartthrob Vibes
Okay, fashion geeks and art nerds, buckle up, because if Kat’s got one weakness besides PS5 marathons and Star Wars deep cuts, it’s dissecting visuals that hit like a couture collection. Hayden Sherman’s work in #1 was all berserker chic: Angular, explosive lines carving through hellscapes, heavy shadows pooling like molten obsidian, massive splashes of Diana vs. Harbingers that felt like heavy-metal album covers (think Mignola’s Hellboy grit meets Nomura’s Final Fantasy edge). It was brutal, mythic, unyielding. Perfect for introducing our hell-forged Amazon as this towering force of nature.
But Absolute Wonder Woman #2? Honey, Sherman levels up into indie-arthouse-romance territory, and it’s intoxicating.
The flashbacks? Softer, looser contours on faces, Diana’s eyes get this luminous glow during Steve chats, beach walks rendered with fluid, almost watercolor waves crashing against jagged cliffs. It’s giving graphic-novel intimacy, like if Sandman hooked up with a Wes Anderson fever dream: Expressive micro-moments (Steve’s shy grin, Diana’s tentative smile) steal panels, while the Hydra fight bursts into asymmetrical chaos, tentacles twisting panels into knots, Sherman’s lines jagged yet playful.
Critics are obsessed (shoutout to AIPT calling it “stunning designs inspired by Greek myth and modernist architecture”), but some nitpick the action feeling “disjointed” compared to #1’s raw power (Weird Science DC shade).
Me? I love the pivot, it’s deliberate, mirroring Diana’s duality: Savage warrior one page, soft-hearted dreamer the next. That full-page Lovecraftian Harbinger Prime spread? Career-best terror, all writhing limbs and void-black eyes, making the beast feel alive and ancient.
Sherman isn’t just drawing, they’re designing a world where hell feels habitable, and it’s why this book’s already cosplay gold.
Color & Lettering Magic: Jordie Bellaire and Becca Carey Make Hell Feel Alive
Can’t gush about Sherman without crowning the collaborators. Jordie Bellaire’s palette? A masterclass in duality, oceanic blues and bruised purples flood the flashbacks for that golden-hour longing, bleeding into arterial reds and hellfire oranges during fights. It’s why the beach battle pulses like a heartbeat: Cool serenity shattered by warm fury.
And Becca Carey’s lettering? Jagged SFX for Nemesis’s sin-pain zaps (“SIIINNNN”), elegant script for Diana’s speeches that curls like smoke. Together, they make every page breathe, Eisner-winning vibes for a reason (Bellaire snagged Best Coloring, remember?).
Tying It to the Absolute Trinity: A Quick Nod to Superman’s Revolutionary Rage
Look, the Absolute Universe thrives on these raw reinventions, and while Diana’s carving hope from hell here, it echoes the revolutionary fire in Jason Aaron’s Absolute Superman run, like how Clark’s exile rage in Absolute Superman #1 mirrors Diana’s “fight for the world anyway” ethos.
No forced team-up (yet), but that shared underdog armor? It’s the glue making this line unbreakable. If Superman’s your revolutionary poet, Diana’s the mythic bard, both clawing light from apocalypse.
Content Guide: How Hellish Are We Getting?
T+ rating, but it flirts hard with Mature: Graphic Hydra disembowelments (gore splatters like abstract art), civilian peril in the Harbinger swarm (handled with Diana’s quick saves), and psychological gut-punches (Diana’s “Do good people go to Hell?” spiral hits like a freight train).
The Steve romance? Tender AF, awkward flirtations, cultural clashes, zero exploitation. It’s dark, but Diana’s compassion keeps it from grimdark; hope’s just got fangs now.
Why This Sophomore Issue Levels Up the Love Letter to Diana
- Thompson’s script balances humor (Steve’s “Is this Valhalla?”) with heart, no disjointed dips
- Expands the mythos without homework, Nemesis lasso? Genius twist on the classic
- Art evolution sells the emotional range; Sherman’s not phoning it in, they’re innovating
- Sets up a “monster age” arc with teases of other heroes (Justice League incoming?)
9.5/10, Heart-Shaped Hellfire
Absolute Wonder Woman #2 isn’t #1’s flawless storm, pacing wobbles just a tad in the flashbacks, but it hits harder emotionally, proving this run’s an all-timer.
Thompson, Sherman, Bellaire, and Carey are cooking something legendary: A Diana who’s hell-raised but hope-forged, ready to own the Absolute Universe. My lovely geeks, if you loved #1, this is the upgrade. Grab it before that fifth printing sells out.
Where to Get It Right Now
- Physical: Fifth printing in shops now (variants galore, Sherman’s foil is a must)
- Digital: $4.99 on Comixology or DC Universe Infinite (full arc dropping soon)
- Reading Order: Straight from #1, then binge Kat’s Absolute Superman reviews for trinity synergy
Hell couldn’t keep Steve from Diana, and it sure as Hades won’t stop her from saving us all. Now excuse me while I sketch a Nemesis lasso tattoo.
Stay swoony, stay slashing, and may your crash-lands lead to beachside magic.
Kat ✨
