Absolute Wonder Woman #25 Review: Hell, Magic, and a Twisted Family Reunion

Yo, mi gente, Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman are making Diana’s life an absolute nightmare, and I mean that in the best possible comic book way! Absolute Wonder Woman #25 brings us chapter three of Heretic, with monstrous creatures, dangerous magic, family secrets, and a Wonder Woman who can’t solve every problem by punching somebody through a wall. This ain’t your daddy’s Paradise Island, fam. Twenty-five issues in, this series continues to earn its spot among DC’s most distinctive superhero books.

The supernatural ugliness in Heretic makes ordinary superhero problems look like a parking ticket. The issue moves between eerie conversations, revelations and a monster-infested confrontation that gets progressively nastier. Thompson builds a mythology where even the people who seem to understand what’s happening might be hiding something. The dialogue carries that uneasiness without making everybody a walking exposition machine, although some mysteries take precedence over satisfying answers.

Sherman’s artwork? Ay bendito! The creatures look assembled from nightmares, bad decisions and whatever was hiding under your bed when you were six. Angular compositions, grotesque anatomical distortions and panels ready to burst apart give this book an uncomfortable personality. Even the quiet scenes feel dangerous. Once the action hits, teeth, claws and twisted bodies explode across the page. Some compositions take an extra glance to navigate, but I’d rather explore ambitious artwork than stare at six interchangeable talking heads.

Jordie Bellaire deserves serious love. Poisonous greens, electric yellows, bruised purples and hellish reds make this world look beautiful and deeply unhealthy. Magic seems to contaminate everything it touches. Bellaire pulls back for cooler, quieter scenes before the supernatural madness erupts again. Becca Carey’s lettering stays readable amid the visual chaos, with expressive effects that never bury the art. This is a creative team firing on every cylinder.

Thompson understands that Diana is more than a powerhouse. Intelligence, compassion and restraint sit alongside her willingness to confront impossible threats. The supporting cast brings intrigue, with conversations hinting at a supernatural conflict bigger than the immediate danger. I would’ve given some of those exchanges another page to breathe, though. We’re getting intriguing fragments of a bigger puzzle, and a few revelations deserve more room before the next crisis arrives.

By the final stretch, Sherman and Bellaire unleash a monster spectacle that reminds you why comics can do things movies struggle to replicate. The scale is enormous, the creature designs are outrageous and Diana’s confrontation feels like a battle against a nightmare itself. Thompson knows how to keep a serialized story moving, even when this middle chapter is more interested in deepening its mysteries than resolving them. The closing development makes the next installment mighty tempting.

Twenty-five issues, fam! DC’s Absolute line gave creators room to break familiar conventions, and this team has embraced that freedom. Under all the horror and magic, Diana is still unmistakably Wonder Woman. She simply has to fight harder to protect the qualities that define her. New readers should catch up on the earlier Heretic chapters, but established fans have plenty to sink their teeth into.

Absolute Wonder Woman #25 is a viciously imaginative chapter packed with striking artwork, unsettling mythology and a heroine who refuses to let darkness define her. A few scenes could breathe easier, and the pacing gets crowded, but this is one hell of a comic book. Keep this crew cooking. WEPA!

Crusaders Score:
4.5/5

Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Editor: Chris Conroy
Assistant Editor: Ash Padilla
Main Cover: Hayden Sherman & Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: DC Comics