In Review: Absolute Wonder Woman #24 Gateway City In Chaos

Synopsis: Diana has lost so much in the last month that she’s not about to give up on the search for her friend, but with Gateway City descending into chaos as the gods put their fingers on the scale, she may have no other choice. Diana’s return to the surface came with new weapons from hell, forged by Diana, Circe, and Hephaestus…will they be enough to beat back even gods?

The Story

Gateway City has been thrown into chaos by the arrival of a giant eye looming over its skyline. Returning to the surface, Wonder Woman recognises it as an illusion cast by the gods of fear, Phobos and Deimos. She knows how manipulative they can be and must approach them carefully. But defeating them is only part of the challenge: she also needs to put on a spectacular show to restore the city’s confidence.

Riding into battle on Pegasus, Wonder Woman draws on years of training to keep the gods out of her head. Yet her concern for Barbara, who has been transformed into Cheetah, gives Phobos and Deimos the opening they need.

Artwork

Hayden Sherman provides fantastic artwork throughout this issue. The double-page splash of Wonder Woman riding Pegasus towards the illusion of Zeus’s eye, bow drawn, is an epic piece of visual storytelling. Sherman’s designs for Phobos and Deimos are just as striking. I love the idea of the gods of fear manifesting dinosaur skulls for heads, and I can’t wait to see what Sherman conjures up in the next issue.

Overall

For me, this is the best Absolute Wonder Woman story to date. It has epic battles, an intriguing backstory and more Greek gods. I especially loved the dialogue between Phobos and Deimos as they worked to find a chink in Wonder Woman’s mental armour. Even at a physical disadvantage, the gods of fear use their wits to turn the battle in their favour. Round one goes to them, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Wonder Woman counters their next move.