Absolute Wonder Woman is just four issues deep, but it's repeatedly found ways to surprise us. Last month's #3 in particular had a pretty major reveal when it turned out that Diana had willingly cut her own right arm off in order to free Steve Trevor from Hell.
In this week's Wonder Woman #4, however, Diana realises that she's going to need that arm back if she is to successfully defeat the monstrous Tetracide – and there's only one way to get it: blood magic!
Spoilers for Absolute Wonder Woman #4
At the end of the previous issue, Diana cast a spell to temporarily deafen everyone in Gateway City. It was the only way to prevent the citizens from being lulled to their deaths by the Tetracide's call. Still, she needs a way to actually despatch the thing for good and her regular weapons just won't cut it. In the now established tradition of the Absolute Universe that means going big. Really, really big.
But first, that arm. The issue opens with Steve Trevor introducing Diana to Etta and Gia Candy, two sisters who own a magic shop in the city. They are able to supply her with the ingredients she will need for a complex ritual – including their own blood. Diana then calls upon the goddess Hecate in a ritual she has clearly learned from Circe. The spell works and Wonder Woman, still dripping in gore, returns now blessed with a glowing red arm. It's all extremely Buffy the Vampire Slayer season six and really quite metal.
I have slightly mixed feelings about this plot point. Personally, I loved the idea of Wonder Woman having an amputation going forward. It was probably naive of me to think that it would stick for the run of the comic, but not only was it a cool moment that showed just how far Diana is willing to go to save one person, it was good from a representation point of view. Still, the reason for granting her a new arm quickly becomes clear: she needs to be able to wield a sword that's bigger than a house...
Now, we've seen Wonder Woman's "Buster sword" in action in the first issue, but not like this. It was already huge, but here we learn that it can grow to the enormous size necessary to cut a kaiju in half – which is exactly what she does. Hooray! The city is saved.
Still, while one enemy has been defeated, the final pages of the issue make it clear that Diana is about to face an even bigger problem. We cut to a scene in the White House, where an agent says, while looking at Wonder Woman on a TV screen, "Mr. President… I'd say even if she killed that thing… we still have a very big problem on our hands." Yep, it seems like the Absolute Wonder Woman is about to follow in the footsteps of her DC All In counterpart by becoming an enemy of the state...
Absolute Wonder Woman #4 is out now from DC.
Absolute Wonder Woman made our list of the 25 best comics of 2024.
