Absolute Wonder Woman is the 2024 ongoing from DC Comics in the Absolute Universe, a line launched under the All In initiative. Writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman rebuilt Diana as a witch-warrior raised far from the sunny island many readers expect. Colorist Jordie Bellaire’s palette keeps the book grim without turning muddy.
This is not the same continuity as Wonder Woman 2017, Wonder Woman 1984, or the classic Lynda Carter Wonder Woman show. Those stories still exist. The new book is a parallel origin: fewer comforts, heavier magic, and a world where heroes start with almost nothing.
The series is rated Teen Plus. Trade collections include Vol. 1: The Last Amazon and Vol. 2: As My Mothers Made Me. Later trades such as Vol. 3: Season of the Witch are planned to gather later issues and the 2026 annual.
Primary sources for dates and credits: DC Comics, League of Comic Geeks, and Comic Book Herald’s Absolute reading order.
Kelly Thompson came to this assignment after years of character-first superhero writing. Hayden Sherman’s pages favor harsh angles, ritual circles, and a body language that never looks idle. Jordie Bellaire’s colors separate sacred gold from cold iron so you can track magic at a glance. That creative trio is the trust signal. You are not reading a licensed cash-in. You are reading a planned reboot with a clear visual language.
The Absolute line also includes Batman (Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta) and Superman (Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval), plus later books such as Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. Diana’s title launched with that first wave in late 2024. New readers can treat each book as a solo until the Gotham two-parter. You do not need every Absolute title to understand her first twelve issues.
How Does She Differ From Classic Wonder Woman?
Classic Wonder Woman often stands for peace first, then the sword. Absolute Wonder Woman flips the visual language. She carries a huge blade, works with Hecate’s mark, and walks a world that already failed her people. The lasso still appears in some art, but the sword is the signature.
Who is Wonder Woman in this line? She is still Diana, still an Amazon figure, still DC, not Marvel. Is Wonder Woman Marvel? No. Both versions belong to DC Comics. Is Wonder Woman a god? Myth and divinity sit close to her, yet this book treats her as a person under pressure, not a statue on a pedestal.
Where is Wonder Woman from here? Themyscira and Amazon culture still shape her, but the Absolute take isolates her as “the last Amazon” in the first volume title. That loneliness drives the plot more than embassy work in Washington.
The costume shift is the fastest way to explain the reboot to a friend. Film armor is bright, patriotic, and camera-ready. Sherman’s design reads as field kit: wraps, iron, bone, and a silhouette built for a two-handed cut. The WW logo still exists in the wider brand. This book does not live on the logo. It lives on posture and the blade.
Tone follows costume. Mainline Diana often teaches, mediates, and then fights. This Diana investigates curses, pays for power, and meets cities that do not trust gods. That is why the Gotham meeting with Batman feels earned. Two people who already work in shadows finally share a crime scene.
How Tall Is Absolute Wonder Woman?
How tall is Absolute Wonder Woman? DC has not published an official height chart for this version the way some handbooks list Gal Gadot’s on-screen Wonder Woman (about 5’10” / 178 cm for the actress). Hayden Sherman draws her as a towering fighter, often larger in frame than nearby humans, with a sword that looks almost as tall as she is.
How tall is Wonder Woman in older books? Many DC guides put Diana near 6’0″ (183 cm). Panel art here pushes her toward a mythic scale rather than a passport number. If you are comparing pages, measure her against doorframes and Absolute Batman, not against movie stills.
Until DC prints a stats page, treat the height question as a visual answer: she reads as taller and broader than the film costume look, built to swing that sword. Artists on variant covers exaggerate further. Jim Lee’s early #1 variant and later guest covers still keep her long-limbed. Do not treat cover height as a tape measure. Covers sell power. Interiors sell weight.
If you draw her, start at six feet and add presence through shoulder width, boot mass, and the sword’s length. That will match the book better than copying Gal Gadot’s frame.
What Happens in Issues 13 Through 16?
Absolute Wonder Woman 13 arrived 22 October 2025. It sits in the mid-run after the first trade and keeps the witch-crime thread alive while the Absolute line starts to cross. You can read it after Vol. 1 without hunting every one-shot.
Issue 15 went on sale 24 December 2025. Kelly Thompson wrote it. Hayden Sherman drew it. The hook: the Mark of Hecate at a Gotham crime scene pulls Diana toward Absolute Batman. They hunt a string of murders that point to a larger threat. Absolute Batman #16 begins the second chapter.
Issue 16 followed on 28 January 2026. Readers hunting Cover C will find card-stock variants listed at shops. Cover C artists rotate by issue. Later months use names such as Kendrick “Kunkka” Lim. Confirm the exact Cover C artist for #16 with your retailer before you pay a premium.
Diana and Batman share that two-issue handshake, not a year-long event. Read her #15 then Absolute Batman #16 for the full first meeting. Comic Book Herald and similar reading-order pages place the pair back to back for that reason.
Solicit language called her the world’s most famous witch in that Gotham beat. That label is useful. It tells you the crossover is a detective story with ritual evidence, not a punch-up in the sky. Expect crime scenes, marks, and two methods that clash: his deduction and her magic.
What Should You Know About the Annual?
The Absolute Wonder Woman annual is the 2026 Annual #1, on sale 11 February 2026. Kelly Thompson writes. Mattia De Iulis draws and colors a myth-heavy one-shot about crime and personal repair. DC lists it as Teen Plus, around 32 pages, $5.99 for the main edition.
Variant covers for the annual include card-stock options. Shops have listed a Cover C Haining card-stock among others. Collectors should treat the annual as a separate SKU from monthly issues.
Vol. 3 reading lists often fold the annual with issues #15–20. If you only buy trades, wait for that collection. If you follow monthlies, the annual sits between #16 and #17 on many calendars.
De Iulis had already drawn striking interiors and covers in this line. An annual with a guest interior artist is a chance to see Diana under a different camera. Keep expectations adult in theme, not in rating. Teen Plus still means violence and dread, not adult imagery.
Why Do Variant Covers Sell Out?
Variant covers are a big part of the hobby. Hayden Sherman’s main covers set the look. Guest artists (Jim Lee on early #1 variants, Terry Dodson on later issues, Kyuyong Eom, Derrick Chew, Lesley Leirix Li, and many more) feed the aftermarket.
Cover prices range from $4.99 mains to $5.99 card stock and high-price showcase editions. Connecting variants (Bryan Hitch, David Nakayama, Hayden Sherman left/right pieces) reward people who buy neighboring issues.
Sherman’s art is angular, occult, and full of bone and iron. That style is why print runs of #1 variants still trade high. Buy what you will read first. Chase 1:25 and 1:50 ratios only if your budget survives a miss.
Shop owners will tell you the same pattern. Main covers stay on the rack. Foil and connecting pieces leave on Wednesday. If you want a reading copy, order the A cover. If you want a wall piece, set a price cap before FOC (final order cutoff) week.
What Does the Sword Change About Her?
The sword is the design that made preview art travel. It is oversized, closer to a fantasy greatsword than an Amazon short blade. Covers by Wes Craig, Dan Panosian, and Sherman all sell the same idea: she is built around that weapon.
Classic stories ask can Wonder Woman fly. Many versions glide or ride currents. This book stresses close combat and witchcraft over aerial grace. Is Wonder Woman bulletproof? Mainline Diana often shrugs off small arms. This Diana still takes hits. The drama is cost, not invincibility.
How strong is Wonder Woman? Across DC she ranks with Superman. Is Wonder Woman stronger than Superman? It depends on the writer and the sun. This title is not written as a flying brick contest. Her strength sits in ritual, blade, and will.
Weapon design also changes fight blocking. A lasso scene is about control and truth. A greatsword scene is about space. Sherman often leaves empty air around the blade so you feel the swing. That is why splash pages from issue 1 still get shared years later.
Who Are the Villains?
Why Wonder Woman has no villains is an old fan joke. It is false. Cheetah (Barbara Minerva) appears in later Absolute issues. Absolute Evil, a line one-shot, highlights Veronica Cale among Absolute-verse threats. Hecate’s mark and mythic crime drive the Gotham arc.
Absolute Wonder Woman villains tend to be cults, gods, and political monsters rather than a weekly rogue gallery like Batman’s. That is a feature of the reboot, not a gap. Cheetah is previously listed in the character roll in issue #25 solicitations.
Is Wonder Woman immortal? Amazons in many tellings live far beyond human years. This series still puts her in danger. Immortality is not a shield against the plot.
Keep a short list while you read: Hecate’s influence, mortal crime dressed as ritual, Cheetah when she arrives, and Cale as a political engine in the wider line. You do not need a twenty-name encyclopedia. You need to know who benefits when magic leaks into a city.
How Does the Book Sit Next to Movies and TV?
Wonder Woman movies still introduce most new readers. Gal Gadot Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) are the modern film pair. Wonder Woman 3 was long discussed and later dropped from that film plan. Who played Wonder Woman on TV? Lynda Carter. Who plays Wonder Woman in those films? Gal Gadot. How old is Wonder Woman as a character? She debuted in 1941.
Where to watch Wonder Woman: check current licensed streamers in your country. Rights move. The costume in film is armor and the WW logo. Costume design in this comic is heavier, more witch than diplomat.
Movie with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman: Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. That Trinity is not this comic’s Trinity. Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, and this Diana share a universe but start as strangers.
Wonder Woman Bloodlines is an animated film, not this series. Reebok women’s Wonder Woman full zip track jacket and similar merch belong to the brand, not to Thompson’s run.
If a friend only knows the films, give them three facts. One: new continuity. Two: sword and witchcraft first. Three: she meets Batman in issue 15, not in a league meeting. ” confusion.
Identity Searches and What the Book Actually Shows
Is Wonder Woman a lesbian, or is Wonder Woman lesbian? DC has shown Diana in queer relationships in some recent mainline stories. This Absolute book has not made that the selling point. Read the issues rather than forcing a film-era answer onto a new continuity.
How to draw Wonder Woman in this style: study Sherman’s long limbs, the sword’s negative space, and Bellaire’s limited color. Start with silhouette, then the blade, then the face.
Can Wonder Woman fly? Ask per continuity. This one fights on the ground more than she soars.
Stay with official pages. Bootleg “nude” or adult image boards steal art and sit outside the Teen Plus rating. Support the printed issues, the annual, and the trades.
Reading Order and Entity Map
Use this table as a buying map. Dates follow DC and shop listings as of 2026.
| Item | Role | On-sale (listed) | Creators (lead) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series #1 | Series start | 23 Oct 2024 | Thompson / Sherman |
| Vol. 1: The Last Amazon | First trade | Collected | Thompson / Sherman |
| Series #13 | Mid-run monthly | 22 Oct 2025 | Thompson / Sherman |
| Series #15 | Meets Absolute Batman | 24 Dec 2025 | Thompson / Sherman |
| Absolute Batman #16 | Crossover chapter 2 | Jan 2026 window | Snyder / Dragotta |
| Series #16 | Follows Gotham beat | 28 Jan 2026 | Thompson / Sherman |
| 2026 Annual #1 | Myth one-shot | 11 Feb 2026 | Thompson / De Iulis |
| Vol. 2: As My Mothers Made Me | Second trade | Collected | Thompson / Sherman |
| Vol. 3: Season of the Witch (planned) | #15–20 + annual | Trade | Thompson / team |
Related entities for internal links: Absolute Universe, Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, Hecate, Cheetah, Themyscira, DC All In, Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, Gal Gadot, Lynda Carter.
A simple pull list for a new reader looks like this:
- Vol. 1 if you want one purchase
- Monthlies from #13 if you already finished the first trade
- #15 plus Absolute Batman #16 for the meeting
- 2026 Annual if you like guest art and myth one-shots
- Vol. 2 when you want the next bound stretch
Skip random mid-run variants until you know which cover artist you actually like. That habit saves money and still leaves you with a complete story.
Where Should New Readers Start?
Start with Vol. 1 if you hate tracking singles. If you want alternative covers, start with #1. Jump to #15 only if you already know Absolute Batman and want the meeting.
Trust this guide as a fan-editor walkthrough of published credits, not as a DC press release. For solicit text, use DC.com. For variant checklists, use League of Comic Geeks. For line order, use a maintained reading-order site and update it when solicits shift.
Local shops can still order back issues and the annual. Digital storefronts carry the same numbers on the same Wednesdays. If a cover is gone, the story is not gone. Read the A cover. Chase the C cover later.
FAQs
What is Absolute Wonder Woman?
Absolute Wonder Woman is Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s DC Absolute Universe series, a darker Amazon story that began in October 2024.
How tall is Absolute Wonder Woman?
DC has not listed an official number. Art shows a tall, mythic fighter, often read as at least classic Diana’s six-foot range.
Does she meet Batman?
Yes. Issue 15 starts the first meeting in Gotham. Absolute Batman #16 continues it.
What is issue 16 Cover C?
Cover C is a variant, often card stock. The artist changes by issue, so confirm #16 Cover C with your shop’s listing.
Is there an annual?
Yes. The 2026 Annual #1, written by Thompson with art by Mattia De Iulis, went on sale 11 February 2026.
Is this the same as Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman?
No. The films are one continuity. This comic is a separate Absolute Universe reboot with a new costume, sword, and origin pressure.
Pull issue 1 or Vol. 1 this week, then read through #15 so the Batman meeting hits clean. Share your favorite Sherman cover in the comments and tell other readers which trade you started with.