Review: Kindness Is Absolutely A Superpower In ‘Absolute Wonder Woman Annual 2026’

Greek mythology is full of stories of wonder, pain, and sometimes absolute cruelty most open perpetrated by the gods themselves. One of the cruelest is the story of Medusa, which has a vast array of versions and depictions throughout history.

Kindness meets cruelty in Absolute Wonder Woman Annual 2026 where the Amazonian warrior comes face to face with Medusa. A transformative story from Kelly Thompson, Mattia De Iulis, and Becca Carey.

What a truly transcendently gorgeous series this continues to be. Whether it’s Hayden Sherman and Jordie Bellaire or issues like this from De Iulis, the series remains faithfully artistically centered. Every single facet of creation works in tandem to present beautiful stories that resonate beyond their moment and even intent.

I’ve loved De Iulis work for quite some time. Paired with Thompson always means something truly wonderous (sorry not sorry) is going to occur.

There is a slickness that surrounds true depth and amount of detail that is off the charts. It hits a space where the characters and moments feel almost ripped from reality itself, with just the right air of whimsical mystery that reminds us it’s a comic. Everything has a perfectly structured sense of scale, as the large warrior moves through the world around her.

Backgrounds are dense in some spaces and sparse in others, adding to whatever the moment requires. Each action sequence is like a flowing river of kinetic energy, as the beings could leap off the page at any moment.

This color palette keeps things rich and unique while tapping into a lot of heavier darker tones. Around those are flashes and uses of much lighter or vibrant beats for atmospheric filters or tonal resonance. Each space is rendered with its own particular flavor in the color realm that coalesces into something unified.

Keeping to the same visual energy, as always, is Carey on lettering. She really highlights the voices and power of the words on every page, utilizing various colors and styles to give characters their own voices and power. This taps into the world itself for its sounds and personality to splash across every panel.

Hope and kindness remain as paramount traits of Diana, even in this warped darker universe. We feel that inherently through this story as Thompson highlights those qualities alongside the fierce determination. This calls back to Diana’s brief transformation into Medusa many issues ago was such a great choice. Of course, the suffering of another that Diana has now felt firsthand is not something she can let go.

She’s questioning one of the gods that had visited and protected her, because it’s the right thing to do, sacrificing her powers and more to rescue someone that doesn’t deserve to be trapped with a monstrous curse. Diana gives Medusa her agency back, so that she can choose her own ways and form. The story is centered around taking back one’s power and being able to choose who and what you are both physically and mentally.

This story will be sure to resonate with many, especially in this day and age.

Oh, I almost forgot. As the preview pages showcase, around the prayers to Athena, we get a montage of Diana being a hero. Saving lives, punching villains, and doing what she does best. It’s such a solid sequence both in execution visually as well as how much it tells us about Diana without having to say too much. Showing, not just telling.

Absolute Wonder Woman Annual 2026 is now available from DC Comics.