Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: absolute, Absolute Wonder Woman, Hayden Sherman

More Absolute Wonder Woman Designs From Hayden Sherman

More Absolute Wonder Woman Designs from Hayden Sherman shared by Kelly Thompson

Published Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:57:07 -0600

In Absolute Wonder Woman, writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman have been reimagining the Amazon princess in a darker, more grounded, and mythologically intense light. Without Themyscira's paradise, the sisterhood's guidance, or a clear mandate for peace, this Diana is a fierce, hell-touched warrior navigating monsters, gods, and personal reckonings. And Kelly Thompson has been continuing to treat fans through her Substack newsletter with a multi-part series spotlighting Sherman's character designs. The latest instalment dives into designs that Sherman conceptualised, but were brought to life on the page by other artists, such as Mattia De Iulis in the recently released Absolute Wonder Woman Annual and Matias Bergara in The Price arc in Absolute Wonder Woman #14 and beyond.

"Admittedly I wrote a big DPS reveal for her in the Annual when I saw the genius and spectacle of Hayden's design, suffice to say Mattia De Iulis did not disappoint either"

"Hayden also did these incredible GORGON designs for original Medusa and her sisters Stheno and Euryale. I love their weird cool faces, so unlike the kind of design I feel like we traditionally see for female characters in comics:"

"This is the original GAIA design by Hayden. Really leaning into her being made up of whatever Earth is around. I tend to think of her as not really having a representational physical form (because she is EVERYTHING) but when communicating with humans she tries to form a "face" for herself…something more representational…just to help their tiny human brains to not explode. lol"

"We also had Diana dealing with a villain for these two issues that was basically a magical "inverse" of herself. But we didn't want this to be obvious from the jump. So Hayden did a design that felt like a sort of "dark Diana" and we merged it with a more sort of "energy form" — the idea being that the "Inverse Diana" would start pretty non-representational and become more and more like her the longer it progressed and the more contact it had with her."

For the full deep dive, including how these characters appeared when published, check Kelly Thompson's Substack post here. Previous instalments are linked there too.

ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL 2026 #1
(W) Kelly Thompson (A/CA) Mattia De Iulis
THE FIRST ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL IS HERE! The experience of briefly becoming Medusa in order to save Gateway City changed Diana. It haunts her, and she has never stopped seeking an answer from the gods. Her pleas to Athena have gone unanswered…until now. If she wants justice, the mission is deadly and uncertain. Is it worth the risk just to set right one injustice? Breakout artist Mattia de Iulis returns to the series for a visually spectacular epic of mythological crimes and personal redemption!
$5.99 2/11/2026

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!