Checking in with Kelly Thompson about Absolute Wonder Woman

Kelly Thompson is the Eisner Award-winning writer behind Absolute Wonder Woman with Hayden Sherman, Jordie Bellaire, and Becca Carey. The series is now 21 issues deep and has gotten considerable buzz, including picking up a handful of 2026 Eisner Award nominations — including best writer for Thompson. I caught up with Thompson recently. Check out our short conversation below.

Now that we are 21 issues deep, what has been the most rewarding and challenging part of writing this book?

KT: I think the most rewarding thing has been the collaborative experience working with this incredible team -- and the reader response -- which has far outstripped any success I've had in comics before. It's been a delight to really see people finding the book organically and sharing it with such joy.

What has it been like to see the reaction to Absolute Zatanna and her connection with Diana? Was her introduction part of the plan from the get-go? If not, when did that develop? Could we see a spinoff in the future, or is that something you're not considering right now?

KT: I think I was always thinking about Zatanna for a bunch of reasons -- she's a great character for starters, and her friendship with Diana in the main universe is interesting and I'd love to see more of it -- but the main one was of course, that Absolute Diana's story is much more based in and built around magic. So it seemed a natural choice. But we didn't know the fans would go so wild for it -- we were delighted with the response. I do think a spinoff is a possibility -- I have an interesting idea -- but it has to be positioned correctly -- and DC is being very smart about the Absolute line, in my opinion, and being careful about how big they grow the line. So I'm optimistic, but the timing will need to be right.

How has the book differed from everything else you've done so far in your career? How does it feel to be nominated for Best Writer for the first time at the Eisners? And what does it say that practically the entire team was nominated for the book?

KT: Well, the entire team was not nominated, because Becca Carey, our fantastic letterer, has not been nominated. Obviously, a ton of talented people who made excellent comics are not nominated every year, but it is hard to see her work ignored while the rest of the team is acknowledged. She's been an absolute rock star for us. Also, believe it or not, it's not my first time getting a best writer nomination. I have lost it three times already. I expect to lose a fourth time this year!

Absolute Wonder Woman #22 arrives at comic book stores on July 22nd, 2026. Pre-order the issue now to ensure you don’t miss out.