Absolute Wonder Woman was already a beast in battle, thanks in part to her ability to wield magic and that handy magical broadsword, but Absolute Wonder Woman #4 takes that to a completely new level. Not only does Wonder Woman manage to weave a spell and get her arm back, but she then looks to construct the ultimate weapon against the Tetracide, and to accomplish that goal one needs a big sword. Wonder Woman takes that to heart too, giving her Athena Blade a massive upgrade, and while there have been many comparisons to Final Fantasy’s Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword in the past, this new version simply leaves Cloud’s sword in the dust.
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After effectively silencing the Tetracide to keep it from drawing the population of the city into its maw, it was time to actually take the titan down, and to do that Diana needed a bigger than life weapon. With Pegasus at her side and her arm restored, it was time to use her newly acquired magical ingredients to giver her sword a power-up.
Diana calls upon the Athena Blade and then reveals she has an idea that it’s going to love. Driving the monster to the beach, Wonder Woman makes the sword absolutely massive, with its blade stretching up into the sky. Diana says,” Goddess Athena, aid your humble servant in striking true. Let the Athena Blade break upon it as waves cutting through stone!”
Wonder Woman then calls upon her mother’s power, saying,” Mother, though I a far from home, lend me your strength. Your conviction. Your indominable will!” As you can see in the images, Wonder Woman is incredibly small even just compared to the handle of the sword, let alone the blade, but she is able to strike from the sky and bring the blade down with authority, cleaving the Tetracide all the way through as if she were slicing a cake and finally killing it in the process.
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There were plenty of comparisons between Wonder Woman’s new blade and Cloud Strife’s signature sword from the games, and that made a lot of sense initially. This version of the Athena Blade however is simply in another category, putting the Buster Sword to shame. That said, you simply never know what Cloud could do in the future. There is one more game in the remake trilogy after all, so perhaps he will respond to the new competition at some point down the line.
ComicBook had the chance to speak to Absolute Wonder Woman’s creative team of writer Kelly Thompson and artist Hayden Sherman previously about Diana’s new weapon, and Sherman is having fun with the comparisons.
“I do find it just like, on the idea of calling it a Buster Sword, I love that people are calling it Buster Sword, and I totally respect it because I, too, love Coud Strife,” Sherman said. “But it’s funny to me that even in like covers and in variants and fan art that I’ve seen online, like, the way that I’ve designed the sword is to be just like a big meaty rectangle, and people are so seeing the Buster Sword that they even chop off the little end of it and like straight up make it Cloud sword. Yeah, I’m down with honestly, I mean, it’s fun.”
Absolute Wonder Woman #4 is in comic stores now, and you can find the official descrtiption below.
“DIANA MAKES THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE! The Tetracide is “The Four Killer”… and Diana has done the unthinkable to escape its fatal grasp. The move may have saved her to fight another day, but the price Diana paid is more than she can stand to lose for the fight that’s coming. She will need the help of her allies both old and new to recover what she has lost — and save Gateway City!”
What did you think of Absolute Wonder Woman #4? You can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
