This week, we dive headfirst into Absolute Wonder Woman — a reimagining of Diana raised in hell by Circe — and we can’t stop talking about how good this book is. We break down why this version finally captures the heart of Wonder Woman, why compassion is her real superpower, and why this heavy-metal redesign absolutely works. Along the way, we detour through Conan, grindhouse cinema, crocodile cult horror, and Peter’s descent into AI-powered app building. It’s a wild one — but mostly, we’re here to say: go read this comic.

Show Notes

Opening Catch-Up

🌦 Weather & Fire Season

• Idaho dryness vs East Coast snow extremes
• Brush fire near town, melted vinyl fences “like a Salvador Dalí painting”
• The looming dread of wildfire season

What We’ve Been Checking Out

🎵 Peter’s Music Picks

• New album The New Flesh from Sylosis — melodic death metal with thrashy energy
• Revisiting Wrath and Ruin from Warbringer
• Why thrash metal continues to be politically and socially conscious
• Vocalists that require an “acquired taste”

📚 Dungeon Crawler Carl

• Peter finally reads Dungeon Crawler Carl
• Why it’s perfect “palate cleanser” reading after heavier sci-fi
• Audiobook praise — standout voice acting
• The joy of litRPG that “goes down smooth”

🤖 Peter’s AI Dashboard & App Rabbit Hole

• Frustration with task management tools fot creative projects
• Building a custom creative dashboard using Claude Code, GitHub, Vercel, Supabase
• Creating a personal album art app (“Cover Hunter”) to replace Windows-only tools
• Eden’s extremely justified skepticism about giving LLMs terminal access
• Why all AI logos look like buttholes

🎬 Movie Nights & Schlock Adventures

🎥 Grindhouse Plans

• Seeing The Thing at late-night cinema
• Upcoming screening of Red Sonja

🗡 Conan Double Feature

• Hosting Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer
• Divisive reactions from friends and spouses
• The eternal question: Is Conan high art or just schlock perfection?

🐊 The Most Unhinged Double Feature Ever

• The Devil’s Sword
• The Boxer’s Omen
• Crocodile goddesses, tantric monks, cursed boxers
• Possibly the grossest wizard ritual ever filmed
• “I’m not recommending it… but what a show.”

🦸 Main Event: Absolute Wonder Woman

Context: The Absolute Universe

• Darkseid infects a parallel DC universe
• Core heroes reimagined from the ground up
• Working-class Batman
• Krypton-raised Superman
• A more mythic, more brutal, but emotionally sharper universe

This Diana Is Different

• Raised in Hell by Circe
• Not shaped by Themyscira — shaped by survival and magic
• Still fundamentally compassionate
• Three lassos
• Heavy metal redesign
• Aquiline nose stays consistent (important!)
• The robot arm forged by Hephaestus
• Big Buster Sword energy

What Makes This Version Work

❤️ Compassion as Core

• “Do not harm who you can disarm.”
• Diana constantly tries mercy first
• Labyrinth arc: befriending the Minotaur
• Offering enemies a chance before destroying them

🔁 Flashback Structure

• Flashbacks to her upbringing used elegantly
• Not cheap exposition — emotionally earned context
• Circe’s influence woven into present-day decisions

💀 The Tetracide & The Labyrinth

• Muting an entire city to stop mass hysteria
• Sacrificing her arm to save Steve Trevor
• Punching holes through reality to send enemies home
• Gaia acknowledging the world is already broken

Art & Design

• Hayden Sherman’s definitive redesign
• Armor that feels functional, not fetishized
• Size and presence emphasized — she’s physically imposing
• Strong character consistency across rotating artists
• Painterly and sketch-heavy guest styles that still fit tone

Why This Matters

• This is why Wonder Woman belongs in the Trinity
• A corrective to bad portrayals (looking at you, Injustice)
• A great entry point for new comic readers
• Absolute line is bringing new readers into shops