There are some weapons and gear in DC that are so iconic that it’s impossible to imagine a superhero without them. Batman needs his utility belt and batarangs, Green Lantern needs his ring, and so forth. For Wonder Woman, the Lasso of Truth is one of her best-known and most interesting artifacts. She’s always stood as a champion of truth, so having a rope that forces people to face and confess that truth is perfect for her. Her golden lasso is always at her side, just waiting to snare a would-be villain and force them to tell her exactly what she needs to hear.
Of course, the Wonder Woman of the Absolute Universe is not the same one we know and love. She’s a witch, she grew up in Hell, and, most importantly for today, she does not have a Lasso of Truth. Instead, she weilds three separate magical ropes. The Nemesis Lasso burns someone in accordance with their sins, and the Thysía transforms whoever it touches into something else. Up till now, the third and final lasso, the Troika, has remained mysterious. Absolute Wonder Woman #19, however, finally showed us what it can do, and it’s a total redesign of the original’s Lasso of Truth.
Wonder Woman’s fight against the undead Zatara was not going well. His monstrous magical might outmatched everything she threw at him, forcing her to bind him with the Troika. They were both trapped in a vision of an infinite void with a crossroads. Zatara was forced to face the truth of the choice he made in the past: his wife or his daughter. His refusal to accept his choice is what led to Cale capturing and controlling him. The Troika was a trial that forced people to face a truth they thought they could not, and they could only wake up by accepting it or being swallowed by it.
In classic Absolute fashion, this is a brand-new take on a very old idea. The Troika is similar in role to the Lasso of Truth, being a tool that Wonder Woman can use to help and force her enemies to realize something. However, unlike the Golden Perfect, this rope is a psychological challenge. It can’t give Diana answers to a random or important question, but it can reveal the inner workings of whoever is bound by it. The Troika is supposed to help others accept the past they can’t change, so they can know how to face their reality. It’s the Lasso of Truth if it had a punk edge, and I love it.
Diana’s newest lasso has the potential to be the most dangerous, as she herself was trapped in its power when Zatara and Zatanna escaped. She promised there would be consequences for those who fail its test, which can only mean that there are some pretty high costs to using this magical power. Where the Lasso of Truth was a tool meant to help in the moment, the Troika is a tool meant to test. Both want the same thing, but achieve it in very different and thematically appropriate ways.
Absolute Wonder Woman #19 is on sale now!
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