Quick TakeArticle at a glance
- Wonder Woman #40, out December 16, will be the final issue of writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere's run on the series , DC confirmed Friday, September 18, closing the "Wonder War" storyline the pair have been building since the series launched in September 2023.
- DC announced the news on its own blog as part of its December 2026 solicitations, and the creative team went into more detail in a same-day feature on AIPT .
- Sampere draws and covers the issue, with variant covers from David Nakayama, Julian Totino Tedesco, and Jamie Hewlett.
Wonder Woman #40, out December 16, will be the final issue of writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere’s run on the series, DC confirmed Friday, September 18, closing the “Wonder War” storyline the pair have been building since the series launched in September 2023.
DC announced the news on its own blog as part of its December 2026 solicitations, and the creative team went into more detail in a same-day feature on AIPT. Forty issues is a big number for a modern DC ongoing, but King says it wasn’t the plan he started with.
What Happens in Wonder Woman #40
The finale brings the Wonder War to a close. The Matriarch and her father, the Sovereign, have spent the back half of the run assembling a crew of villains to wipe out Wonder Woman and everything she stands for, and issue #40 is the last stand: Diana and her daughter Trinity fighting together to protect Themyscira from that threat for good. Sampere draws and covers the issue, with variant covers from David Nakayama, Julian Totino Tedesco, and Jamie Hewlett.
Why the Run Is Ending at 40 Issues, Not 100
King told AIPT he originally had a much longer story in mind: “I wanted to, when I first started, do 100 issues, so I’m disappointed in myself for not getting that.” He pointed to how much busier his schedule outside comics has gotten, name-checking his work as an executive producer on HBO’s Lanterns as one of the reasons a longer run stopped being realistic.
Even with the shorter runway, King says he’s happy with where the story lands: “incredibly happy and joyous” with the ending, and confident it wraps up what he and Sampere set out to do. Some outlets have floated anonymous claims that the cutoff wasn’t entirely his call, but the only on-record explanation from King himself is the scheduling one, and DC’s own announcement frames the ending as a planned conclusion to the Wonder War arc, not a cancellation.
Introducing Trinity, and What a 40-Issue Run Built
Launched in September 2023, King and Sampere’s Wonder Woman spans 40 issues collected across six volumes. The run’s biggest addition to the DC Universe is Trinity, Diana’s daughter, who got her own spinoff series, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman, alongside dozens of other new characters introduced along the way, including the Sovereign and the Matriarch.
Sampere told AIPT his focus throughout was less about splash-page spectacle and more about acting and pacing: “I focus a lot more of my attention on the acting, on the pace of the storytelling, and making sure that the story flows well with the reader.” King, for his part, said Trinity’s voice didn’t click for him until he started writing her as a kid: “I found the personality I was looking for…It wasn’t until I started writing the younger versions of her that I was like, ‘Oh, now I found that.'”
DC Still Leads Marvel at the Register
The Wonder War’s finale lands as DC continues to outsell Marvel at comic shops: DC held 49.19% of the direct market to Marvel’s 27.42% in the September 1-7, 2026 tracking week, per Comics Bulletin’s sales data, a gap this site also covered alongside DC’s December solicitations. A high-profile, critically praised flagship title sticking the landing on its own terms is exactly the kind of story that share of the market gets built on.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Finale issue | Wonder Woman #40 |
| Release date | December 16, 2026 |
| Writer | Tom King |
| Artist / main cover | Daniel Sampere |
| Variant covers | David Nakayama, Julian Totino Tedesco, Jamie Hewlett |
| Run length | 40 issues, launched September 2023 |
| Storyline concluding | “Wonder War” |
What Comes Next for Wonder Woman
DC hasn’t named a new creative team for Wonder Woman yet. Sampere told AIPT he hopes readers “feel that it’s reading a relevant point on the character’s history” and come away knowing “we gave our absolute best.” No release-week plans, one-shots, or successor announcements have been confirmed as of this writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s Wonder Woman run end?
Their run ends with Wonder Woman #40, releasing December 16, 2026, which concludes the “Wonder War” storyline.
Why is the Wonder Woman run ending at issue #40 instead of 100?
Tom King said he originally wanted 100 issues but that his schedule outside comics, including his work on HBO’s Lanterns, made that plan unrealistic. He has said publicly he’s happy with how the shorter run concludes.
Who is Trinity in Tom King’s Wonder Woman?
Trinity is Wonder Woman’s daughter, introduced during King and Sampere’s run and later given her own spinoff series, Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman.
Is a new Wonder Woman creative team confirmed?
Not yet. DC has not announced who will take over writing or drawing Wonder Woman after issue #40.
What happens in Wonder Woman #40?
Diana and Trinity face a final battle against the Matriarch and the Sovereign, who have spent the Wonder War arc assembling villains to destroy Wonder Woman and Themyscira.
