Absolute Superman (Issue #1-7)
by
Jason Aaron (story), Rafa Sandoval (artist)
I must admit, I avoided reading these Absolute comics for their initial few issues, because I was very weary of them – I have found the quality and consistency of the mainstream superhero stories the last many years to be wanting; especially in the most popular titles and characters that companies really WANT selling in big numbers.
So it was only after a friend and fellow comic-enthusiast very emphatically told me that they were worth a try, I decided to read Absolute Batman (as I reviewed recently) and that gave me a bit more confidence to check out Absolute Superman. The face that they story was being written by Jason Aaron helped because his work on Thor and some others was very good in the past.
We are once again in the Absolute DCverse where things are darker and bleaker and the heroes we knew are more alone and struggling to make any difference whatsoever in a world that doesn’t give them a chance – never is this going to be truer and a bigger narrative challenge, than Superman. He is the quintessential shining, soaring, bright red hero… it is literally in the name. That said, this is a shockingly well told tale and for me it was even better an experience than Batman and it was my first time enjoying Superman since the Philip Kennedy Johnson run on the main-unverse title, writing the War World Saga in 2022.
The world is a mess, one of the biggest entities is a corporation called Lazarus Corp (3 guesses who might be the big bad behind it…) and they exploit resources and people the world over – enforced by their own private army of Peacemakers (yup, they all dress like John Cena…).
We find the familiar face of Kal El working in secret, all alone for who knows how long exactly, going from place to place and trying to push back against those in power and give a super-helping -hand to the downtrodden to try and make their world better – all without ever being seen or heard as anything other than a rumour or whisper amongst those he helped. From slums in India to diamond mines in Latin America, he bounces around everywhere. His only companion is an AI system built into his suit (I think) that helps him and keeps him safe while helping him stay safe and hidden and to try and cope with his abilities and balance out his usage of them versus staying charged with solar energy from Earths’ sun.
Into this mix he finds himself encountered by a member of Lazarus Corp names Lois Lane who is one of the very few to ever see him directly when circumstances force his hand and he has to reveal himself to save lives immediately in danger – leading to his secret blowing up as this giant corporate entity is now hunting for him, as is Lois (for reasons of her own which conflict with her upbringing and her job) and also being sought out by a mysterious group called The Omega Men who are outlawed by Lazarus and by governments friendly to the company. Oh and one of the things in the shadows behind Lazarus is Brainiac, supposedly an A.I. that the company uses for a multitude of things – but is it really that simple?
I would like to mention here the artwork. It is utterly stellar! For me, looking at the pages hearkened back to older Superman comic styles of the 80s and 90s but at the same time it was grittier and more detailed and somehow had shades of more modern comic art – but the core is a somewhat traditional style that feels like the “house styles” that one was used to with comics like this and it just… felt right! The fact that the colour choices are bold and vibrant and it all seems to be bombastic and in-your-face at times, really added to the experience. Plus the design choices like Supermans new cape, the armours of the Peacekeepers, Brainiac and more really worked well for me and every page flowed smooooooth.
Very nice visual story-telling!
The issues also leapfrog with a few that tell the story of Krypton before the explosion that destroyed it, specifically focussing on Lara and Jor El. It is a familiar tale told in a new way and surprised me more than aything else: it has the two main characters as nothing like the ones we know outside of their being intelligent and good-hearted people who are trying to convince their government that the planet might be in danger; and unlike other incarnations, Kal El is a grown child instead of an infant and we also get to see things through this childs eyes as his parents fight against impossible odds and it all ties into the main story in the present and the impact his childhood left on the man now known as Superman. Suffice to say that Aaron has really done a hell of a job rebuilding an extremely familiar story into something fresh and the artwork does a fantastic job elevating the narrative. The characters are all given nice room and the narrative progression is well paced and intense.
By issue #6, the two narrative start to dovetail as we follow young Kals’ arrival on Earth. Once again, the fact that Kal-El is not a baby when he departs Krypton plays a huge part in his experience and trauma at the events surrounding the end of his homeworld and the difference in this young-adult crashing into a field in Kansas. I quite liked this version of the Kents and this short but striking version of his time with them is handled very well and carries some solidly emotional heft.
Finally, this initial story arc ends on a big, scary high as it delves into one of the most intriguing and well-crafted aspects of this new Superman reboot: the origin and nature of not just this version of Brainiac in general but the ecosystem of the Brainiacs and the history within that of this Brainiac that is stuck on Earth with his bottled cities and hidden agendas and, shall we say… eccentricities…?
Okay so he is a formerly tortured and very twisted individual who has only gotten more and more warped from the Brainiac we are all familiar with and has become like a sociopath and a psychopath and a sadist, all rolled into one eerie and creepy package – and he’s obsessed with this new Kryptonian who has revealed himself to be on Earth.
The art remains as solid as it has been throughout the series and the design and execution of the backstory in this issue was visually really well portrayed and added very nicely to the frankly dark and creepy narrative that Aaron was laying before us. And I have to say, I am really liking the colour palette being used in the art for this series!
IN CONCLUSION
I will admit that perhaps this comic is not for everyone. There will be those who will hate the changes to the mythos. There will be those who will not like the tone or have some other gripe.
Personally, I liked the look, without a doubt. And on top of that, I found that it was a fascinating and clearly thought-out take on one of the most iconic and familiar characters and origins in all of fiction and it was executed far better than most any reboot/retelling I’ve heard over decades. It is innovative while striking a hard balance of maintaining the core of the character and what HE is and stands for (or will stand for), which I think makes sense to me as the brief behind this entire line of books.
If you are an open-minded Superman fan, I would highly, highly recommend it. Also, if you like good science fiction and don’t mind a little super-heroing in the mix, worth checking out!
One Happy Monk 
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