DC Comics 3/4/26 – DC KO 5, Batman 7

Absolute Superman 17

Absolute Superman’s initial setup with the extended origin aka Absolute Superman Begins was a very strong read. Since writer Jason Aaron has made him a full-on costume-wearing hero, the series has gotten even better.

This issue, Superman and Hawkman have to contend with Parasite, which has not so coincidentally been unleashed in Metropolis. In a completely random hardly related incident that’s also playing out halfway across the world, Talia is freeing her father, Ra’s al Ghul, from the prison Superman placed him in to atone for his crimes.

Starting over from scratch with Superman has led to some fun developments like Lois Lane being involved with Lazarus before becoming a reporter at The Daily Planet. She knows of Hawkman’s dark side and wants him to stay far away from Superman. After learning more about Hawkman’s methods, Superman isn’t adding him to his Christmas card list either. Aaron keeps front of mind that Superman at his core is an inspirational hero and will seek a peaceful, uplifting resolution instead of going in heat ray blazing and fists flying to handle a problem.

Artist Juan Ferreyra is doing what he did on his run for Green Arrow — completely revitalizing the visuals with a panting-like style that fully pulls readers in. It’s a gorgeous blend of expressive characters, larger than life type of perspectives with haunting, terrifying elements as well. Mixed with Ferreyra’s gorgeous color choices, Absolute Superman’s artwork stands out in a good way to any other comic on the shelves. Letterer Becca Carey navigates this art style beautifully with clean dialogue and engaging sound effect fonts.

The one slightly off-putting aspect of this issue is the nightmarish final page showing what Brainiac did to Absolute Lex Luthor’s family. It always seemed like tragedy was going to befall the Absolute Lex, but this gives a sad backstory to the character who readers would assume will become Superman’s greatest enemy. Aaron has done right by this book so far, so a little patience has certainly been earned to see how he tackles this version of Luthor.

Absolute Superman is definitely on a roll, and its momentum only keeps growing. If you’re not checking it out yet, you really should give it a shot.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Check out Absolute Superman vol. 2 – Son of the Demon on trade paperback at Amazon.

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