Review: ‘Absolute Superman’ #2
Much like Absolute Wonder Woman #2 last week, this second installment of Absolute Superman introduces the titular character’s main universe love interest — with a twist. That comes to life here in the form of Lois Lane working as a soldier for the evil Lazarus Corporation. The interactions between Lois and Kal were spot-on and a great representation of what you’d expect from these two no matter what universe they’re in together. It may not be the exact relationship we’re used to just yet, but there was instant chemistry between these two thanks to Jason Aaron’s dialogue.
Aaron has introduced Lazarus as a symbol of corporate greed. Multinational conglomerates are destroying our actual society, culture, and environment in the name of power and profit and that’s exactly what Lazarus is doing to Earth in this universe. Their corporate mottos about peace and other empty “aspirational” promises are plastered on their weapons of mass destruction in a nod to Orwellian doublespeak from 1984.
I’m enjoying how Aaron is using Lazarus, which is revealed to be led in some capacity by a version of Brainiac, to introduce the ethos of this version of Kal (Aaron has been very careful not to use the name ‘Clark’ for this character yet) as a freedom fighter. These types of figures haven’t been known to be too forgiving to their enemies throughout our own world’s history, so it will be interesting to see how Aaron explores Kal’s moral compass when the characters is forced to make tough, ambiguous decisions. It was also fascinating to see this Kal spent an actual childhood on Krypton where he witnessed the reign and destructive nature of an evil regime. This background gives our new Kal a layer of motivation that our main universe version doesn’t have. Aaron has already built such a deep history in two short issues that he can continue to explore in future issues. I’m really excited to see how this evolves.
Getting back to Lois for a second, Aaron subverts her usual journalistic positioning in the form of her wanting to write a military report detailing her experience with Superman. In this new world, A.I. (another very topical area where Aaron’s script provides underhanded commentary) is king and nobody is supposed to think for themselves. When Lois is being debriefed after her encounter, her words are twisted to match an anti-Superman narrative, to which she objects. Her decision to write her own report being the moment she realizes she has a knack for using her voice to tell others’ stories was such a smart and fun way to give the character a core part of her DNA without just replicating things that other Superman writers have been doing for decades.
Artist Rafa Sandoval and colorist Ulises Arreola are freaking amazing! Exquisite linework paired with bold, emphatic colors create a visual feast. Sandoval is a master of motion — his interpretation of Kal’s icy breath was so cool! He uses onomatopoeia perfectly to give the book a surround sound feel during major action sequences and Becca Carey’s lettering adds depth to some of the quieter the panels. However, the best visual execution of the entire issue has to be the life and personality the art team gives to Kal’s sentient cape. It is somehow sentient (based on what we think is it’s ability to converse with Kal) and is able to alter it’s shape to accomplish tasks like shielding survivors of a battle from harm. Getting to see all the cool stuff this team did with it was worth the cover price alone — it was that awesome!
Rating: 10/10
