Review: Absolute Superman #18

Absolute Superman #18 came out this week and was another whirlwind of an issue, pushing the old Al Ghul plot forward while introducing not one but two new Absolute characters.

After the wonderfully paced first arc which lasted 14 issues, establishing the world and informing us about Clark, Jason Aaron has really sped things up over the last three months. A battle with Hawkman. A new Parasite. Jimmy and Lois settling into civilian roles. Talia trying to rescue her father.

In this issue, Talia gets to her father and is trying to bring him back to world prominence. At the same time. Lois is ready to get some old school revenge on the Al Ghul's for killing her father. Superman is trying to stop Lois from becoming a murderer. And then ... they show up. 

I am quite impressed with how fully formed all these characters feel. I think I 'know' Kal and Lois and Talia. I truly think that simmering first arc really gave Aaron a defined world to now write fully.

Rafa Sandoval is back on the art and continues to shine. I like his version of Clark on the farm. I like the design of the two new Absolute characters in the book. And, as always, the action is energetic and palpable. 

I continue to be impressed with this book. Kudos to all involved.

We start in a flashback in ancient Egypt. A young boy from Khandaq is enslaved, his mother and father killed. He witnesses an elderly slave slaughtered by the taskmasters. The boy is then savagely beaten.

But this is a kid who stands up against injustice. 

You can see that this boy, Teth-Adam, could be a hero. I can see Clark standing up for the people this way as well. Interesting.

Moved to a slave ship, Teth-Adam witnesses a sorceress appear and prophesize about Superman.

Now who is this? 

Looks like Absolute Raven. But she has a pretty prominent amulet. Absolute Fate (with no helmet)?

Now here is a pretty cool wrinkle. 

Teth-Adam escapes and runs into the desert in hopes of finding some legendary wizard who grants wishes. Sounds like old Shazam. Instead, what he finds is Brainiac! And they don't impart wishes. They experiment, some of which kill the specimen, others that improve.

Here they use some device they pulled out of a black hole on Teth-Adam. 

So no Shazam. No acronym of old gods. Just Brainiacs slicing and dicing. Will this be like some machine like Gargunza made in MiracleMan?

And these Brainiacs look too smooth to be the Absolute Brainiac who seems so horrific. Which means Brainiacs have been on Earth for millenia. ,

All in all, everything about this is a new and interesting to me. 

Back in the present, Superman checks in on Jimmy and Lois via their signal watches. He learns that Lois is tracking Talia and Ra's Al Ghul with the intention to kill them to avenge her father. Superman thinks that is murder, not justice. 

It shows that while Lois has changed in this world, that she has been impacted by Superman, the old Absolute Darkseid stuff is still in there. She is ready to pull the trigger. This makes her character a bit more complex, knowing these thoughts are still in there.

Love the visual by Sandoval of Clark willing his cape to form from the crystals.

Talia has brought Ra's to the last remaining Lazarus Pit to revive him from his withered form. Instead of diving in, Ra's tries to destroy it.

He has truly changed. He has been moved by Superman's trying to save his soul. He realizes his conquests have been a waste of time and energy. 

If you want to see what Superman can do as an inspiration, look no further. Pretty brilliant.

Talia is disgusted by her father's sudden 'weakness'. Then she and Lois square off. The Superman shows up. It is all pretty tense. I really like how Superman is actually trying to de-escalate everything. 

Nice jab by Talia, calling Lois an 'obedient' girlfriend.

Talia is pretty fierce throughout, ready to become the queen of Lazarus.

Another interesting plot thread is how the Father Box effects Clark's mind.

I don't think we know much about this Father Box ... where it comes from, what it does, etc.

Outside the facility, we meet the Absolute Steel.

Wielding a magnetized hammer, this Steel mops up a bunch of Peacemakers and wades in ready to kill the Al Ghul's.

I remember when Steel first showed up as a representative of 'Superman's soul' in the Reign of the Supermen. So seeing this version hammering away and looking to kill shows us once more we are in the Absolute Universe. He feels more like a Punisher than a pure good guy.

Love this design. Seems more like a scuba suit than Iron Man-like armor. 

But the brawl in the facility cracks open a cell of some sort. Suddenly King Shazam, this world's Black Adam, is suddenly free. Another new Absolute character. Love how Sandoval shows us just enough of him to get a sense of his presence.

Whew! That was a lot! Love how Aaron has moved the needle here. Really enjoying this world and this book.

Overall grade: A-