Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Rafa Sandoval
Published by DC Comics
I will start off by saying that of all the new books in the Absolute line, this one is my least favorite. It still has some really great moments and character bits in it. And for sure, the artwork by Rafa Sandoval is definitely really worth checking out the book for. It is some of the strongest artwork for a Superman related book in the past year.
The real issue is that the take on the character that they have decided on here is rather dull. It is also a really long way from being compelling in any sense of the word.
Now, part of that might be because of writer Jason Aaron. He had written a couple of issues of Action Comics before this that were also rather dull. But that doesn’t mean Aaron is a bad writer. It’s usually quite the opposite as his work on Thor proves as well as his more recent writing on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
So what is it? Maybe he doesn’t have an affinity for writing DC characters? Bendis had a bit of the same problem and he is a great writer, too. Whatever it is, this book starts off with a really bogged down first chapter and then just keeps bogging us down for the subsequent ones.
Since this book takes place in the Absolute universe, this Superman is a little darker than previous versions. Maybe that’s not so much of a good thing either, for both the characters in this book nor the people reading it.
The beginning of this book takes place on Krypton. This part is actually pretty cool and we get an in depth look at how this version of Krypton actually works. The book divides the people of Krypton into two factions. One faction is made up of the scientists which are considered to be the higher class of people on Krypton. Then we get to see the workers, who are considered to be the lower class on Krypton. The workers have the House of El symbol on them which works as though it were a Scarlet Letter. This is also where we meet this version of Jor-El and his wife Lara.
This part of the book is very interesting, and it makes it tough on the scenes taking place on earth. The reason is the scenes on earth are a little dull. And even more dull than that is this version of Superman. His story is just not as interesting than the one about his parents. And that is really kind of a shame.
We first get to see this version of Superman helping out indentured minors in Brazil. It is a perfectly fine scene but Superman is a kind of glum kind of character here. It is a watered down version of the Zack Snyder movie version in a way, but somehow less fun. That doesn’t bode too well for the longevity of the series.
This book also includes all of the various characters that you have come to know and love in the regular Superman series. Yet, they all have new roles. Seeing these versions of those characters is a bit of a rough chore as well.
Lois Lane is a solider in this and she hates writing. I appreciate the inverse of the character but it does feel a tad odd. She gets assigned to look into Superman and to see what he is all about. Needless to say, things don’t go as planned and everything sort of goes wildly out of control for her and her hunt. There is a a bigger conflict at play that comes into focus as the chapters go on, but it feels off. I think the creative team may be planning for something bigger, but it’s hard to care because the stakes just are not there. And that is a real shame.
The best thing I can say about this book is that it is a real showcase for the artwork of Rafa Sandoval. He does his best work here and every page is a real showcase for his talents. I only wish the story matched his level of storytelling. It does not. Maybe this book will get better but this first volume is a bit of a slog to get through.
RATING: C+
You must be logged in to post a comment Login