Absolute Superman has shaken up Kryptonian mythology and the tethers Kal-El and his family had to that mythology immensely throughout the series, and while Krypton may be gone, the life lessons found there are more alive than ever. Those lessons are only magnified in the present, and as the world and everything he thinks he knows twists and turns around him, he will need to hold those lessons and memories ever closer, and with Absolute Superman #10’s latest shocking twist, that’s going to be even harder than expected.
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While Absolute Superman continues to move the story forward, Kal-El’s formative years with his family are still having a sizable impact on the man he’s seeking to become. it’s a credit to how Jason Aaron has reshaped Kal’s connection to his original home and the family he grew up with that those connections are still as relevant as ever, and Aaron is masterful at utilizing that past to highlight Kal-El’s current state of mind and how he views the world without losing the focus on the here and now.
While that’s all happening internally over the course of the issue, you don’t actually see Superman in the flesh until over halfway through. That’s not to say you don’t feel the impact of his presence though, and this is largely due to the brilliant work of Carmine Di Giandomenico, colorist Ulises Arreola, and letterer Becca Carey. Throughout the early going, you only see Superman as a force of nature in the clouds, raining absolute destruction upon Ra’s Al Ghul and Brainiac’s forces. The reds, oranges, and yellows pierce the blues, whites, and purples of Ra’s chosen battlefield, and Superman’s every move is made to feel as if it’s shaking the world with Carey’s simply stunning lettering, which crushes the land under its feet at times.
That sets the table for Superman’s actual arrival, which is a page that feels ripped right out of ancient mythology, though what is important to note is that at no point does the reign of destruction overwhelm the internal conflict and battle for one’s soul that seems to be at the heart of this story. It always goes back to who Kal-El knows he has to be, the person he wants to be, and the person he feels he actually is, and that narrative is still front and center at every turn.
That takes us to a twist that shatters everything you assumed you knew about the players in this battle, and while the shock factor of this twist is palpable, it’s the potential of this twist and what it means for the future of this story that has the most impact. It also crucially affects the other players on the board like Lois and Jimmy, and that’s in addition to how it upsets the balance within Ra’s own camp. I didn’t see this one coming, but I’m certainly intrigued by where it takes us next.
Absolute Superman #10 continues to meet the high bar the series has set from the very beginning, all while introducing new elements that twist your expectations and take the story in new and exciting directions, and I couldn’t recommend it more.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Absolute Superman #10 is in comic stores now.
What did you think of Absolute Superman #10? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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