Review: Absolute Superman #1

I truly apologize for the lateness of this review. The weekly release of Action Comics with a dedicated Supergirl strip has made some books and news be kicked a bit down the road.

Absolute Superman #1 came out last week, the third title of the Absolute Universe to be released. For those coming in late, this universe is built off Darkseid energy which means everything is a little darker, a little more extreme, a little more volatile. From a brutal and poor Batman to a witchy Wonder Woman raised in Hell, things are skewed to a more grim sort of continuity.

Certainly, this Superman's origin is different. Jor-El and Lara are scientists but mired in the Labor Class. Krypton is a world filled with leaders willingly ripping the planet apart despite warnings. Kal is at least school age when he is rocketed off Krypton. There doesn't appear to be a loving Kent family in the mix. Lois is working for a nefarious acting corporation. So while some of the foundation is present, things are different.

But there is also a strong whiff of 'everything old is new again'. Writer Jason Aaron is setting Superman up to be populist hero, working against corruption and greed to help the underserved. In this issue, he is helping save people working in a dangerous mine. He isn't fighting super-villains. He is fighting the system.

Having read the earliest Action Comics by Siegel and Shuster, this is the foundation of Superman, hero of the oppressed. Heck, in those issues, he also helped out a mining community. And then, in the New 52, Grant Morrison brought that take on Superman back. Remember the 'jeans and t-shirt' Superman fighting evictions and gentrification?

In some ways, it works. This Superman isn't as different that sorceress Diana riding an undead Pegasus. In other ways, this first issue reads pretty close to prior takes making this not a new Superman but sort of a warped take.

We are only one issue in so I know the timelines and universes will continue to diverge. But the truth is I was worried about what a Dark Universe Superman would read like. This wasn't so dark to put me off completely. 

Rafa Sandoval is on art. I have loved Sandoval's work for a while and this issue he really shines. He handles the alien Krypton well. The Earth side of the book is a mix of tense conversations and wild action and he carries the story with the art. And the splash pages are powerful. 

So while the message of this is the standard 'corporations are evil', it isn't so heavy-handed that I eye-rolled. I am in, at least for a bit.

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1063

Action Comics #1063 came out this week, one of the most baffling and therefore unsatisfying reads of recent memory. And because of that, this is going to be, perhaps, a baffling review.

Writer Jason Aaron completes his 3 issue Bizarro story in a story that flips from Superman's mind (for some reason) to the devastated real world as our hero tries to figure out how to save the world without falling prey to possession by Bizarro. So much of the story before this part seemed to come out of nowhere (Bizarro going crazy because he was teased, Bizarro learning sorcery, the world on fire and detroyed). Now this issue is a rapid fire, convoluted finale with our hero literally beating himself up, our hero not really saving the day, and the destructive genie stuffed back into the bottle. And in the most heroic, important moment in the book (a moment given to the Joker not Superman), Aaron uses what I consider one of the worst 'outs' a writer can do.

It is a shame because John Timms' art is quite beautiful. Timms' can give us insane battles, an iconic looking Superman, and some solid story-telling when things veer more philosophical. So maybe the right thing to do is just look at the pictures and not read the words. 

I have been reading comics for nearly 50 years. I consider myself an experienced reader of the medium having read every genre and style out there. This was a rough one. On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1062

Action Comics #1062 came out last week, the second issue in the Jason Aaron run.

I had never read Jason Aaron before so went into last issue with a little apprehension. After reading Action Comics #1061, I was generally happy. The Bizarro World story had some interesting wrinkles. It ended with a cliffhanger. The John Timms art was slick. So I went into this issue with less worries.

I should have remained worried.

Because the optimism for the book and the arc sort of eroded over the course of the issue. There are plenty of moments in this book that did not work for me. And there was one set of pages that completely broke me. By the end of the book, I felt all the good will the first issue gave me was not only gone but the needle had moved into the negative. Even the cliffhanger made me roll my eyes a little.

Talk about a quick turnaround!

One thing I think still works and works well is John Timms art. I have always liked his work and here he brings a panache to the devastation that unfolds in this issue. His Superman is muscular, imposing, and handsome. I even like his Bizarros. 

On to the book.

Review: Action Comics #1061

Action Comics #1061 came out last week and I was truly unsure what I would think of the book.

It is written by Jason Aaron, a well known comic artist but someone who I have never read before. So I had no idea what to expect. He unfortunately has the bad luck of coming onto the book after Phillip Kennedy Johnson has just left. I was a huge fan of PKJ. Surely the book would suffer in comparison.

Instead, Aaron gives us a new wrinkle to the Bizarro character and a solid cliffhanger. Appropriately, this was an action-filled comic book with lots of super-heroics and wide-screen battles. Mix those two things and you have a pretty entertaining issue. I don't know if I am 100% behind this new take on Bizarro. I don't know if I need him to forever be a great sorceror. I don't think I will want it to stick. But overall, this was fun.

That said, the action and Bizarro plot dominate the book. I don't know how Aaron will be on the rest of the cast. Will he handle Jimmy and Lois well? Time will tell.

John Timms is on art for the book. I like Timms' work a lot, especially his Harley Quinn stuff. Here, he shows us great work in Metropolis, Wizards' World, and even Venus. On top of that, his fight sequences roll out well. This is a pretty book to look at. Even the cover is great with Bizarro in the background, ready to cross-body block our hero. Slick!

So Jason Aaron, you have my attention. Nice opening issue.

On to the book.