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About Absolute Superman #1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Ulises Arreola
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Art: Rafa Sandoval and Ulises Arreola
Publication Date: November 6th, 2024
Absolute Superman #1 Review:
I’m going to preface this review with the insight that, barring a few Justice League reads over the years, my last intimate read of anything remotely Superman was back when his haircut was signature-Eddie Vedder, Doomsday was a cover model and Steel’s sledgehammer was the coolest superhero condiment in living memory. Yes, the grit of the 90s, when the world was young…
So it’s refreshing to delve into the pages of a brand new Superman run where a “different angle” seems to be writer Jason Aaron’s modus operandi. In it, we’re introduced to a Krypton which is dying a slow death. While the ruling class of scientists continue their obsession with mining the planet’s limitless resources, Jor-El and Lara-El struggle to keep their farm alive and well. Resources are scant, money for rain machines to support their crop is expensive and Jor-El expects the worst.
The worst is realised when, later in the issue, a mining accident causes the discovery that Krypton is gradually tearing itself apart. As this scene takes place, one of Jor-El’s supervisors doesn’t want to hear it and orders the miners to press on but Jor-El denies his request causing a class-war friction where the two butt-heads on Jor being merely a labour class-worker. The insinuation is that because he hasn’t been born into privilege he should obey his superiors and not question the status quo. Leading into the mining accident which is about to take place and exposes Jor-El’s superior to kryptonite. As he’s bathed in the stuff his face begins to melt in a body-horror moment making me nostalgic for films like The Blob or The Stuff. Ulises Arreola’s coloring is vehemently sick and toxically twisted making it perfect for the issue.
This time-jumps us into the present day where an idealistic Kal-El is helping a group of miners in Brazil by ensuring he remove the dangerous chemicals in their mining operation as they dig for diamonds. Of course, the miners are punished because human beings love to exploit other human beings, prompting Kal’s direct confrontation with the Lazarus security guards. Guards who are largely taken out except for the interference of “Agent Lane”, yes we all know who she is, who manages to bind Kal in shackles.
This prompts the credits page, making that sequence of events the longest cold open in comic book history, as the story pivots back to Jor-El and Kara-El on Krypton. Where Jor is in complete shock from not just the mining accident but also the discovery he’s made. Seeing out the issue with an embrace between Kara, Jor and their son Kal. Who, while in this time period would have been represented as a baby in many other Superman origin stories, is this time a grown boy. Probably 10 or 11, which feeds into the rage that he feels for the underclass being mistreated and exploited back in the Brazilian mine.
There’s lots to like and unpack here but it’s refreshing to see a return to a Krypton that isn’t just copy pasting Superman’s origins. We’ve seen that plenty of times and I know I’ve had enough of it. Instead, Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval seemed to have tapped into the pre-apocalyptic dilemma left absent when the Krypton TV show met its unfortunate demise. Except with a more rural setting. A feeling that while the El’s are miles away from the constraints of Kryptonian “city-life”, their connection to the land would make the imminent destruction of Krypton all the more heartbreaking. An effect no doubt inspiring the eco-terrorism sentimentality of a grown up Kal-El.
Absolute Superman #1 is about a world tearing itself apart. It’s about the ruling class choking on the manhood of its own ego. It’s about a loving family doing anything they can to survive. It’s about science fiction turning science fact and ultimately mirroring our own journey towards self-annihilation. And that’s why Absolute Superman #1 is My Kind Of Weird.
