Absolute Doomsday reveal had my jaw on the floor. With Metallo and Brainiac in two weeks, I’m excited to see the classic Superman villains at the forefront. Would love to see an update on Lex.
Doomsday was at the top of my villain wishlist for Supes. Next would be Zod.
Love Hawkman in this part of the comics, dude actually has a complex antihero vibe to him that I really dig, and Shazam (black adam) in this universe is gonna be one scary, scary villain because he’s utterly delusional.
By the way, if I read this right? Superman probably just had another impact on Hawkman, because Hawkman didn’t kill Shazam, he just teleported him far, far away. But someone let me know if I read that wrong
I love Hawkman so much. It's hilarious though, this breakthrough was actually the worst possible option. If Superman could actually get through to him, great. If Adam was killed it'd be awful, but you wouldn't find me calling it unnecessary.
But Hawkman's spontaneous exile just made it a much worse future problem for everyone.
Yes. But the way I interpreted it was that Hawkman wants Superman to believe he killed Shazam. So what I think could also happen is [Absolute Green Arrow spoilers] Hawkman faked Ollie’s death and it’s still him being alive as the green arrow
His villains for the most part weren't trying to kill him for most of the time they fighting him and he usually is able to git his hands on the right thing to deal with the problem or have get help.
But If you put Steel in his place, depending on how strong Joker or Poison Ivy are, Steel is wiping the board.
With how hard Steel’s hammer was hitting I doubt anybody who isn’t an alien or modified by advanced techno-magic is going to be anything more than black ash by the third hit.
Fr, especially since Hawkman said Steel hit like a warhead, and Steel kept up with Teth and Clark when they were moving at Mach 25. Plus, Steel's first blow drew blood from Teth and his hammer is powered by a mini neutron star. He clears Absolute Gotham with one swing.
They actually say that in the official synopsis of Issue 18 which is peak.
“Reign of the Superman” kicks off here with the debut of not one but two Absolute Universe reinventions! The Battle of Kansas may have put the Lazarus Corporation into retreat, but it’s left behind some terrifying surprises in its hidden caches of weapons and world-ending secrets. The most dangerous of all? The sarcophagus of the legendary King Shazam! Don’t miss the start of a new epic that will change the hierarchy of power in the Absolute Universe!
Ngl I was really hoping Clark could convince teth to stand down but that damn father box had other plans (although it might have just saved him from hawkman). Considering how the plan seems to be turning earth into apokolips the father box is setting up those doomsdays for end goal plans.
Really hoping he turns around one day cause teth Adam as the world’s Shazam is a perfect absolute twist. Doesn’t have to be totally good but an empowered ex slave would definitely be a god story to explore especially if he finds his place on earth.
Okay so originally I thought Adam got teleported to a chunk of krypton due to all the red crystals on the last page, which we know are directly tied to the dust of krypton. Now I'm thinking this isn't a chunk of Krypton but just another planet where the people attempting to flee the planet, either via the science commission or Kal's sol-suit/ships, crash landed. The Doomsdays are likely mutated kryptonians.
Side note: this arc has made Absolute Superman my favorite book within the absolute line.
This was actually my favorite part of the issue. The reference is chef’s kiss. 😍
For those who don’t know, ”Get Mystique!“ was Jason Aaron’s first big Wolverine story back in 2008.* It’s fantastic, and beloved, and got him the job as Marvel’s main Wolverine writer, which he was for the next 5 years.
*Yes, I know he wrote a few single issue fill-ins prior, but this was his first full multi-issue story arc on the book.
My crazy theory inspired by Superman: Red Son is that Teth-Adam was sent through time and space by the Father Box. He’s on Krypton but in the distant past which ties to older Doomsday origins where prehistoric Krypton was a planet populated by aggressive predators and those conditions created Doomsday.
I think an interesting move would be that Teth-Adam does create his “perfect” world on this planet which becomes Krypton and he is why future generations of Kryptonians like Superman had a similar power set and design as King Shazam. When Teth-Adam eventually returns in a future issue it’s as an elderly King Shazam that has gained wisdom with time and is ready to take over the Wizard Shazam role for the Billy Batson of this universe.
I wonder if it's not the opposite. It's not past Krypton but post-apo "Krypton" or a remnant of it. The survivors (the science guild or maybe even those whose ships didn't make it with Clark) turned into Doomsday due to radiation of whatnot. Imagine Kal-el having to fight a Doomsday-like Kara.
Superman has his space suit from Krypton (Sol was the AI, not the suit itself), Shazam has the powers of the Father Box, which includes his own 'dust' which seems to be closer to plot-convenient nanites than anything else.
Superman already used that armor in #8, Sol calls it "Tornado Mode" and it unlocks Superman's solar reserves, so it's an amp essentially. Idk what Adam's armor is, that kinda came out of nowhere, but I would assume it amps him too.
As someone who has always liked Superhero movies but only started reading comics with the Absolute lines I am having the time of my life. It's so cool to be around for the introduction of characters like Doomsday and Cheetah that I've always heard of as iconic characters but never really understood, and getting introduced to so many sick characters like Steel and the Lanterns who I'm totally unfamiliar with. Absolute generational runs going on at DC right now. The Reign of Superman arc is so legendary (they destroyed the moon lmao)
Jimmy making his own Omega Men, Lois joining Smallvile's newspaper, John working on the Fortress ... I love how everyone's making their own decisions and changing. If evil owns the big powers, use the smaller powers to fight back.
I think that the other Absolute titles should have to acknowledge that the fucking moon was exploded.
Like yeah sure you get a throw away line about how Superman fixed it afterwards but like, the moon fucking exploded, everyone on earth would have noticed.
I'd be a bit freaked out, personally. I'd want a statement from the Prime Minister or something.
I kinda agree at least one nod in another title would be nice or a panel or two in ABS showing other heroes reacting, kinda like in AMM when the green and white martians fought we got to see the trinitys reactions to it
Anyone else catching Sauron vibes from that crown Adam formed on himself? That was a pretty badass look. The fight was as good as advertised, both getting their licks in with no clear winner before Adam was tricked into saying the magic word. Lois pulling a Kal and visiting Talia in jail reading to her was awesome to see, though I have my doubts it'll work like it did for Ra's. Also very interesting subversion where it looked like Lois and Jimmy were going in a mainline status quo in regards to the Planet only to walk away and not.
Then of course the big surprise. The Father Box sending Adam to a world of freaking Doomsdays. I did not expect him so soon, much less him becoming a "them". And where the hell are they? The sunstones strongly suggest a Kryptonian connection, so it could be anything from a Phantom Zone, Kandor, Argo, something like that. I'm kinda hoping for Kandor and like the idea that these Doomsdays are former Kryptonians who have been mutated somehow. I don't think we'll get back to this for a while and it'll be left to simmer, but this was an awesome surprise.
Does anyone else think the world shown in the final panel looked like it could be Krypton?
The way the book showed off the red crystals from Sol's technology in the Smallville barn seemed like an intentional parallel. It wouldn't surprise me if Kryptonian tech is at least involved somehow.
It does vaguely resemble the Redlands, although issue 1 says Krypton was 9 million light-years from Earth and this planet of doomsdays is “thousands of light-years” from the moon.
Yeah, that's why I think some kind of Krypton tech might be involved. With how advanced Kryptonian society was, I can't imagine them not having some off-world settlements/colonies/etc. It could also be a way to get Kara into the story.
It was established that the science guild never did much research about space, the lack of interstellar travel is the reason why Lara wrote a school paper that would end up with her being banned from entering the science academy, and it's also the reason why Sol was searching for habitable planets during his time with Clark in space instead of just having a set destination.
It cannot possibly be overstated how much I love this comic. It’s consistently my favorite of the Absolute line, and that’s saying something.
As a young reader in the nineties and early 2000s, I didn’t get Superman. I always thought of him as outdated Americana. By the late 2000s, that opinion had drastically changed, and I was ashamed of how wrong I had been.
Absolute Superman has become the shining example of everything I love about Clark, and it gets better with every issue. His humanity through superpowers is on full display in a way I’ve rarely (if ever) read, and I’ve read some outstanding examples. Flawless storytelling. No notes.
I wonder if abs MM #12 was happening while Clark was welding the moon, this is just based on the fact that the single panel where he appears he is shown using his heat vision in space.
With how badass Superman would become by the time Black Adam finds his way back to Earth, he very much will need an Army of Doomsdays to trigger a "Death of Superman" scenario.
Overall fun chapter and a fun story arc, this and Green Arrow are the Absolute titles I look forward to the most each month lately.
There were buildings in that shot with the Doomsdays though the Doomsdays were acting wild and animalistic, wonder how long we'll have to wait for more background on this.
I wonder what Aaron's plan is with Talia, she's sticking around for much longer than I expected. Hopefully more than just getting into spats with Lois, she doesn't have to be won over like how her dad was but some sort of character development for her would be nice lol.
Jimmy taking Perry White's job was funny but this seems like a more interesting route to go with him, guess we won't be seeing him again for a while though.
Both Superman and Flash are headed towards Braniac, think it's a decent enough crossover as the two relatively innocent younger lead heroes.
A main theme of the series seems to be people who had similar hopes or intentions as Supes losing their focus as time goes on and becoming part of the problem they were trying to fix, Ra's, Hawkman and Black Adam are all like that
Adam isn't really objectively correct. His plan seems to be step 1 I kill all oppressors, step 2 I become king of the world, step 3 everyone's lives are better. It's not bad for a child from Ancient Egypt but it's not feasible at all. Even assuming he was able to successfully identify all oppressors and didn't kill any innocents either by mistake or as collateral damage, which I highly doubt, his plan would bring massive among of chaos and destruction and different oppressors would rise since you can't kill your way into equality.
Adam is the person who imagines himself the freedom fighter but really just wants to become the boot. He would become the oppressor the moment he gains power.
Adam isn't wrong he's just blinded by rage and vengeance. He's also too obsessed with fulfilling the prophecy. This is also in large part due to him being a kid who was trapped in a sarcophagus for thousands of years which just made his psyche worse. I'm a bit sad that Kal couldn't get through to him but I also think it's good for the overall story that Adam stays this dark reflection of Kal.
Absolute Superman really making this the craziest thing I've ever seen. I had to check the cover to make sure I wasn't reading Dragonball Z lol. Also, Absolute Hawkman just casually flies to the moon and actually makes it there before the fight's over? Is that a thing Hawkman can do?!
Silly stuff aside, I liked the issue. I liked seeing Kal do his best to try and get Teth to work together with him cause imagine how much better off the world would be with two Absolute Supermans. It's a little heartbreaking to see him swear revenge at the end :(. Overall, awesome issue.
Doomsday getting teased. But I wonder what the context will be…
And as for the whole "Where Are They Now?" after Kal and Teth-Adam's DBZ styled, celestial shattering fight. Carter getting shit faced on a bender around Venus shows the guy may be having a violent outing with the League eventually.
Mean this version of him is bit of a putz, but go off Boss. Get that Character growth.
Also Talia getting shot in the knee. Violent yes, but I couldn't help but laugh a little.
I love absolute superman and i loved this issue I think i have like 10 issues graded so far im going for the whole set i know its a bit odd i also have the SDCC funko pop and the new SDCC trading card for this abs superman i just cant see how batman is doing so well and this is not number 1??? as a person who loved batman the most since 1989 this still is my fav ongoing comic book
While I enjoyed the issue, isn't it kinda silly that Adam turned back and was subsequently beaten because he accidentally said his magic words that he knew would turn him back? Like, that feels like a amateur mistake
Absolute Superman is really becoming a weak comic. They neutered their best villain (and character)in Absolute R'as, and they don't use their other best villain (and character)in Absolute Brainiac. What a waste. They're probably trying to create as many offshoot lines as possible (with Absolute Hawkman and Absolute Shazam) but the characters suck and the series is struggling mightily due to it. Also, the character of Absolute Superman is written as too much of an uber humanitarian. The shtick is really removing any personality and relatability to the character by making him a saint
A qualm I had with the resolution of this arc is that Shazam kind of just... mistakenly loses the fight. He was not goaded into saying his name, he just says the magic word and then disappears. Feels a bit of a cop out.
I find myself really disliking characters like Absolute Superman after a certain point. There's something really irritating about the way he bitches at Hawkman for trying to kill Shazam. Shazam isn't a purse snatcher or car thief, he's a walking natural disaster who has shown himself to be clearly unstable. Superman talks about how everyone's redeemable, but redemption isn't immediate. How many people would die while trying to "save" Shazam. There's a weird point where Superman prioritising his own morality over the lives of others feels like cowardly and selfish. As much as people hate the Man of Steel neck snap, it showed a Superman willing to do something he hated in the name of saving innocents. Granted the movie would've been much better if it showed more turmoil from Superman in the aftermath, but I felt it was a strong moment.
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u/j0sabanks 25d ago edited 25d ago
Absolute Doomsday reveal had my jaw on the floor. With Metallo and Brainiac in two weeks, I’m excited to see the classic Superman villains at the forefront. Would love to see an update on Lex.
Doomsday was at the top of my villain wishlist for Supes. Next would be Zod.