Superman #16 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Jamal Campbell, Artist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of the biggest surprises of Absolute Power is that the a-list writers behind the books tying in are generally writing the tie-ins – and in fact, have been building towards the event in their books for a while. That’s the case with this book, where Josh Williamson jumps right from the conclusion of House of Brainiac into a different world – one where all the heroes have been stripped of their powers, Waller is imposing a fascist state, and Superman is fighting for his life with two bullets in him. As Mr. Terrific and Doctor Mid-Nite battle to save him, the remaining heroes try to stay one step ahead – with Zatanna barely escaping an attack by Waller’s soldiers thanks to some combat training she got from Batman long ago and an unexpected assist from Mercy, who is now in charge of Supercorp’s resources. Meanwhile, the heroes gather at the Fortress to try to figure out their next move.
It’s not going smoothly – Booster and Beetle waste no time angering Red Tornado due to some anti-Robot biases – but soon they have a new plan with Superman and Zatanna trying to hunt down a new path to reactivate magic. Meanwhile, the foursome of Jimmy, a depowered Silver Banshee, Lena Luthor, and an amnesiac Lex are in Metropolis, trying to hunt down Luthor’s old powersuit to even the odds – only to wind up in Peacemaker’s sights. The arrival of an unexpected figure wearing the armor sets the stakes high for just how many people are getting into the fight and how far Waller has pushed people. This issue is more chaotic and busy than Williamson’s writing usually is, which fits an event comic nicely. Despite that, Jamal Campbell’s art is great as ever and there are some excellent callbacks to some interesting things from Superman’s history. This event is off to a very good start.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
