Absolute Superman #5 – Jason Aaron, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Artist; Ulises Arreola, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: It almost seems like a running gag at this point – I think that this has to be the month where the Absolute line loses a bit of its momentum, and each month the three books prove me wrong. We’re about to expand the line by three in the coming months, and the current lineup is setting them a near-impossible task to follow up. This issue splits the narrative once again between Earth and Krypton, and the Superman we see on Earth now is more filled with rage than I can remember any Superman being before. He’s in pursuit of the Peacemaker, Christopher Smith, who just massacred dozens of people for a minor affront – and he seems more than willing to kill him. At the same time, a mysterious figure known only as Brainiac is reaching out psychically, offering help to Superman – for unknown purposes. This all leads Superman back to Smallville, where we’re likely getting the story of his first days on Earth next issue.
But it’s the Krypton segments this issue that are truly stunning. As a pre-teen Kal-El and his parents are on the run in the last days of Krypton, Jor-el and Lara continue their mission to get as many people off Krypton as possible via a flotilla of life-flights. But they’re not alone – Krypton’s elites are trying to organize their own purchased ships off the planet, and doing everything they can to sabotage those of the lower classes. It’s a brutal depiction of how far the elites will go to maintain their grip on power even in the very last days of the world, and it also leads to some of the most intense and emotionally devastation action segments I can remember seeing in a DC comic. The way things played out is very different here, and it sort of explains what drives Superman. This time, Jor-El and Lara were Clark’s inspiration, not the Kents – and the last days of Krypton taught him a much harsher lesson that he’s determined will never be repeated.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
