
Absolute Superman #14 – Jason Aaron, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Artist; Ulises Arreola, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: The first year of this title has built and built to this moment, as Superman returns to the only place he ever felt safe on Earth – Smallville. But he’s not alone, as Ra’s Al Ghul and Lazarus Corp. have come as well, determined to raze the small town to the ground in response to Superman’s defiance. The deranged immortal has been waging a strange quest to force Superman to accept him as his father, and take on a role as his true heir and enforcer. The ensuing battle has razed much of Smallville, claimed the life of Superman’s beloved AI Sol (which has been assimilated into Brainiac’s hivemind), and left Superman bruised and bloodied as he nears death – and starts to hallucinate his parents and beloved dog back on Krypton. The first half of the issue all unfolds in only a few minutes, and has a lot of the emotional intensity that makes this series work so well.

But along the way, resistance starts to emerge. Lois and Jimmy continue to rally the people of Smallville, who stand their ground against the Peacemakers. And one by one, the soldiers start to realize they don’t want to turn their guns on American citizens. And so, the final battle begins, with Superman turning the tide of battle on Ra’s and eventually dealing out a karmic fate to him while making a very clear statement about what kind of hero he wants to be. This issue sort of clears the battlefield, with the villains largely being dealt with, and that leaves the last few pages of the issue for a brilliant epilogue as Superman heads back to the nursing home to seek answers on Martha Kent. Clark obviously only had a short time with the Kents in this version, but they left a big impact on him – and the same goes for them. That creates an incredibly powerful moment that pretty much sets the stage for Superman to ultimately become the hero we know, regardless of what world he’s in.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
