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Geek Dad
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Superman #9: Hero or Warrior
Absolute Superman #9 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: Of all the Absolute books, this one might be jacking up the tension the most with every issue. Its Superman is a haunted refugee who lacks a home or any roots on Earth, its Jimmy Olsen is an embittered rebel soldier, and its Lois Lane was a functionary of Lazarus Corp – and the powerful corporation wants her back. This series' take on Ra's Al Ghul, the leader of the shadowy cult-turned business, reminds me a lot more of Vandal Savage at points. He's incredibly corrupt, wildly ambitious, and believes the whole world should see him as a God. The pressure he puts on Lois is terrifying at times, and he gives her no chance to acquiesce. But Superman has bigger concerns – like the Kryptonite bullet currently in his chest. Superman has been shot like this before, but we've never seen him have to perform Father-Box-Assisted surgery on himself in the middle of a highway chase. Emergency surgery. Via DC Comics. Superman has always been the most ethical of DC's heroes, strictly rejecting killing unless the circumstances are so dire that refusing would condemn countless others to death. But we've never seen that code tested quite like it is here. This is a brutal, cruel world where the only hope is a resistance force that doesn't play by old-school ethics. Led by Primus, the mysterious leader of the Omega Men, they're hesitant to conform to Superman's rules and Primus gives him a brutal speech about how his tactics won't be enough to win this fight. But it's Jimmy Olsen who gives the best speech of the issue, describing himself as a young man who was full of hope – until he saw the true face of the world. It might be a too-relatable speech for a lot of people, and that's the biggest strength of this series. It portrays a battle that Superman might not be able to win – a world that's already been corrupted beyond his help. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
Geek Dad
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Absolute Superman #7: The Many Minds of Brainiac
Absolute Superman #7 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: The Absolute titles have developed a very distinct visual sense, and the artists are all top-tier, so it's a very smart move that when one of them needs a break, the writers bring in a pinch-hitter for a very specific type of story. Most include flashbacks and major reveals about side characters – and they're just as brilliant as the main story. That's definitely the case for this villain-centric one-shot, which takes us behind the scenes with Brainiac, the hyper-intelligent being doing the tech work for Lazarus Corp. So far, Brainiac has seemed brilliant and manipulative, but maybe not quite as evil as Ra's Al Ghul and the Peacemakers. Yeah, you can throw that out the window, because behind the scenes, this is one of the most disturbing comics I've read in a long time, and this Brainiac is one of the most evil characters I've ever read in fiction, and it all starts with his twisted treatment of a unique victim – himself. Hunted. Via DC Comics. When we meet Brainiac in this world, he's in the middle of an obsessive search for Superman – torturing a man he's experimenting on and destroying whole cities when they lack the information he needs. A flashback shows that most of Brainiac's victims are in fact other Brainiacs – he's cloning himself constantly, using his clones for menial labor, and disposing of them when they wear out. And we follow one clone, whose job is cleaning up other dead clones, as he slowly gains more awareness, and then finds himself in a surprising position of power – one that makes him maybe the most disturbing Brainiac ever. After all, one of the defining characteristics of Brainiac is his obsession with rationality. What happens when all that power and intelligence winds up in the hands of someone who's already had their mind shattered? It's a terrifying concept, and one that's executed brilliantly here. To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week. GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
