Absolute Superman #20 is written by Jason Aaron and published by DC Comics. Artwork by Rafa Sandoval & Vincente Cifuentes, Colours by Ulises Arreola, and Letters by Becca Carey. Main cover art (left) is by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola.
Absolute Superman #19 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN’S GREATEST BATTLE YET! It’s Superman versus King Shazam versus Hawkman versus [REDACTED] in the greatest battle the Absolute Universe has ever seen! But who is their mystery challenger?
Review
The King Shazam arc is something of a mystery. I like it, but I wish I could love it. While it offers an intriguing new take on Black Adam, I struggle to connect with the story. The main reason is that it feels overcrowded. For a story about King Shazam, it has to juggle Lois Lane’s revenge mission, Ra’s al Ghul’s death, the introduction of Steel, and the return of Hawkman. Oh, and this is still a Superman story.
That plate-spinning plot rushes certain arcs while undercutting others. And that’s a shame because the creative team has hit a number of home runs across the Absolute run. However, the King Shazam arc tries to do too much at once. As a reader, I can’t help but wonder: are they unsure how many issues they’ll get, so they feel the need to cram all their great ideas into these hyper-concentrated arcs?
The truth is, all of the ideas are brilliant. Steel and Lois Lane embarking on simultaneous revenge missions could have fuelled an entire arc on its own. Instead, that thread now feels like an afterthought. As a result, the compelling history behind Black Adam’s creation, his fleeting reign, and his connections to Brainiac and Hawkman don’t get the attention they deserve. I say all that because I hope DC isn’t pushing its creative teams to squeeze as much DC IP into these arcs as possible. When the stories have room to breathe, Aaron is at his best.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, Issue #20, titled Up, Up, And…, is the strongest chapter in the King Shazam arc. We spend time with Carter Hall before the events of the main story, fleshing him out and gaining fascinating insight into his very noir worldview. He’s a man who believes that if you want to do good in this world, you’ve got to get your hands dirty. His ideology clashes with Superman’s as the two reluctantly partner to take down King Shazam—or at least try.
Readers also get an explanation for why King Shazam’s reign was so short and the threat he posed to the Brainiacs who created him. And we get one heck of a visual cliffhanger as Superman appears like never before. The end, quite frankly, felt like an air-punch moment.
That said, the majority of this issue is light on plot but heavy on action. Fortunately, the action is spectacular. Which brings me to the art.
The art and action are excellent, and the transition between Sandoval and Cifuentes is seamless. You can’t tell where one artist ends and the other begins—and that’s exactly what you want from a book with two pencillers. Arreola’s colours are, as usual, phenomenal, adding texture and grit to every page. And it has to be said: Carey is a fantastic letterer. Lettering can easily clutter a page, but it never does here. From script to print, this issue is a well-crafted piece of art.
Verdict
Pure super-action at its best. There is very little story here, but this is a thrill-a-page with some outstanding artwork as Kal and his team try to stop King Shazam from coming to power. The strength of this issue is that it focuses the uneven Shazam arc back to its villain rather than introducing new characters or interrupting with subplots.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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