REVIEW ‘Absolute Power: Super Son’ Issue #1

Absolute Power: Super Son #1 is published by DC Comics. Written by Sina Grace and Nicole Maines, art by John Timms and Travis Mercer, colors by Hi-Fi, Adriano Lucas, Pete Pantazis and Rex Lokus and letters by Dave Sharpe. This is a one-shot tie-in to Absolute Power. While Superman may believe himself free from the Brainiac Queen, a quarantine on Themyscira may show that she still holds some roots inside him.

This issue has a lot of storylines to wrap up. Jon has been heavily involved in the event but as one of the antagonists. The Brainiac Queen got her hooks into him and transformed the young hero into a weapon. The Young boy has suffered colossal trauma and this issue seeks to unpack much of that. The double-sized issue allows the structure to explore many of the flashbacks, using dreams to blur reality.

There are flashbacks to what he did as a servant for Waller. But there is also time to reflect on a loss that might have been lost on readers due to the intense pace of the main Absolute Power book. Dreamer is gone, and she leads to the most significant emotional turmoil. This is a book about grief, but it is also about love. Some of the sequences by the end of the issue can be confusing as battles erupt, but there is always a heart and soul to the storytelling.

The dialogue is beautiful. For the first half of the comic, the conversation revolves solely around Jon wanting to see Jay and trying to process what was done to him. But more elements are added as Absolute Power: Super Son #1 progresses. The dialogue can be caring and soft but also hard-hitting and sincere. Dreamer is in the comic as a character, showing the immense emotional intelligence she always had.

Jon is also superbly written. He is really struggling, with the magnitude of what’s happened hitting him hard. Maines’ connection to Dreamer is genuinely unique within superhero comics. She originally played the character in the Supergirl TV show and has since written virtually every appearance of Dreamer in DC Comics. And so it is even sadder that she has to write dialogue discussing the character’s death.

The art is fantastic. This issue has multiple locations and features, exploring dreams, memories, and reality. Themiscyra is achingly pretty in the real world, even after being used as a battlefield. There are then numerous periods of battles and adventures. The dreamscapes mean lines can be blurred, and it can be challenging to know what is manipulation and what is a direct memory. There will be periods of serenity and quiet, as Superman talks to Dreamer.

But then the Brainiac Queen will reappear and turn the dreamscape into a hellscape. She is a terrific-looking villain with writhing tentacles and a menacing face that never shows emotion. Many other characters appear in all of the planes mentioned before. Robin, Superman’s best friend, is a great marker that Superman is in a dream.

Whenever Damian does appear, he is out of costume but still wearing his domino mask. This shows a little bit of humor within a one-shot that is so emotional. Speaking of that emotion, the chaos that erupts often falls to the wayside when Nia and Jon are together. That is when the book gets really sweet and tear-inducing.

There is a horde of colourists involved in the book, and it is understandable why. This is a massive comic with numerous locations, powers, and effects. The one-shot is visually fascinating. Vibrant costumes and powers frequently invade the natural lighting. When the Brainiac Queen takes over, her own tones threaten to overthrow the established color palette, with more technological lights and intense neon shades. The lettering remains clear and easy to read in a book filled with carnage.

Absolute Power: Super Son #1 provides time to say goodbye. The main book is moving so quickly that it could easily be glossed over that Dreamer sacrificed herself. So, it then falls to this issue to dwell on what that means for those who knew her. This implies that Superman can bid farewell to his friend, but Maines herself cannot. The dialogue is phenomenal, and the visuals are stunning. The extended length of the issue allows for a long mourning period, embracing the sadness and the complicated feelings that spin out of such a loss.

Absolute Power: Super Son #1 is available where comics are sold.