REVIEW: ‘Absolute Superman’ Issue 21

Absolute Superman Issue 21 is published by DC Comics and written by Jason Aaron, with art by Rafa Sandoval, colors by Ulises Arreola, and letters by Becca Carey.

Superman takes Black Adam to the moon, trying to give the ancient being one last chance to stand down.

This issue brings another huge, anime-style arc to a close. Superman, Hawkman, and Steel have spent multiple chapters battling the extremely powerful King Shazam, with no hope of defeating him. Superman has taken him away from Earth to a place where the fight can get even more cataclysmic. The battle is gigantic in its scale, as Superman no longer needs to hold back.

The intensity is profound and intoxicating from the start, never relenting for almost the entirety of Absolute Superman Issue 21. The pacing is phenomenal and detailed. There’s a fast-paced battle being had between two abnormally strong beings. But the dialogue slows the comic down, too.

At all times, Aaron tries to create a fine balance between the large and the tiny. That’s the entire premise of Superman, but it’s even more important in such a hardcore series. The ending isn’t a drastic, definitive conclusion, leaving many open ends and leaving a massive threat just waiting on the horizon.

The characterization of Superman and the other characters in Absolute Superman Issue 21 is profound. On the surface, this is a dangerous man, but Kal-El is extremely kind, gentle, never really wanting to fight. As he battles for his life, the narration speaks of the people he wants looking after. All the individuals around the world that he has been helping. 

That’s part of the grounding that Aaron has been so keen to do, with so much of the chaos being hard to process at times. Superman is a boy who is growing into a man quickly, and he really wants to help and save everyone. His senses are so sensitive, hearing every scream and cry.

Black Adam has the same powers and is also a boy trapped in a man’s body. He’s what happens if Superman goes wrong. Superman tries to see the good in everyone. By King Shazam has been trapped and tortured for so long that he no longer knows what’s right or wrong. There is another moment for one of the more forgotten characters, and it’s just as powerful. It reminds us that these characters are very different from the ones in the mainstream universe, connecting more closely to the person who first appeared at the start of the series.

The art is incredible, as both Superman and King Shazam stop holding back. Superman looks phenomenal, with his mask constantly forming and receding over his entire face. It allows Sandoval to show Kal-El’s emotions, whilst fully hiding his face, which just looks epic.

This is twinned with his weapons. Normally, Superman can just use his fists, but for the man from Kahndaq, Kal-El has borrowed Hawkman’s mace and Steel’s hammer. It’s an awesome design, combining the three like a Megazord. It extends Superman’s reach as he swings both weapons at the ace of King Shazam. The other two involved, Hawkman and Steel, aren’t included much in Absolute Superman Issue 21, but when they are shown, they have been battered and beaten by Teth-Adam.

Just because the fight has been taken away from Earth, that doesn’t make the damage any less catastrophic. All of a sudden, the moon looks particularly fragile, shattering under the force of the inhuman punches. Each blow, especially from Black Adam, is ruthlessly harsh and ferocious.

The colors are extraordinarily brilliant. The color contrast is superb, especially when Superman is completely covered in his armor. It’s red and blue and yellow and black, for most of the comic. It increases the size and silhouette of the fight, with the red dust and lightning crackling in the air, all with different textures. The lettering remains clear and easy to read from start to finish.

Absolute Superman Issue 21 lets whatever awesomeness this arc has left out of the bottle. The sheer level of power and chaos on display is almost impossible to convey, as Superman and King Shazam almost shatter a moon trying to defeat each other. Aaron made it clear that it would take an enormous effort to put either of these men down and that separating the two would require trickery. And when it does end, it only seems to bide time for the next war. But whilst the scale is enormous, there is still time taken to recognize the intricacies of Superman.

Absolute Superman Issue 21 is available where comics are sold.