The Vindicative Vordan

Blogging about Comics, Games, and whatever else strikes my fancy

[thevindicativevordan]

Maxima in man of tomorrow?

Imagine telling a Superman fan 20 years ago that the next three Superman villains to make it to the big screen after Lex and Zod, would be Bloodsport, Brainiac, and Maxima. Brainiac would be believable but those other two? Nobody was picking those as the obvious next choices before Metallo and Parasite. Exciting news though! Looks like Panic In The Sky is going to be influencing some of MoT in terms of plot. Maxima will probably start out as a secondary antagonist who serves as a henchwoman for Brainiac, probably to keep a bottled Almerac safe, before switching sides. If Clark and Lois weren’t already a couple I imagine she might even be a love interest for Clark, and maybe there will be a bit of a love triangle. We’ll see. Hopefully this pushes the comic side to do more with her, I’d like her to be introduced as a LI for Absolute Superman, and Aaron has already done some brand synergy by using Peacemaker.

[thevindicativevordan]

Omega Act Special, written by Williamson, randomly reveals that Lara and Ursa (Zod’s wife) are old childhood friends. I just realized this could be a plausible sideways-explanation for how Jor-El and Dru-Zod ever became close buddies — their wives are friends, and they developed a friendship of their own as a result. I don’t really have a point to make here, but if I’m right this’ll prob come up in Williamson’s inevitable big Zod storyline, and I want to stake my claim now. 1/2

because otherwise it's kinda weird that Lara and Ursa got dragged into the story, especially since it could've been basically any Kryptonians and the basic information presented would've been the same 2/2

I have theorized along similar lines! Williamson did say it was seeding stuff beyond KO that wouldn’t show up for a while so I believe we will see this pay off when Zod finally arrives on Earth. Clark potentially having access to a holographic AI of his mother if that persists beyond KO is something I also expect to come up again when Zod arrives.

[thevindicativevordan]

There's something I don't get about your taste for Superman. You despise the Hopecore "He always hold back and wants the best !" version of Superman, that is basically never really challenged or in real danger. And you despise him being called a Mary Sue. But at the same time you love the idea that Superman has no limit and can grow as powerful and unstoppable as needed to defeat any ennemy, no matter how strong, just with brute force and power. Doesn't that make him more of a Mary Sue ?

You’re using a different version of “hopecore” than what I mean. For me, hopecore has nothing to do with his physical power levels. It’s a mocking jab at how writers will eliminate any chance for drama or moral dillemnas in favor of letting Superman have his cake and eat it.

Ma and Pa for example are ground zero for “hopecore”. They’re always ready with some pie and a pep talk, you never see them have a heated argument with Clark, or have them utterly opposed to his choices. Likewise Jon Kent is a bland Junior version of his dad, the conflict you see between Damian and Bruce for example is nowhere to be found. Even between Clark and Lois you rarely get a clash of egos, which is a shame because you usually get plenty of that before they get married. Everyone is happy, everyone loves Superman (except those dastardly villains), and Superman never makes any mistakes. Some writers think that’s “hopeful” or “inspirational”, as if anyone is going to be inspired by a guy who never slips up, experiences drama with his self-image or his loved ones, or faces any pushback whatsoever.

My favorite Superman writers don’t write hopecore. PKJ’s Superman has to suffer before he can inspire. Yes Superman raises up a rebellion against Mongul on Warworld, but first he gets his ass beat and winds up a slave himself for months. Morrison Superman becomes a beloved hero only after having been captured and tortured by the military, and then saving the world from another alien in Brainiac. Johns Superman beats Brainiac but loses Pa, and confront how his legacy can be twisted into something entirely at odds with who he actually is in the Johns/Frank Legion story. Russell has Superman in Space Age save his world at the cost of his own life. Even Waid, who is more guilty than most at indulging in hopecore, has Clark finally make peace with Lex only via Lex himself dying and Clark losing his powers for good in TLDOLL. Before that Lex mocks Clark’s attempts to reach him to his face and I dig that!

I’m assuming this was sparked by my comment about PKJ Book of El. All PKJ did was make a canon acknowledgement that Superman is as strong as the story needs him to be - which is true for him, for Spider-Man, for Wonder Woman, for whatever character out there you can think of. With the League, Batman is preptime god who can easily deduce the goals and motivations of his opponents with a mere glance. In Gotham he’s a moron in comparison:

Because otherwise his Rogues Gallery couldn’t feasibly pose a threat to him if Bats was as competent and had access to the tech he does with the League. Superman and Batman are both “always holding back” because otherwise they could easily slaughter their Rogues. Which of course they’ve done in stories where they do break bad. The hero tapping into a hidden reservoir of strength to win is classic, it’s what lets Spider-Man lift the wreckage in If This Be My Destiny or Goku going Super Saiyan against Freeza or Wolverine popping his claws and going back for Round 2 with the Hellfire Club or a million other examples in fiction.

[thevindicativevordan]

You said Superman twitter would complain if Absolute Superman didn't end up in his normal status quo, but hasn't that basically happened now? He's lost Krypton and now he's lost the Kent's whom he's got a meaningful connection to alongside a blue suit. He's going to metropolis and his love interest is Lois lane who's got an interest in writing and will almost certainly work at the daily planet we see in the cover.

Absolute Superman feels like it's squandered it's most unique elements and it's ended up in the typical status quo with a few adjustments, and yet you're still championing. It just feels like a worse version of what Morrison did

Before I answer you directly I feel the need to comment: there are genuine flaws in Absolute Superman, which is why I'm genuinely shocked at how stupid most criticisms of the book are. The dumbest one I just saw was that Aaron is pandering to the glory of KKKansas being the only important part of Superman, while Mark Waid is doing a much better job of portraying Clark as more than that. And that's the funniest thing I've read because this is what Waid is doing in Action:

Shaking hands with an American military general who marched troops down the Main Lane of Smallville to arrest Superboy for being a fugitive? Having Clark call this guy "sir" and reaffirming that he's a good little American boy who was taught to respect the flag and authority? Literally having Clark say he's "happy" to serve his country?!? This is the bold leftist take you're gassing up? Oh and don't forget, next issue is Superboy invading a foreign country on behalf of the military!

If Aaron wrote this crap, you'd be screaming bloody murder! This is a worse version of what Morrison and Johns did with their origins over a decade ago! But Aaron's not writing that! Kal beat the shit out of an American CEO and left him in Pakistan to face justice. The first time Kal landed in Kansas, Smallville sold him out to Lazarus. When Kal met the guy who sold him out, he wanted to torture the man to death and had to control his anger. You have to be willfully stupid to act like Aaron has been portraying Kal as a perfect all-American boy, or Kansas as a utopian place without flaws. He's been faaaaar more critical of both than Waid has. The strawmen critiques I'm seeing are so stupid it feels like bad faith trolling.

Alright now moving on to your post:

You said Superman twitter would complain if Absolute Superman didn't end up in his normal status quo, but hasn't that basically happened now?

I forgot that someone is always going to complain. If he's too similar that's bad, if he's too different that's bad, if he's Kryptonian first that's bad, if he's human first that's bad, and God help you if you try to appease everyone. Superman fandom is a fractured group of maniacs who all want something different.

He's lost Krypton and now he's lost the Kent's whom he's got a meaningful connection to alongside a blue suit

Look closer, the suit was never finished. He's not going to wear that. Kal is going to modify the suit his Kryptonian parents gave him to have the brighter colors Martha wanted him to wear. But the reason that final page is connecting to people is that Kal has a meaningful connection based not on what actually happened with the Kents, but what he wanted to happen. His "meaningful connection" is not that the Kents are the foundation of his morals, we saw in the very last issue that Jor and Lara are the ones Kal is either looking to imitate or not. The connection is Kal letting himself be moved by the compassion he was shown by the first two humans he met, to fight for a better tomorrow where what happened to him doesn't happen to others.

If your argument is "he should have no relationship to the Kents or Smallville", then fair enough. I think Aaron has done a great job showing that Kal is motivated by Krypton more than he is by Smallville or the Kents. He's not Superman because of either, and that's enough of a difference for this incarnation to satisfy me. And it's rather unfair to demand that when none of the other books are diverging that much. Bruce is Batman because his father got shot by Joe Chill still. Alfred is still aiding him with his crime fighting crusade. Diana is Wonder Woman because of the lessons she learned growing up on an all-women island. She's allied with Etta Candy to help people. Wally is Flash because of an experiment that Barry Allen performed. Abin Sur created Green Lantern, and Jo has relationships with the Absolute versions of the mainline GLs even though that's pretty convenient. Martian Manhunter is the only one who is utterly different and I love that book, but it's not what the majority of the line is doing.

He's going to metropolis

Did you not want him to go to Metropolis? Is Batman not in Gotham? Is Wonder Woman not in Gateway? Did we not spend 14 issues of Kal on the run fighting Lazarus across the globe? Absolute was never going to be something like Red Son Superman where he's utterly and completely divergent from the mainline guy.

and his love interest is Lois lane who's got an interest in writing and will almost certainly work at the daily planet we see in the cover.

Kal and Lois haven't even kissed yet so hold your horses. There's clearly chemistry there but Snyder outright has Batman and Catwoman having sex. Thompson has Diana showing chemistry with Steve, Barbara, and Zatanna, all characters that mainline Wonder Woman has romantic or platonic relationships with. Lemire is teasing Wally and Linda together. Ewing went for a non-mainline romance with Jo but that ended in divorce. Only Camp truly used the AU to completely reinvent Martian Manhunter's relationship. I want Kal to have romances with other characters for certain, but the rest of the line is sticking pretty close to the pairs you've seen before. Still - they haven't even kissed yet! Let's see what the next arc throws at us. As for Lois, I don't see her becoming a journalist. Aaron keeps banging away that he wants to keep the characters in places you don't expect. Until we actually know what the deal with the Planet is, I'm content to wait to see where Lois ends up.

Absolute Superman feels like it's squandered it's most unique elements and it's ended up in the typical status quo with a few adjustments, and yet you're still championing.

I don't agree obviously. Saying this before we even see what Kal's new status quo is going to be like feels extremely premature. If next arc has him cut his hair, shave, get a job at the Daily Planet as a journalist, and start going exclusively by Clark Kent, then yeah he will be no different from the mainline guy. Until that happens, Absolute Superman is plenty different. He thinks of himself first and foremost, as Kryptonian:

Kal doesn't have a wide eyed idealistic view of humanity:

And before you claim that this arc was about him "rejecting Krypton" and embracing humanity as "better" or some such bullshit:

His big declaration to Ra's before kicking his ass is an explicit affirmation of his Kryptonian heritage! Of the Kryptonian working class pride his father installed in him! Show me a single page from Waid's Action that has Clark take as much pride in his heritage as Kal is showing here. People are free to think it sucks but at least criticize what Aaron is actually doing and not the imaginary version that exists only in their heads.

It just feels like a worse version of what Morrison did

Doesn't everything? Is Scott Snyder's New 52 Batman run not extremely reminiscent of Morrison's? If we judged everything by the standard of "is this as good as what Morrison did?" most writers are going to fail. I certainly think Morrison's New 52 Superman is the best mainline run the character has ever had and likely ever will have. Doesn't stop me from enjoying Johns' and Busiek's Superman work. Or Waid's, who is utterly outclassed by both Johns and Morrison at revamping old "uncool" characters in ways that let them shine. I like Aaron's take on Superman. I enjoy it. His weakest spot has been that the Al Ghuls are boring antagonists and now they're gone. Brainiac is going to continue in the book next year and we have Parasite and Lex Luthor coming. I believe the book is going to start picking up now that the foundation is laid. If you think otherwise well you're in luck. There will be other Superman projects and hopefully one of them will appeal to you.

[thevindicativevordan]

Superman in 2025: Year in Review

Last year I wrote that 2025 was poised to be Superman's most important year since 1978. With the year almost over it's time to look back and see if that proved true.

Comics

Absolute Superman - Easily remains the Superman comic getting the most attention and sales. Despite the valid complaints regarding Aaron's admittedly weak take on the Al Ghuls, I continue to enjoy his take on Superman himself, and find his Brainiac a genuinely threatening revamp. Absolute Brainiac is the devil who haunts the book in the same way Absolute Joker does for Batman, as reflected in how both of them have the demonic goat legs frequently seen in depictions of demons. He is clearly being built up to serve as Kal's true archnemesis, as established with how the two have similar backstories and it's Brainiac who continues to torment Kal after Ra's fall per the art teases from Ferreyra.

DC KO - Yeah this is my kind of slop. Hype moments and aura farming galore there might be, but Superman killing himself to unlock the Omega Sanctum and defeat a Black Lantern Lex Luthor who has raised Elder God zombies to kill everyone is Scott Snyder escalation at it's best. Javier Fernandez artwork matches Snyder's energy perfectly with how he is practically shattering the boundaries of each panel border, his art dancing across the page. Only real weakness is that there's no surprise, it's going to end with either Superman or Lex vs. the Joker and Joker will lose. Nevertheless it's a fun ride in the way Metal was and Death Metal was not.

Williamson Superman - Continues to shock me with how enjoyable it is. Ever since Lois became Superwoman and Mora joined the book, Williamson has found his groove and even surpassed the heights of his early arcs with Campbell. Connecting Doomsday and Time Trapper was my favorite development for Doomsday since his debut, and Prime returning post Johns for a fight with an evil Legion actually managed to be worth his return! Even the KO tie-ins, which had me worried because this book has spent so much time tying in to events that I fear will hurt it's readability in the future, have managed to be enjoyable.

New History - As an autist, I am glad to have never been afflicted with the disease I see so often amidst my brethren who read superhero comics. Namely of course, the disease wherein one cares about the chronology of the shared universe to the point one obsess over the "canon" age of characters, and demands constant retcons and clarifications about how stories "fit" together. If you are one of the unfortunates suffering from this affliction, autistic or not, this book is for you. It's a boring glorified Wikipedia entry that does highlight how hilariously convoluted DC history is. Some pretty art in certain sections is the only reason I can think of to recommend this. But if you want to know what Superman's "canon" looks like post-NHotDCU, someone put together this helpful guide (just slot Waid Action in the middle of Secret Origin between the time Clark became Superboy and when he arrived in Metropolis):

Waid Action - Speaking of which, hey Waid returning to Action wasn't a total disaster! Granted we still have Waid writing Superboy running missions for the Army to deal with (if anyone aside from Adams is going to completely botch the handling of that it would be Waid), but the book thus far been a fun "Superboy by way of Spider-Man" hybrid that I've enjoyed reading. This is Waid at his most shameless Silver Age fanboy, but Waid remembers that era was defined by Superman using his brain to solve problems not just brute power. In today's world where Supes is frequently reduced to a brute, it's good to have a book that pushes back against that. Patridge deserves a lot of credit for that I think. If Action runs long enough I fully expect Waid to retell the story of Superman's debut, overriding Secret Origin. Per Waid though he has no plan to age out of Superboy territory any time soon.

Waid World's Finest - Initially the plan was to drop WF and stick with JLU, but I grew bored of JLU when I realized I really didn't care what Waid's take on most of the DC characters is. So I dropped that and switched back to WF with the Bizarro arc. Since that story, it's been my favorite Waid book and seems to have found it's footing once again. I was hoping Waid would wrap his run up with issue 50 but there's no indication that's in the cards, and it is the ideal book for him. Let it keep running then for as long as he can maintain a level of quality.

Slott Unlimited - Another Marvel lifer makes his debut at DC with a Superbook, and the crowd goes... mild? Nothing here to rile up the masses but also nothing here to wow them either. A excessive use of kryptonite when right now I want nothing more than to move AWAY from that plot device, has left me yawning frequently. Despite being multiple issues in, it feels like this book is still searching for a hook, there's nothing here to make this a must read. A couple interesting ideas present are why I stick with it, and I am committed to seeing Slott's Prankster revamp, but if this doesn't pick up soon I'll drop it.

North Krypto - Sufficient enough story. Not particularly memorable or likely to become a go-to reference, but for a protagonist who can't speak or "think", North managed to wring juuuust enough sympathy out of Krypto's various predicaments for me to be satisfied. Norton is the true MVP however, being able to show a dog's emotional state to the point we sympathize without being able to read his thoughts is no mean feat.

Kryptonite Spectrum - I was so disappointed by this I feel I need to write a separate post explaining why. Short version is too much Batman, and the ending while delightfully unhinged in a Silver Age way, does not feel earned given how superficial Lois' involvement in the story was.

Red & Blue Special - Found it to be as big a letdown and unambitious as the main book was. It's Tom Taylor wholesomecore slop that only exists to have pages pasted on reddit for upvotes. I had hoped for Dan Abnett of 40k fame to deliver something with weight but alas his was probably the worst of the bunch. Only Rainbow Rowell's Clois story managed to delight me, she should be next up on Action Comics after Waid.

PKJ Book of El - Alongside Aaron Absolute and Williamson Superman, this is by far the Superbook I can't wait to read each week it comes out. It's bringing the big sci-fi spectacle and worldbuilding that made me a fan of PKJ in the first place. I am genuinely heartbroken that we never got a proper Brainiac storyline from PKJ because his take on the character here is pitch perfect. Brainiac basically runs Earth Brave New World style where the population is so pacified by comfort that they don't want to rebel is perfect, that Brainiac rules "like a scientist", and all the freaky genetic experiments we find out he's been doing in the back pages is terrifying. And that scene where PKJ flat out states that Superman is as strong as he needs to be to protect the oppressed, able to surpass his own limits. in order to whoop the asses of the Summer Men? Chef's kiss man, that's exactly it. Best use of Jimmy Olsen Turtle Boy since Fraction too. Would be remiss not to mention that this is Godlewski's career best work, I'm becoming quite the fan of his depiction of action scenes or how deftly he handles the quiet emotional moments.

Media

Superman 2025 - My favorite Superman movie and the one that had both Superman and Gunn's futures riding on it. While it didn't outgross MoS at the box office, it did beat out F4, and secured it's place as the most profitable superhero film of 2025. Furthermore it helped rehabilitate Superman and DC's public images after the DCEU ended in a string of flops, which hopefully will translate into Supergirl doing better than expected. Only downside is that it cemented that a certain segment of Superman fandom online has become just as annoying as the Spider-Man fandom. I called it at the time in my review, I knew DCU Superman would become like MCU Spider-Man in terms of it being a love it or hate it deal. Lucky for me that I love it, warts and all. And we got a bunch of Superman comics out of it so I won regardless if we never got a sequel.

Man of Tomorrow - But surprise we DID get a sequel! And it's going to have Brainiac in it FINALLY! Also Lex is going to wear his warsuit! About time we moved beyond the Donner tropes into new ground.

Netflix - Oh yay more corporate consolidation. I don’t think this is going to be good for WBD but neither of the other two would’ve been good either. Lot of layoffs, another round of shakeups to DC Films, maybe even another reboot if Gunn leaves. But on the positive side I expect MoT and The Batman II will release as normal since there’s no way this deal will move fast enough for Netflix to interfere in either. And that's all I care about because there's not a damn thing I can do about it. Maybe we get lucky and the deal falls through, Paramount turns their attention to someone else, and anti-monopoly laws can actually mean a damn thing in this country. Don't hold your breath though.

Looking Ahead To 2026

Williamson Superman - Prime Time Full Time baby, I've enjoyed Williamson's handling of Prime but this certainly raises some questions. It seems like Clark wins the KO tournament given his disappearance, like WW vanishing after Death Metal, but I can't see Clark being gone for long given the Zod plotline still needs to be resolved. All I know is Kon is definitely going to have opinions about this, so that better get addressed before Clark comes back. I'm up for a rematch.

Superman/Spider-Man - Looks great, can't wait, will be nice to read some good Spidey stuff with USM wrapping.

Absolute Parasite - Took Aaron long enough but we're finally getting more Absolute versions of the Superman Rogues! When I heard Ferreyra was joining the book I was praying he would get to design Parasite given his talent for body horror. Ecstatic to see that my wish has been granted!

Wes Craig Project 38 - No clue what this is, the "project name" screams Golden Age retro title, but the snippets of artwork shared have me excited.

Williamson Legion of Superheroes - Never been a huge Legion guy outside of the cartoon and their relationship to Clark, but I'm hoping this changes that. Prime might be joining this version of the team and that's enough to get me excited.

Potentially Super-Man: First Day by Jurgens? - Give Jurgens some credit. While everyone else wants to shove Batman into their supposed "Superman" prestige projects, Jurgens is the only one who is doing the reverse. I don't know if he's angling to spin off a Super-Man book from this, but I thought the first volume of First Knight was the best thing he had written since Lois & Clark. I'm up to see him work on an equivalent volume for Superman.

Supergirl Movie - First teaser looks good. Optimistically all the brown is simply because the teaser focused on the early portion of the film, and we will see more color later on. I don't expect the visuals to match the fantastic linework and coloring of WoT, but it would be a huge mistake not to use the cosmic setting to try and match the visuals of the Guardians films at least. Alcock is going to kill it as Kara, Momoa is as perfect a Lobo as you'd expect visually, and I don't mind Krem's redesign.

MAWS S3 - Trailer should be dropping next year, I expect it in the summer to piggyback off of Supergirl. Kara will be a main character in S3 so it would make perfect sense. My dream is to get Lex, Zod, and Brainiac all in one show and working together.

Injustice 3 - Unless the Netflix deal has NRS spooked again, this is definitely coming. Was pleasantly surprised it missed TGA, but maybe it would've been better if it had debuted there. Going to suck if the first theatrical Superman movie with Brainiac in it is marred by Boon/NRS Batwank releasing in 2027. Still, I can't be too mad about this slop anymore, not when there's finally other Superman media out there that isn't pandering to the same terrible handling of Superman.

DCU Jimmy Olsen Show - Not called "DC Crime" as rumored, I'm betting the final title will be The Daily Planet. Some people claimed it would feature Grodd as the focus of S1, but since those same people got the name wrong I wouldn't take that as confirmed just yet. Supposedly a true crime series meant to introduce a bunch of DCU super villains, my hope is that Silver Banshee will appear here and we can seed the beginnings of the Olsen/Banshee romance. Otherwise c'mon you gotta use Livewire for this! She's perfect as a villain for this show's premise!

Whew what a year! I'm looking back and it feels good to have entered with high hopes that by and large were actually met. After the truly awful 2010s, by far Superman's worst decade, here as we pass the midyear of the 2020s, it feels like this decade will easily be Superman's best since the 1970s. We're being treated well in comics, film, TV, and animation, only video games continue to suck and that sadly isn't changing any time soon. But the sheer amount of good Superman creations coming out balances that out and leaves me excited for the next year and beyond.

[thevindicativevordan]

Thoughts on Williamson/Yang and Pak’s Superman/Batman books? And how would you rank them in comparison to Waid and Loeb’s Superman/Batman books?

Pak's book has MUCH higher highs, his depiction of the first Superman and Batman meeting blows Waid out of the water. Alas he also had to deal with the constant crossovers and editorial turmoil of the New 52 era which did hurt his run. Waid is more consistently enjoyable for me, but if Pak had gotten the treatment Waid is getting there's no question in my mind he would have written a better book than Waid. Now Loeb to my knowledge actually got a lot of the freedom Waid has but his run was even more uneven than Pak's! Still he brought Kara back into canon and I will always harbor affection for how completely awesome Public Enemies was to my child self when I first read it.

Williamson was fine but forgettable for the most part. The only story I retain affection for is the Ultra-Humanite one. Yang was better, he was more ambitious in his storytelling, but it was too brief to really beat Waid given how many more issues Waid has written.

In short if I had to rank them: Waid > Pak > Yang > Loeb > Williamson.

[thevindicativevordan]

Spider-Man Superman!!!

A much stronger and more exciting lineup than I was expecting!

Waid writing the main story was completely expected. World's largest Superman fanboy who also did some Spidey during Brand New Day? With Morrison out of the running since they already did Batman/Deadpool, this was an easy choice. Now Jorge Jimenez drawing it however? That was a welcome surprise! He's perfect for both characters, and I am excited to see him draw the two tentacled baddies in Brainiac and Doc Ock.

Tom King and Jim Lee doing a Lois/MJ crossover?!? If Waid was expected this is the exact opposite. King will probably be dipping into Vision territory with how super heroics intrude on "normal" life. Lee is never going to finish Hush 2 at this rate, not that I care.

Fraction and Lieber reuniting to do Jimmy terrorizing Carnage is absolutely hysterical. Did they do this just because Jimmy and Cletus are both red heads?

Murphy doing a Superboy/Spider-Man 2099 crossover feels like a shitpost. I'm assuming it's Clark because Murphy has been open that he doesn't know much DC lore outside of the animated shows, that's why he had Jason Todd as the first Robin in White Knight. Maybe it's Kell-El from the Legion cartoon because I cannot comprehend why Murphy would want to write/draw this unless he saw that cartoon ages ago and has some fondness for it.

Simone and Ortega doing a PG/Punisher story however is a shitpost, albeit with the potential for comedy. Haven't enjoyed much of Simone's recent output except her Action mini arc, so fingers crossed here. If she has PG tell Punisher he should smile more as a callback to her Twitter jokes, that at least would get one smile out of me!

Priest and Sampere doing Prime meeting symbiote Spidey should be amazing. I'm assuming there will be plenty of Priest metacommentary on the state of things BTS at Marvel during this period, and a lot of potential for satire here.

Rucka finally gets to do a Daily Planet story like he's mentioned wanting to do, plus some dipping into Spidey's world which I don't think he's ever done, and Scott should make it gorgeous. Optimistically this will turn out better than the Lois Lane mini did.

Plenty to be excited for here and I'm happy it's all Superman or Spidey focused. Also glad DC is going first this round, since DC paid for Marvel dumping out a trash issue with lower sales on their far superior Batman/Deadpool crossover.

[thevindicativevordan]

Thoughts on Absolute Joker?

Reminds me of the original Ultimate Green Goblin in many ways. The arch nemesis who is an even greater physical threat than he was before.

Half of him is a really great pitch of "what if every single conspiracy theory about what the evil billionaires are doing was true?” and the other half is the usual Jokerwank from Scott Snyder. Absolute Joker being an ancient evil who is immortal, always two steps ahead, has endless resources, and isn't funny, is just New 52 Joker again. Snyder already did this! Except this time Joker presumably won't reveal that it was all just a prank. It's hard to be impressed when regular Joker is already a GOD OF DARKNESS before whom all heroes are rendered helpless.

There's a much stronger concept here in how Absolute Joker is an evil Bruce Wayne, that corrupts the iconography of Batman in a way even regular Joker can't. Batman recruits orphans who become Robins that die for him, Joker here feeds on infants to sustain his immortality. Batman is very "toyetic" in how he loves to brand his gadgets, Joker used his investment into online gaming as a way to get a foothold on technology worldwide. He even looks like mainline Bruce as a civilian, has a butler, and his own Jokercave! All of that is far more interesting here than Snyder hyping up his monster form and how long he's been around.

Also Alfred being the titular dipshit here was hilarious. Snyder wanted so badly to draw the predictable reveal out that I couldn't help going "oh that's it?" when Alfred finally says that maybe... there has only ever been ONE Joseph Grimm!!! BoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO scarrrrrrrrryyyyyyyy!

[thevindicativevordan]

On The Puzzler

Here's a character that has undergone three totally different incarnations, none of which had any staying power. First Puzzler was a Siegel creation, a non-costumed criminal skilled at (what else?) puzzles, who extorted people for protection money. The second was a Superman fangirl turned Intergang assassin, with the best design and a cool powerset. The third was a robot who was also somehow a descendant of Vandal Savage? Clearly writers have struggled to make this concept work... which means it's a good thing I'm here!

My concept of a revamped Puzzler began when Williamson introduced the notion that Metropolis is a city that does not care at all about it's past. While nothing has sadly been done with that in his run yet, it got me thinking: wouldn't it be a neat idea to have a Superman villain who embodied that? Someone with roots embedded in the history of Metropolis, with ties to it's foundation, perhaps even motivated by it's mysterious founder Waldo Glenmorgan? A villain built to test the people of Metropolis, who was obsessed with the people of the city rather than Superman.

I took that basic concept and then began looking at all three previous incarnations. They each had something worth incorporating. From the first Puzzler I took the obsession with puzzles, because Superman could use a "Riddler" who prefers to test his intelligence rather than his powers. From the second, the design and having a body composed of living, indestructible puzzle pieces. From the third, being an artificial creation with ties to another Superman villain.

Walgo Glenmorgan was a billionaire who had a dream: a shiny City of Tomorrow, populated by the best and brightest of humanity. Unlike most of his peers at the time, Waldo was not a racist. Unlike most, Waldo wanted to promote immigration from around the globe. But he was "progressive" for his era in a darker fashion too, being a devoted eugenicist, and he dreamed of a city where his ideals would be put into practice. Metropolis was the city where he would make his vision real. Using his wealth he funded the construction of all manner of buildings across Metropolis, shaped the public school system to indoctrinate the youth with his beliefs, funded the construction and opening of Stryker's Island as a stopgate to test immigrant hopefuls for physical or mental "deficiencies", and lobbied the government to promote sterilization for anyone, white or otherwise, who did not meet certain physical and mental standards.

Despite all his efforts, Waldo knew he would not live to see the fruits of his work. It would take decades to truly fashion all of Metropolis to his ideal. His children were hedonists, more concerned with pursuing pleasure than self-improvement. He needed a heir, someone to continue his work. And thanks to his studies of the occult, Waldo knew there was an entity out there who would applaud his vision, his... imagination. Enter: Mr. Mxyzptlk. Summoning the imp, Waldo laid out his offer. In exchange for Mxy helping Waldo create a heir, Waldo would facilitate the creation of several buildings constructed according to certain sacred geometric designs that would weaken the barrier between the third and fifth dimensions. Agreeing to Waldo's terms, Mxy and Waldo created a sapient mechanical entity made of indestructible puzzle pieces. Waldo named the being "Valerie", and treated her as his surrogate daughter, tasking her with the fulfillment of his dream. On her part, Valerie adored her "father" and assumed control of his wealth and resources after his death. Resolving to honor his plans for Metropolis and for her, Valerie adopted her father's drives as her own.

For years, her efforts required her to stick to the shadows and work through intermediaries. Alongside her duty to monitor and manipulate Metropolis' development, via the continuation of Waldo's investments in various areas mentioned above, Puzzler was tasked with blocking Waldo's rivals from sabotaging or hijacking his designs for Metropolis. The Court of Owls for example was never able to establish a branch there because Puzzler always slaughtered anyone who tried. Puzzler would create logic puzzles to gauge how the city was progressing, sometimes simple ones released through newspapers that the Glenmorgan Foundation owned stock in, other times extravagant puzzle boxes would be left in public areas. Those who succeeded in solving them could claim the money inside. The press dubbed the mysterious creator, "The Puzzler", which Valerie embraced as her pseudonym. When Lex Luthor arrived and easily solved one of her puzzle boxes to claim the reward, Puzzler thought she had at last discovered the "Man of Tomorrow" who would be the first of the perfect citizens her father had dreamt of. Then her city underwent upheaval like never before, when a super powered alien debuted in Metropolis and foiled Lex's plans again and again.

Observing that this alien easily surpassed every human in Metropolis in terms of physical ability, and that he was able to outwit even the greatest human mind she had ever known, Puzzler decided that it was time to get drastic. Clearly her current efforts to nudge Metropolis into the future were not progressing fast enough. The man she thought fit to inherit leadership from her father had likewise shown himself to be inferior. Instead of a City of Supermen, Metropolis was a City of Last Men. Deciding it was time to step into the light, Puzzler revealed herself as the heir to Waldo Glenmorgan and the one who had shaped Metropolis behind the scenes for decades. Now, because of how inferior Metropolitans had shown themselves to be in comparison to the alien they had adopted as a protector, she was going to implement her father's eugenic ambitions for the city on a never before seen scale. For the City of Tomorrow, it was time to change or die.

That's a good angle for a villain. Someone who embodies both the bright futurist side of Metropolis in a way that also spotlights the evil simmering underneath the golden Art Deco cityscape. Puzzler is a physical and mental challenge for Superman, but unlike Lex or Brainiac or even Ultra-Humanite, she doesn't care about Superman himself, except by way of what he exposes about Metropolitans. The average citizen is what she is obsessed with, and they are who she targets for her puzzles. Their shortcomings, their willingness to simply cede their destiny to Superman or Lex to decide, rather than being inspired by either to rise up and better themselves, in her eyes requires correction. If her father was content to merely sterilize the "unfit", Puzzler intends to exterminate those who can't meet the challenges of the grandiose puzzles she creates. Both Superman and Puzzler see the potential in people for greatness, but unlike Superman, Puzzler doesn't tolerate anyone failing to fulfill that potential.

Another angle I wanted to contrast Superman with was the paternal one. Ideally for me, Superman is Clark fulfilling the dreams his fathers had for him to better the world, but not in the way either of them anticipated. He does his own thing. Puzzler meanwhile carries out her father's plans to the letter. Even her escalation is simply a more extreme version of what Waldo wanted to do, to "purify" society through murder and manipulation of the masses. Puzzler harbors no ambitions to more than what her father wanted her to be, to show how someone who is "kindly" to you can still be a reprehensible human being. Waldo showed her plenty of love but that doesn't balance out the evil he groomed her to carry out.

Finally there's the historical angle to contrast Puzzler and Superman. Superman symbolizes the best of Metropolis: it's a city that welcomes immigrants and outcasts because it sees the value of both. Puzzler to me personifies the worst aspect of Metropolis: the city doesn't care how you bring about advancement as long as you do. Any atrocity can be forgiven and forgotten for the sake of progress, and Metropolis' history is full of such tradeoffs. That's why the city prefers not to look back, because it knows it won't like what it sees.

Assuming no one else has any ideas to follow up on that bit of lore Williamson created, I thought I'd share my own idea for incorporating it into a Superman villain who could use a revamp. Superman needs a villain who embodies Metropolis' history the way the Court of Owls embodies Gotham for Batman. The Puzzler would be a great choice if a new villain couldn't fill that niche.

[thevindicativevordan]

I am a huge fan of the Jimmy/Silver Banshee romance that Williamson created and it's caused me to rethink my approach to Banshee as a Superman villain.

I still like portions of my initial revamp, especially trying to keep Banshee as a sympathetic character forced into villainy by a greater evil. This specific portion remains essential for the character to me:

Two of them also possess a desire to know more about their heritage and family history, with the darker portions of both reaching out to harm them through the Phantom Zone.

But something I've changed my mind on is Siobhan actively choosing to be evil, even if it's coerced. For one, it's not believable that Jimmy would choose to be with someone who is actively working towards trading the souls of everyone in Metropolis just to save her parents. And for two, how sympathetic is someone like that really? Unless she agrees to work with the heroes to rescue her parents the first time she's beat, her sympathetic nature is going to run out quickly. Plus I think there's a better approach.

See, one particular type of villain that Clark lacks is a "Two-Face". Someone who speaks to the duality of the character in the way that Two-Face does for Batman or Cheetah does for Wonder Woman. I guess Rose & Thorn might qualify, but she's rarely a straight up villain nowadays. I think Silver Banshee can be that for Superman, and the best way to go about that while preserving her relationship with Jimmy and her sympathetic nature, is to change the relationship between Siobhan and Banshee. Instead of my initial idea of her being a willing if coerced agent, let's make the Banshee entity a straightforward case of demonic possession that connects to both the Phantom Zone and to Siobhan's Irish immigrant background.

Siobhan Smythe is an Irish-born alternate rock star whose parents died when she was a young teenager due to an occult ritual gone awry. Relatives in Metropolis adopted her, and Smythe channeled her trauma through her music, becoming a super star in the process. Alas, she inherited her parents interest in the occult, and attempted to summon her parents souls' with a séance to discover what happened the night they died. Siobhan gets her wish in a twisted manner, as the demonic entity her parents summoned known as the Silver Banshee manifests instead, and repeats the slaughter once more. But that's not the end of Siobhan's story. Next morning she wakes up covered in blood, and discovers to her horror that the Banshee possessed her corpse after killing her in order to stay in the material realm. A simple exorcism can't be done because Siobhan would die again if separated from the Banshee entity. Now she has to fight Banshee for control of their body, with the demon harboring malevolent designs on the City of Metropolis that imperil the souls of everyone in the city.

I think that's a better, stronger basis for Silver Banshee as a villain for Superman given her current status quo. It keeps her as a reoccuring villain because the Banshee can take control and be a threat without incriminating Siobhan herself. Jimmy wouldn't give up on Siobhan no matter what the Banshee does because she's a victim in all this. And Superman feels responsible for her condition because he fears that the Banshee entity is Kryptonian in nature given how many Kryptonians were placed there by Jor-El. Even if she isn't a former Kryptonian warped by the Zone and gone mad, she's from the PZ and Superman has reluctantly claimed the role of warden for everyone and everything dwelling there, due to Jor's actions.

For the record I would not have the Banshee be Kryptonian per say. I'd have her form in the Phantom Zone thanks to actions that Smythe's ancestors performed during their occult pursuits. Her interest in Superman would be tied to how he, as one of the sole remnants of the Kryptonian race and witness to the death of a planet, is relevant mystically for her plots.

Bottom line is I really like where Banshee is at, I think she's finally starting to come together as a villain in ways beyond simply looking cool. Needs to get that arc that brings together all the elements Williamson has seeded in a way that capitalizes the tragedy of her situation.

[thevindicativevordan]

I love you Heretic Astartes Mongul. This guy collects SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

[thevindicativevordan]

There is vitriol on twitter about absolute Superman and how it ruined its opportunity to introduce a new generation of fans to Superman’s actual villains in favor of Batman villains

A lot of people refuse to give this comic a time of day the second peacemaker and Ras appeared

Do you think that those people are reasonable?

No, I think they sound incredibly childish. By all means, criticize the usage of Ra’s here, he sucks. It’s disappointing because Ra’s could be a good foe for Superman. He believes genocide is justified to save the planet from humanity’s environmental destruction; Superman is from a planet where the dominant species did destroy their own planet via environmental pollution. Sadly that’s not at play here at all, Ra’s is simply a one note megalomaniac with a god complex who wants Kal to be his heir for… reasons. But how can Absolute Superman have “ruined” its opportunity when the book is not over and sales seem to be remaining high? Issue 10 just went back for a reprint! Aaron says he wants to do 100 issues, and he’s already revealed that the next arc after issue 15 will focus on traditional Superman foes. Absolute Evil sets up Brainiac to backstab Ra’s and also recruit Lex, we’re going to be getting more traditional Superman foes soon.

The book will have failed if people jump off in large numbers and it gets cancelled before the rest of the line. Until that happens, no need to be hyperbolic. Yes this would’ve been a better book if Humanite, Toyman, or even Vandal Savage were in Ra’s place, but I love this take on Kal and on Brainiac enough to keep reading. And on that note:

Feels like I need to point out that Aaron has done a hell of a job setting up Brainiac to serve as Superman’s archnemesis here. They both were born into lowly stations in life, they both came into power after the death of everyone they knew, they both have issues with rage - but Brainiac has become the exact sort of oppressor he once served, whereas Kal is fighting to eradicate that kind of tyranny. Brainiac is the one who tortured Kal, who haunts Kal’s thoughts, who is pursuing his own secret agenda behind Ra’s back, who is assuredly going to continue to be a threat for Superman going forward. I like the foundation Aaron has laid here for their enmity going forward. They’re great foils for one another!

My advice to those understandably disappointed with Ra’s is, let’s see what Aaron does in the second arc which is supposed to focus on Metropolis, will have Brainiac and Lex at least involved, and might have other Superman villains too. If that ends up being a flop then yeah, Aaron likely won’t turn things around and make this the hit we want it to be. I know he’s said he wants to keep bringing in characters Supes doesn’t usually fight, I’d like to see the Wildstorm characters used for that. They’re languishing on the shelf and making them into opponents for Superman would at least be better than throwing Batman villains at him. Gimmie Superman fighting Jenny Sparks and what have you, maybe we can finally get a fight with Helspont that never happened in the New 52.

As a sidenote: it’s odd how strongly people are targeting Superman for this when others in the Absolute line are guilty of this too. Absolute Green Lantern was substantially worse. Most of the antagonists have been corrupted versions of heroes in the mainline universe: Hal as Black Hand, Abin Sur, Kilowag, Mogo, and Nemesis is coming. Absolute WW which gets a lot of praise has thus far pitted her against the Tetracide (boring), Hades (eh), Poison (I like her gaseous form but she hasn’t done anything yet), Cale (good), Clea (boring), and next up is Zatanna! AWW and AS are both doing great work with their leads, and have one villain who really shines (Cale/Brainiac) but also plenty of duds. Absolute Martian Manhunter has a phenomenal revamp of the character himself, and the nature of his White Martian opponent but otherwise the rest of J’onn’s foes are glorified cameos at best. They show up, try and do mundane terrorist stuff, then die usually. Did Camp botch an opportunity to revamp J’onn’s Rogues which have historically over relied on evil Martians? I haven’t seen anyone make that argument despite it arguably being just as valid. Flash is fine but again, nothing Lemire has done thus far holds a candle to how Johns revamped the Rogues. Really the only one who is knocking it out of the park in the villain revamp department… is Snyder on Batman.

[thevindicativevordan]

I'm thinking Williamson will stay on until 2027 and that's when they'll do a new #1 to synergise with the Gunn sequel

My thoughts as well. Williamson mentioned in a recent interview on Digging for Kryptonite that he noticed no one since the Loeb/Kelly/Casey era has stayed on Superman for longer than 2 years until PKJ’s Action run. That, the recent arc going back for reprints, + his confirmation that he has plans after KO, makes me confident he’s aiming to try and hit 50 issues which would take him to right around the time MoT releases. Then he steps off and they do a big marketing campaign for a new writer coming aboard (I hope they don’t relaunch though).

Really enjoyed Williamson’s run, looking forward to writing a big post about it when it’s over assuming I have the time.

[thevindicativevordan]

Were those last 3 issues the best arc of Williamsons run?

His writing for Prime was the funniest Prime has been since the glory days under Johns. Still second best for me, first best was the Superman/Superwoman vs. Timetrapper & Doomsday arc. Wish Lois as Superwoman had gone longer, I’d have loved to see her and Clark throw down against each other in DC KO. That would’ve been fun.

[thevindicativevordan]

Well, I wanted to ask if everything is okay, you didn't made a update in 2 weeks

Sorry guys, good news is I got a new job, bad news is I'm spending so much time in training that it's crippled my ability to keep updating the blog on time. I'll have to step away for a bit but I wanted to at least post my reviews for this week's Absolute issues because they seem to herald big changes for Superman in particular.

Absolute Superman #12 - I know Aaron was probably going for shock, but seeing Kal rip someone's arm off the week after Prime also was “disarming” people just made me cackle. Did make for a good contrast with Prime being totally nonchalant whereas Absolute Superman was traumatized. I liked a lot of the issue, Kal “bathing” in a volcano is such a Superman method to clean himself up, I liked seeing him travel the world honoring his Laborer roots, and I did like Sol tutoring him on various human languages… but making Sol into Kal’s conscience here has me puzzled. He was very cynical about Kal’s heroics in the first issue while here he’s much more pro-human. Having Kal treat Sol like a brother would be more interesting if Sol was the one badmouthing humans while Kal was more mixed on them.

I think I get why Aaron went that route, it does continue Kal’s characterization from the first issue where he’s shown to lack the optimistic viewpoint of humanity’s goodness winning out over their capacity for evil, which I do enjoy as a contrast with mainline Clark, but I don’t know what role that leaves for Sol going forward. If the two agree on everything that doesn't leave much room for Sol to be anything more than Kryptonian ChatGPT, affirming everything Kal does. I want to see more clash between the two, the way Aaron was very critical of AI during the earlier issues made me think he was setting something up with regards to Kal's present reliance on Sol, and I hope that does end up being the case. Cool to see Absolute Lana cameo. Brainiac not being with Ra’s and Talia + going behind Ra's back and pursuing his own agenda in Absolute Evil makes it likely he’s staying behind to backstab Ra’s and usurp Lazarus away from Ra’s, maybe even moving to Metropolis once Kal thrashes Ra’s and his forces? I want him to continue being a presence in the book. Ra's himself is still pretty boring, we don't even get anything of his backstory yet, so it's too late for me to care about why he wants Kal or what his deal is. I'm just waiting for him to be dealt with so we can move on and get more Brainiac or other Superman villains.

Also the shot of Sol encasing Kal in a mini-Fortress was very cool, great to have Sandoval back. Much like how the Absolute Amazons are shown to still exist on Themyscaria despite Diana being billed as the “last” initially, Kal does have a Fortress of a sort after all. Looking forward I think Smallville is going to be totally destroyed in the next two issues, and it will force a mass exodus of Smallvillians to Metropolis. Kal will go with them as their protector, to watch over them the way he couldn't do for his fellow Kryptonians.

Absolute Evil - First off this issue as a whole rocked. Ewing plays up the Gnostic themes of the AU with how the nature of the AU bends towards evil thanks to the influence of it's demiurgic creator god Darkseid. Joker's speech was a reiteration of Lex and Pandora's views on Doom vs. Justice from Snyder's JL run (so much so it makes me wonder if Snyder ghostwrote that part), except the twist is... Justice is the force for evil in the AU and "Doom" is the force for good. So the villains are the Justice League making the heroes... the Absolutes? Legion of Doom? Guess we'll find out down the road.

And we finally get our first appearance of Absolute Lex. Lex isn’t just a farmboy. He seemingly has everything mainline Clark has including a wife and children (Andora and the kid are throwbacks from Pre-Crisis no less!). But I bet the parallels go even deeper. I’m going to wager that Lex has super powers, and that he’s been working as with the government in a manner similar to the DKR Superman. And you know what? I bet he stole those powers from Iron Munro. Munro's corpse seemingly ended up in government hands based on Cale's comments. Once Munro died I’m betting Lex made himself into a superhuman after studying Munro’s corpse. Despite living out seemingly in the middle of nowhere, he apparently is always getting calls based on his wife’s complaint. I bet it’s because he secretly “heroes” for people like Cale, and his powers are how he will be able to check Joker. He’s got the brains and brawn to match Supes, in fact I wager he's probably stronger than Kal is right now.

Despite how "harmless" he looks at first glance, that is a clear false front, the same as how Joker looked relatively normal at first too. The massive omega symbol cloud in the background should clue you in to that, and then there's the sun belt buckle which is similar to what the Kryptonian Science League wore. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Lex has a "god" form the way that Joker has a devil one. Would be right up Aaron's alley given his strong anti-theism bent, a godlike Lex working to crush a revolutionary Superman. Man I can't wait to see him and Brainiac work together to kick the crap out of Superman, poor Kal has a rough road ahead of him.

[thevindicativevordan]

Gunnbros... we won!

For the first time since Chris Reeve hung up the cape, we are actually getting a Superman sequel. Rapid fire thoughts:

Calling it Man of Tomorrow feels like Gunn calling his shot at making this be the equivalent to The Dark Knight (something MoS tried and failed). First movie has the hero's name, then the second drops the name in favor of one of the hero's iconic titles? Might be reaching but that's what I think

Hell yeah Superman's best title after Champion of the Oppressed is getting used! That it's sure to make whatever diehard Snyder cultist holdouts rabid at Gunn "stealing" the name that was meant for Snyder's glorious return to direct a sequel to MoS only makes it sweeter

Alright the way Lee drew the two, and then Jorge Jimenez's art also does this, it looks like we might actually be getting Supes and Lex teaming up?!? Against another Superman villain right?!? Gerads' art is the only one to buck that trend but c'mon, even if they have to work together we can expect Supes and Lex to be at each other's throats

PLEASEEEEE JAMES GUNN ADD A SUPERMAN VILLAIN WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE! BRAINIAC, MONGUL, PARASITE, WHOEVER I DON'T CARE

Hawkgirl is apparently coming back, and presumably the rest of the JG also. Fine but I hope the screentime leans more towards the Clark side of things, I want more Daily Planet scenes!

Also Gunn said he's been thinking about ways to bring Bloodsport back, I'm praying it happens here. I wanna see Corenswet and Elba go at it!

Lmao this guy, saying he wasn't working on "Superman 2" because that's not the name he chose for the sequel is hilarious

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week ?

Sorry for the sabbatical and thanks for all the well-wishes! I've been doing interviews for a new job and driving all over has eaten up so much time and energy that I simply haven't had any left over to update the blog. Now I've missed a few weeks so I won't cover everything I've read, but I'll do the Absolute and Superman books since I know that's what you guys want.

Absolute Superman #11 - Probably my favorite issue since the one focused entirely on Brainiac’s backstory. So Brainiac got here in 1938 instead of Superman. I like that twist, very much in line with Joker being the billionaire and Cale working with the government instead of Bruce and Diana respectively. And I guess we have an explanation for why Brainiac works for Ra's: the Father Box/Darkseid is keeping him leashed. Brainiac is such a delightful psycho in this book. Supes rewiring the Brainiac drones with his whispers is such a cool little feat. Even in his weakened/powered down state this version of Superman keeps fighting and inspiring. I loved the detail that the drones are actually people themselves and not just robots, it's a consistent trend of the book to have the elite view their underlings as mere tools while Superman values them as individuals. I did enjoy how Aaron sets up the big cliché of the Kents inspiring Kal, and then pulls the rug out from under you by having them tell him to kill them all, leaving you on a cliffhanger.

Poor Kal and Bruce have a lot to bond over in this universe. They both got captured, cut up, and underwent brainwashing by their villains around the same time ironically enough. Frusterates the hell out of me that Aaron didn't focus solely on Brainiac, his version of Brainiac here is so entertaining while his Ra's is flat and boring.

Absolute Batman #11 - Best Bane since King's, maybe even the best Bane ever?

Absolute Martian Manhunter #6 - So often cosmic dustups between anthropomorphic entities can feel rather basic. But this actually felt clever in terms of how they used ideas and feelings against each other. If any Absolute book is going to influence the approach to their mainline counterparts, it needs to be this one. This is such a clever approach to a hero whose powers are mostly mental that it's honestly baffling Camp is the first one to do this. And of course it wouldn't be possible without Rodriguez on art. I’m intrigued to see where the plot thread of Tyler being possessed in the next arc.

Absolute GL #6 - Alright Jo is finally getting some development but she still doesn't feel like the main character to me.

Absolute Wonder Woman #11 - Diana has herself a hyrdotrident now? Absolute Aquaman is going to have to really change the character up, not much narrative ground left for him.

Absolute Flash #6 - Everyone who speculated there was something up with Absolute Barry was vindicated, I liked how it flipped the table when it came to how we view Barry and Wally’s father now. Barry is clearly morally grey at best and Rudy is a lot more sympathetic than he first came off as. Also a cameo of Jay! And I’m very interested to find out what the deal is with the Thawnes.

Adventures of Superman: Book of El #1 - a good first issue. Definitely reminiscent of the Warworld Rising arc, and I’m excited to see a fully unleashed Kryl empowered by the Aspects of Olgrun. The Summer Men are interesting, perhaps these are Kryl’s followers in the future? I'm thinking they are the Phaelosians warped and twisted by Kryl into serving him. Everything here feels so mythic and epic in scope, and Godlewiski's art is the best I've ever seen from him.

Superman #29 - Prime was delightful in this issue. “That was two reboots ago! Get Silver Age with me. Never used my heat vision on a snow man.” Heh I can’t help enjoying the edgy dweeb. He’s almost certainly just pretending to turn bad to try and facilitate Superman’s escape later on.

Action Comics #1089 - Captain Comet working for General Sam Lane does raise some interesting questions. Maybe the "Justice Alliance" got pressured into taking the same deal as the JSA, and Comet agreed? It's interesting contrasting this incarnation of him with how Morrison revamped Comet for a similar role during the New 52. Morrison made Comet even more of an outsider than their Superman, whereas Waid has Comet serving as a "DKR Superman" style government stooge (seemingly) to contrast with Superboy. Course there's also that shadowy group that Sam answers to and what role they play in all this to consider as well.

Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum #1 - In spite of my apathy towards Batman guest starring I have to admit this was a good read! Prince had a lot of fun playing around with the chronology caused by the Purple K scrambling Superman's perception. His Lex Luthor is great as expected, Lex's got that All-Star arrogance seeping through. I could totally see this story being set earlier in All-Star Superman's career truth be told. That bit with Lois calling it quits is interesting. Safe money is on one of the kryptonites somehow facilitating a solution to Supes and Lois having a child, but part of me hopes for some kind of unexpected swerve. Would honestly prefer this story not ending with them getting back together and Lois having moved on for good while Supes has to make his peace with that.

Krypto #3 - Was actually scared for a sec that the little girl was going to die, glad that didn't happen.

Superman Unlimited #4 - Opening bit where the thugs were relieved to see Man-Bat instead of Batman got a laugh from me. Glad Jimmy ended up being the one to figure out a way to save Superman by himself.