DC Comics teased that everything will change in October, and it starts with Absolute Evil. The new one-shot spotlights the villains Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, Hector Hammond, Elenore Thawne, and Joker in a kind of table setting issue. The direction so far in the Absolute Universe has been the rise of heroes against impossible odds and power, and it seems that power has gotten annoyed enough to hold a meeting with each other. Absolute Evil #1 serves as the first time every series in the universe has combined in some way, but is it as game-changing as DC Comics says?
Absolute Evil #1 is basically the calm before the storm, before everything gets much harder for the superheroes. Primarily, the issue focuses on a single meeting, although it opens with Hawkman being essentially ordered to eliminate a hero they consider a “commie rat.” We then cut to Green Arrow practicing in his “Arrow Cave.” He’s rich, with his own gizmos and vehicles, reminiscent of Batman in the main universe. His inclusion in this issue seems strange at first, but all will be revealed later. Think of Green Arrow as the exclamation point on whether or not the villains in this issue are serious.
From there, the issue follows Hector Hammond as he heads to the big meet and greet with Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, Elenore Thawne, and Joker. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, although if you’ve read Absolute Superman or Absolute Batman, you’d probably consider him the least frightening. He serves as a surrogate for the reader.
Much of the meat of this issue is recounting heroes who have appeared in this universe and how they ended up. Told via Veronica using a screen, it’s like we’re in on the presentation about the rise and fall of heroes. If you’re even slightly interested in the Absolute Universe, this presentation fills things out nicely, giving readers a sense of how things unfolded before the Trinity’s arrival. This presentation also nicely connects all the series.
Bunch of jerks.
Credit: DC Comics
Possibly the strongest scene in the issue involves Joker taking control of the meeting. His points connect back to the foundation of this universe and how this group of villains’ perspective is twisted. It’s the opposite of what the central universe stands for, and is a logical conclusion. Ewing does a good job with the dialogue throughout, drawing you in, even if it’s all a big exposition dump.
Closing out the issue is one more scene, which connects back to the FCBD comic. It builds towards a cliffhanger that should give readers a sense of where the threats are coming from in 2026.
The art is by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Nesi, and I honestly couldn’t tell you who drew what. That gives the book a seamless feel. As far as the visuals, they do their job in capturing character acting. Again, it’s challenging to make a presentation in a tight room interesting, so it’s really not the artist’s fault that this book is light on visually engaging elements. The Hawkman design is certainly freakish, as if it’s some demon rather than a feathered creature, and the visual of the new villain’s headquarters is an interesting twist as well. Those are the standouts, mostly because much of this issue is regular-looking people in business attire chatting away.
Absolute Evil #1 succeeds as connective tissue, pulling together the many strands of the Absolute Universe and framing its villains in a chilling new light. While it leans heavily on exposition and suffers from visually static sequences, the issue’s strong dialogue, Joker’s standout moment, and its role in establishing what makes it a worthwhile, if not earth-shattering, chapter.
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