It’s all-out war in Absolute Superman #13, as Ra’s Al Ghul attacks Kansas’ citizens. Twenty thousand strong against an army of advanced tech, the people of Kansas only have Superman and sheer willpower to stand up against the might of a giant corporation. Besides a war, the issue is also about Superman gaining an identity among the people.
Picking up where we left off, the Lazarus Corporation is rolling its tanks into Kansas’ Smallville, and writer Jason Aaron makes it abundantly clear that the quaint small-town America is an extraordinary place for a war of this magnitude. Aaron uses captions to detail tanks rolling down Main Street, Peacemaker parachuters landing on a community baseball field, and the power being cut to senior living communities. The sheer amount of force being put up against normal, innocent people seems absurd, but Ra’s knows one of Superman’s weaknesses is targeting those who are in need. The stage is set well, and even has a glimmer of our current situation in America, as camps are being erected, illegally detaining citizens, as ICE agents do in the States.
With the grounded stakes for regular people established, artist Rafa Sandoval gets to let loose as Superman tears apart attack helicopters and takes on giant mechs. Adding to the stakes is Superman releasing his AI cape, which is set out to protect the people, leaving him more vulnerable. This allows Sandoval to let loose with Superman’s powers, like laser vision, which appears yellow up close, spitting flecks of light and energy as you’d see in an ironworks. Visually, the book is very grounded, making Superman’s speed and abilities all the more impressive.
Love the sense of speed as he hits the tank.
Credit: DC Comics
Thrown into all this fighting is a bit of an identity crisis for Superman. The character has mostly been at a surface level in the series, a complaint I’ve had with many issues, but here, Aaron leans directly into Superman’s lack of identity. Even he isn’t sure who he is, being a person on the run and in the shadows. This issue forces Superman to come to grips with helping others, as if that is his primary identity, or at least something to cling to in understanding himself and what he stands for.
Both Lois and Jimmy also get moments of self-reflection, realizing what they are fighting for and if they were on the wrong side up until now. One can see their DNA from the central universe, sparking character wrinkles here, like Lois’ inability to spell, and Jimmy being a pretty good photographer. It’s great to see these characters more fleshed out and their identities clearer, even if it has taken 13 issues to get here.
The only thing that continues to befuddle me in the narrative is Ra’s’ motivations. I can see he’d want to gain Superman as a tool and weapon, but as a son? I’m not understanding how you pull that off without a total rewrite of his brain.
Absolute Superman #13 brings the series to a fever pitch, balancing bombastic action with long-awaited character clarity. Aaron and Sandoval craft a battle that feels both epic and intimate, finally giving Superman and his supporting cast something deeper to fight for, beyond survival and toward meaning.
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