The last issue of Absolute Superman featured Superman going toe to toe with King Shazam, aka Black Adam, with Steel entering the fray. If that wasn’t intense enough, hang on, dear readers, because Hawkman has entered the picture! Absolute Superman #20 brings the winged warrior back into the fray, as Talia al Ghul hires him to kill Superman once and for all. Yet following his confrontation with the Parasite in Absolute Superman #16-17, Hawkman decides to do the impossible and help the Man of Steel in his battle against Adam. But even with centuries of experience and a massive mace on his side, can Superman turn the tide against his deadliest foe yet?
Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval seem determined to outdo themselves with each installment of Absolute Superman‘s current story arc, and Absolute Superman #20 is no exception. Whole pages often feature Superman, Steel, and Hawkman engaging in aerial combat with Adam; Sandoval takes extra care to depict the pure power of Hawkman’s mace or Steel’s hammer slamming into Adam’s face, which makes it all the more terrifying that the self-proclaimed king has not a scratch to show for it. The use of colors by Ulises Arreola also makes the fights feel more dynamic, especially when Superman and Adam take to the air; they become sheer blurs of red/blue and black/gold.
Vicente Cifuentes also deserves plenty of credit for the extra art he adds to certain pages, as he not only sticks close to Sandoval’s style but also matches it in terms of action. A key moment occurs during a flashback to Black Adam’s past, in which he hovers above the rest of humanity. It makes for an impressive image thanks to Adam’s flowing black cloak and Cifuentes getting the chance to put an Absolute spin on some surprising DC characters. It showcases that the dark forces running this world have been operating for longer than we’ve thought, and that Superman is in for an uphill battle if he wants to save the world.
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Speaking of saving the world, Aaron presents Superman with a potentially impossible choice as he discovers just how powerful Adam is. While I love that Superman isn’t willing to utilize lethal force when battling others, it does feel like Aaron is treading the same ground as Superman’s previous encounters with Ra’s al Ghul and Hawkman. I also feel like Steel could use a bit more dimension, as he and Superman share more in common than they’d expect. I do hope that ‘Reign of the Superman’ isn’t the only time we see Steel in action, as Aaron’s made him an intriguing character in the space of a few issues.
What I do love is that Aaron is one of the few writers in Absolute DC who’s touching on the wider state of the world. This makes sense, as he’s slated to explore the Absolute Universe in a crossover event, and he seems to hint that Superman’s presence is changing the world as we know it. Whatever happens, Absolute Superman #20 should satisfy fans who want to see the Man of Steel’s powers unleashed and who want to see the Absolute Universe continue to expand to include fan-favorite characters.
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