Absolute Power is shorter than recent events at DC and Marvel, so buckle up, as Absolute Power #3 is past the halfway mark! Out this week, creators Mark Waid and Dan Mora tinker with the power dynamics of each side. On one, we have Waller and her Trinity of Evil, and on the other, Nightwing is leading the charge for the remaining heroes. The situation is dire, but heroes can never give up, even if Jon Kent is a mind-controlled cyborg!
Absolute Power #3 is made up of a lot of smaller moments that build up to a potential edge for the heroes. There isn’t one big action scene like the last issue, but there is a moment that effectively weakens Waller. Since it’s progressing with small plot points, this issue ends up being a table-setting issue, and the other shoe will likely drop in the next issue.
The issue opens with Hawkgirl attempting to radio in with other heroes, but Waller’s men are right around the corner. Next, we get a check-in with Waller and her pet robots, Failsafe and Brainiac Queen, with the tip-off that the Amazos are acting a touch funny. Another quick scene change shows a few heroes reeling from the teleportation to their new safe haven: Themyscira. In just three pages, these scenes catch us up for the multiple missions that will take place next.
Nightwing holds his own.
Credit: DC Comics
Waid has a great handle on all these characters, especially Nightwing, who feels right at home as the leader. An argument with Big Barda shows he can hold his own even with super-powered heroes. Considering how many heroes and villains pop up, it’s a testament to Waid and how well he captures attitudes and personalities. There isn’t much time to get across who these people are before a scene changes.
The quick scene switching does feel jarring, with little time to get your bearings. Mora draws a hell of an issue, though I’ll admit a panel or even a few extra pages to establish scenes in, say, Costa Rica could have gone a long way in establishing what is going on. The quick scene changes sap the weight of a major revelation in regard to Amazos sucking up goodness and not just powers, but you get the gist.
This all builds to a confrontation with Brainiac Queen and Jon Kent against all the heroes. Even though Jon was only recently revealed to be augmented and mind-controlled, Mora makes you feel his anguish in the disturbing augmentation. He’s inhuman, and it looks quite painful. Brainiac Queen, meanwhile, is freaky and coming apart due to her unique robot body. The pair make for a twisted sci-fi horror show.
Closing out the issue is a reveal that should shift advantage once again, but it’s relegated to half a page, when a full page splash could have been far more impactful. Generally speaking, there are big moments, but this issue lacks splash pages.
Absolute Power #3 is a good issue, although it suffers from having so much going on with little setup for each scene. The impact of that final page also feels a little less impactful than it should, but there’s no denying that this issue is an example of creators doing their best to cram in a lot of characters and content.
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