Absolute Power (comics)
| "Absolute Power" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Cover of Absolute Power #1 art by Dan Mora | |||
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | July 3 – October 2, 2024 | ||
| |||
| Main character(s) | |||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Waid | ||
| Artist(s) |
| ||
| Colorist(s) |
| ||
| Editor(s) | Paul Kaminski | ||
"Absolute Power" is a 2024 American comic book crossover storyline published by DC Comics. As part of the Dawn of DC initiative, the main limited series will be written by Mark Waid, with art by Dan Mora, and debuted on July 3, 2024, and will conclude on October 2, 2024. The event takes place in the aftermath of "House of Brainiac".[1]
Premise
[edit]To neutralize the ability of every metahuman around the world, Amanda Waller recruits Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen into the Suicide Squad, beginning a campaign of hate and fear over people. In response, the Justice League and the remaining heroes form a resistance.[2]
Publication history
[edit]"Absolute Power" is a crossover event published by DC Comics and was released July 3, 2024. The main limited series of four issues is written by Mark Waid and drawn by Dan Mora.[1] During the Dawn of DC initiative, a "Trinity of Evil" was teased,[3] featuring Amanda Waller, leader of A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate and the Suicide Squad, alongside the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a Silver Age character who was reintroduced in 2022 during the "Failsafe" arc from Batman (vol. 3) #125–130 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez, and the Brainiac Queen, a female variation of Brainiac who was introduced in 2024 during the "House of Brainiac" storyline by Joshua WIlliamson and Rafa Sandoval.[4]
Plot
[edit]Background
[edit]In response to recent events involving metahumans, Amanda Waller decides that superpowers, regardless of whether they come from superheroes or supervillains, are too dangerous to be left unchecked. She gains the approval of the Council of Light, a group of clones of Brainiac, to take drastic measures. To achieve her goal, Waller takes over the Hall of Justice, founding the Bureau of Sovereignty to discredit the Justice League and Titans. She additionally coerces Dreamer and Green Arrow to work for her in taking over Gamorra and create an exclusive prison for metahumans.[5]
Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Batman develops the android Failsafe to counter him should he ever go rogue. He creates an army of Amazos before being defeated by Batman and recovered by Waller.
Finally, in Metropolis, Brainiac creates the Brainiac Queen as a means to experience the feeling of love he lost during his previous planetary invasions. Her primary functions involve devouring the abilities from the worlds he conquers until she gains her final form. After admitting his last defeat against Superman, Brainiac sends the Queen away, rendering her amnesiac.
After the Brainiac Queen awakens, Waller and Failsafe recruit her to help them complete their agenda and create a group of Amazos dubbed "Task Force VII" to drain the powers of superheroes worldwide.[6]
Main story
[edit]Issue #1: "Powerless"
[edit]In Metropolis, a group of robbers attempt to escape using a helicopter. Superman tries to de-escalate the situation, but one of the robbers fires his pistol at Superman, which manages to injure him and causes him to fall from the sky.[7] In Keystone City, 28 hours earlier, Animal Man and Animal Girl land in the park and are met by scared citizens, who proceed to beat Animal Man to near-death. Batman and Robin watch news channels to report on Animal Man's attack and on videos depicting superheroes committing acts of violence and destruction across the globe. Batman deduces the videos are fake, and were created by artificial intelligence to discredit superheroes.
In the Hall of Order, Waller reveals to Sargent Steel that the Brainiac Queen created the videos as part of her plan to take down every superhero on the planet due to the heroes having too much power and answering to no one. Failsafe arrives and activates Task Force VII.
Back in the present, Superboy and Jon Kent arrive and see Superman injured and falling to the ground. They manage to grab him, but are depowered and captured by Amazo robots. Amanda Waller starts a world-wide broadcast, stating her intention to solve the super-powered being problem permanently. At the same time, the Amazos of Task Force VII attack, depower and capture the majority of superheroes (including Wally West, Jay Garrick, Bart Allen, the Justice Society of America, Aquaman, Tempest, and the Doom Patrol) around the world. Batman deduces that Waller would not start such an attack if she hadn't already won, and is suddenly attacked by Failsafe.
Batman tries to warn the heroes from their secret communication channel, but is intercepted by Green Arrow, who is now working for Waller. He tells Batman that Waller made sure no help would arrive: she brokered a deal with the United Planets to make sure no one arrives or leaves Earth, along with locking down the Multiverse, the Timestream, and the Microverse, and mocks the heroes by claiming that their power loss is permanent. Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, the Brainiac Queen gives Jon Kent cybernetic enhancements and renders him amnesiac.[8]
Issue #2: "Resistance"
[edit]The rest of the heroes regroup in the Fortress of Solitude to regain their strength. Waller, Brainiac Queen and Failsafe have taken over the Hall of Justice while trying to find the rest of the resistance. Superman heals from his wound and the rest of the heroes start arguing who should be the lead of the resistance. Nightwing helps calm everyone down and everyone decides Nightwing should be the leader of the resistance. Nightwing asks Batman to find if Amanda Waller has a Mother Box, Superman has to gather allies in the multiverse, Black Canary needs to find out why Green Arrow is working for Waller, and Wonder Woman alongside Robin find out more of Waller's prison. As everyone suits up and gathers weapon, a possessed Jon Kent alongside Brainiac Queen attack them. Brainiac Queen captures Yara Flor, Wonder Girl, and Red Tornado while the rest of Amazon robots arrive.
Dreamer arrives but is disturbed by how callous Amanda Waller is to the heroes. Blue Beetle and Mister Terrific use the Phantom Zone projector to escape, and Superman asks the Fortress of Solitude to self-destruct. Wonder Woman and Aquaman destroy the glass dome containing Kandor, which allows the miniature Kryptonians to distract Brainiac Queen long enough for Dreamer to send the rest of the heroes to the Phantom Zone before the Fortress explodes. Brainiac Queen repossesses Jon Kent again, while Green Arrow grabs a mysterious hourglass.[9]
Issue #3: "Last Stand"
[edit]In Gateway City, Hawkgirl is asking for backup for her and Mammoth as she is attacked by Amazon robots. The rest of the heroes land on Themyscira, where Donna Troy and Wonder Woman convince Nubia to seek refuge. Barry Allen manages to get kryptonite from the Fortress of Solitude, Black Canary and Green Arrow's team have gone out to uncover Green Arrow's motivations, Hal Jordan retrieves Waller's weapons, and Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, and Damian have gone out on their separate missions. Nightwing instructs Aquaman, Blue Beetle, Red Tornado and Yara Flor to go take out John Starr in Amanda Waller's headquarters, Donna Troy and the Amazons defend Themiscyra, and the rest of the heroes will have to save the remaining heroes.
Failsafe attacks the Minster of Shanghai, and Brainiac Queen starts absorbing data from the Internet servers. Amanda Waller is enraged that the Amazon robots are gaining morality and sentience and tells Failsafe to initiate a partial reboot. Aquaman's team is attacked by Bizarro but they quickly dispatch him and find Starr, but are attacked by Black Alice and Deadeye. During the chaos, one of Aquaman's team members is killed, and Nightwing's forces are spread too thin. Brainiac Queen and Jonathan Kent attack Themiscyra, but with the help of Nightwing, Mister Terrific and Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Jonathan Kent is freed from Amanda Waller's control. Jonathan Kent defeats Brainiac Queen by showing her that Waller is the true enemy. Batman and Superman arrive and they teleport Brainiac Queen to Pluto by using the Mother Box, with Zatanna reporting that Superman and her unlocked the Dark Paths to enable teleportation, and Batman confronts Starr on how he can return everyone's powers. Meanwhile, Flash discovers that Waller is assembling a multiversal army.[10]
Subplots
[edit]Amanda Waller
[edit]The origin story of how Amanda Waller suffered the tragedy of losing her family due to crime, which led her to found the Suicide Squad.[citation needed]
Task Force VII
[edit]Task Force VII are tasked with depowering and capturing any heroes who escaped the initial attack. However, they also absorb some of the heroes' morality, causing them to begin rebelling against Waller. Meanwhile, Steve Trevor reports to the metahuman prison base on Gamorra so the Bureau of Sovereignty can monitor him. Sarge Steel imprisons Trevor, but he escapes and learns that Waller is working with the Crime Syndicate.[11]
Tie-ins
[edit]Batman
[edit]Batman is trying to gather resistance in Bludhaven and believes the plan to stop Amanda Waller is in the Titans Tower. He sneaks in the tower, where he meets a captured Cyborg. Cyborg tells Batman that Waller is in the south of Gamorra, and she has a Mother Box. An Amazo robot tries attacking Batman, but he quickly escapes. Batman meets with Flash and Wonder Woman to tell them what happened, and plans to recruit Catwoman to steal the Mother Box. [12] [13] Bruce Wayne convinces Catwoman to help him with his heist, while encountering Black Alice, Bizarro infused with Brainiac's technology, and Deadeye (Amanda Waller's nephew). They escape from them, and realize that cyborg was sensing a Boom tube that is constantly opened and realize the Boom Tube is somewhere else. They find out the Mother Box is in a building that has been shrunk in a bottle on the desolate planet of Czarina. Just then, Bizarro, Deadeye, Gunsmith, and Black Alice wake up and confront Batman and Catwoman.[14]
Green Arrow
[edit]Despite Batman instructing Team Arrow to remain on Starfish Island, as they were the only heroes who were not targeted by the Bureau, they instead decide to capture Professor Ivo, believing he may know of a secret weakness in Task Force VII. Meanwhile, Green Arrow recovers a box that contains the key to defeating the Justice League. He and his allies then battle Waller's enforcer Bright and the Tomorrow Woman. Bright kidnaps Cheshire and her daughter Lian before Green Arrow arrives and tells him to let them go.[15]
Green Lantern
[edit]Hal Jordan is arrested in the initial attack and taken to the Hall of Order. However, he escapes and recovers his ring. After being attacked by guards, he uses Abra Kadabra's wand to teleport himself and a vast quantity of weapons to Themyscira, the Resistance's new headquarters.[16]
Superman (Clark Kent)
[edit]After escaping the Fortress, Superman and Zatanna search for the Map of Mordru, which would allow them to access the Dark Roads. They were able to make their way to the Oblivion Bar, where most of the world's magic users and supernatural creatures are hiding. Neron reveals that he has the map, and offers to make a deal for it.[17]
Superman (Jon Kent)
[edit]After being depowered, Jon Kent is captured by Task Force VII member Last Son, who delivers him to the Brainiac Queen. The Queen wipes his memories and converts him into a cyborg under her control.[citation needed]
Wonder Woman
[edit]Wonder Woman, Billy Batson, Detective Chimp, Spectre, Mary Marvel and Madame Xanadu. The latter three are depowered while the former three escape.[18] Wonder Woman and Robin interrogate Captain Boomerang to learn the location of Waller's metahuman prison, eventually learning that it is on Gamorra.[19][20]
Characters
[edit]Main characters
[edit]Resistance
[edit]- Aquaman (Arthur Curry)
- Batman (Bruce Wayne)
- Flash (Wally West)[21]
- Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
- Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz)
- Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent)
- Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
Trinity of Evil
[edit]Other characters
[edit]- Animal Girl (Maxine Baker)
- Animal Man (Bernhard Baker)
- Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)
- Big Barda (Barda Free)
- Booster Gold (Michael Carter)
- Charles Dickens
- Detective Chimp
- Elongated Man (Ralph Dibny)
- Madame Xanadu
- Neron
- Skeets
- Steve Trevor
Bat-Family
[edit]Bureau of Sovereignty
[edit]- Black Siren
- Emerald Knight (John Stewart)
- Etrigan the Brainiac 666
- Johnny Quick (Jonathan Chambers)
- Nocturna
- Superman (Match)
- Superwoman (Donna Troy)
Flash Family
[edit]Super-Family
[edit]Team Arrow
[edit]- Arrowette (Cissie King-Jones)
- Arsenal (Roy Harper)
- Cheshire (Jade Nguyen)
- Cheshire Cat (Lian Harper)
- Green Arrow (Connor Hawke)
- Red Arrow (Emiko Queen)
- Red Canary (Sienna)
- Speedy (Mia Dearden)
- Bizarro
- Black Alice (Lori Zechlin)
- Bright
- Captain Boomerang (George Harkness)
- Deadeye (Archie Waller)
- Deadshot (Floyd Lawton)
- Dreamer (Nia Nal)
- Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
- Gunsmith
- Peacemaker (Christopher Smith)
Task Force VII
[edit]- Depth Charge
- Global Guardian
- Jadestone
- Last Son
- Paradise Lost
- Velocity
Titles involved
[edit]Preludes
[edit]| Title / | Issue(s) | Writer | Artist(s) | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman (vol. 3) | #145–149 | Chip Zdarsky | Jorge Jiménez | Tomeu Morey | March 5, 2024 | June 18, 2024 | "Dark Prisons" story arc |
| Free Comic Book Day 2024: Absolute Power Special Edition |
One-shot | Mark Waid | Mikel Janín | Trish Mulvihill | May 5, 2024[22] | — | |
| Titans (vol. 7) | #11 | Tom Taylor | Lucas Meyer | Adriano Lucas | May 21, 2024 | ||
| Action Comics | #1066 | Joshua Williamson | Rafa Sandoval | Alejandro Sánchez | June 25, 2024[23] | "House of Brainiac" tie-in | |
| Superman (vol. 6) | #15 | ||||||
Countdown to Absolute Power
[edit]| Title | Issue(s) | Writer | Artist(s) | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide Squad: Dream Team | #1–4 | Nicole Maines | Eddy Barrows Eber Ferreira |
Adriano Lucas | March 12, 2024[24] | June 11, 2024[25] |
| Green Arrow (vol. 7) | #12–13 | Joshua Williamson | Eric Gapstur Phil Hester Sean Izaakse Amancay Nahuelpan |
Romulo Fajardo Jr. | May 28, 2024 | June 25, 2024[23] |
| The Flash (vol. 6) | #10 | Simon Spurrier | Vasco Georgiev Ramón Pérez |
Matt Herms | June 25, 2024[23] | |
Limited series
[edit]| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Power | 1–4 | Mark Waid | Dan Mora | Alejandro Sánchez | July 3, 2024[22] | October 2, 2024 |
| Absolute Power: Task Force VII | 1–7 | Jeremy Adams John Layman Pornsak Pichetshote Alex Parknadel Dan Watters Leah Williams Stephanie Williams |
Khary Randolph Max Raynor Calire Roe Pete Woods Marco Santucci Caitlin Yarsky |
Alex Guimarães | July 10, 2024[26] | September 25, 2024 |
| Absolute Power: Origins | 1–3 | John Ridley | Alitha Martinez | Andrew Dalhouse | July 24, 2024[26] |
One-shots
[edit]| Title | Writer | Artist | Colorist | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Power: Ground Zero | Nicole Maines Mark Waid Joshua Williamson Chip Zdarsky |
V. Ken Marion Gleb Melnikov Skylar Patridge |
Patricio Delpeche | June 25, 2024[22] |
| Absolute Power: Super Son | Sina Grace Nicole Maines |
Travis Mercer John Timms |
Hi-Fi Rex Lokus |
September 18, 2024 |
Tie-ins
[edit]| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman (vol. 3) | 150–152 | Chip Zdarsky | Mike Hawthorne | July 3, 2024[26] | September 4, 2024 |
| Green Lantern (vol. 7) | 13–15 | Jeremy Adams | Fernando Pasarín | July 10, 2024 | September 11, 2024 |
| Superman (vol. 6) | 16–18 | Joshua Williamson | Jamal Campbell | July 17, 2024[26] | September 18, 2024 |
| Wonder Woman (vol. 6) | 11–13 | Tom King | Tony S. Daniel | ||
| Green Arrow (vol. 7) | 14–16 | Joshua Williamson | Amancay Nahuelpan | July 24, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
Release order
[edit]- Free Comic Book Day 2024: Absolute Power Special Edition
- Absolute Power: Ground Zero
- Absolute Power #1
- Batman (vol. 3) #150
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1
- Green Lantern (vol. 7) #13
- Superman (vol. 6) #16
- Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #11
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #2
- Absolute Power: Origins #1
- Green Arrow (vol. 7) #14
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #3
- Absolute Power #2
- Batman (vol. 3) #151
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #4
- Green Lantern (vol. 7) #14
- Superman (vol. 6) #17
- Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #12
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5
- Absolute Power: Origins #2
- Green Arrow (vol. 7) #15
- Absolute Power #3
- Batman (vol. 3) #152
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #6
- Green Lantern (vol. 7) #15
- Absolute Power: Super Son
- Superman (vol. 6) #18
- Wonder Woman (vol. 6) #13
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #7
- Absolute Power: Origins #3
- Green Arrow (vol. 7) #16
- Absolute Power #4
Critical reception
[edit]According to Comicbook Roundup, Absolute Power received an average rating of 7.9 out of 10 based on 120 reviews.[27]
Future
[edit]In July 2024, DC announced the end of Absolute Power will conclude the Dawn of DC initiative, giving birth to the DC All In initiative, which will be overseen by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder, and will begin in October 2024.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Epps, Justin (April 22, 2024). "DC's "Trinity of Evil" Unites in ABSOLUTE POWER, 2024's Massive Summer Blockbuster". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ Salmon, Will (February 22, 2024). "Suicide Squad supremo Amanda Waller is close to achieving Absolute Power in DC's next big event". gamesradar. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (November 9, 2023). "DC's signals a Trinity of Evil with 2024 Dawn of DC teases". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (November 9, 2023). "Suicide Squad's Amanda Waller is leading DC's Trinity of Evil, and that means trouble for Batman, Superman and the good guys". Popverse. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ^ Reaves, Dashiel (June 25, 2024). "Superman's Boyfriend Reveals the 1 Weakness of His Seemingly Unbeatable Superpower". ScreenRant. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Dodge, John (June 26, 2024). "Brainiac's Deadliest Creation May Be More Powerful Than Superman". CBR. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (July 3, 2024). "Superman Gets [SPOILER] in DC's Absolute Power". Comics. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ Epps, Justin (July 3, 2024). "ABSOLUTE POWER #1 Kicks DC's Summer Event Off Right with High-Stakes Drama". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ Zalben, Alex (August 7, 2024). "Absolute Power #2 Review: Blockbuster Storytelling At Its Finest". Comic Book Club. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Dodge, John (September 4, 2024). "A Classic DC Trope Just Saved Superman's Son from a Fate Worse Than Death". CBR. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Dodge, John (August 28, 2024). "DC's Absolute Power Just Brought Back a Terrifying Super Team". CBR. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Johnston, Rich (July 6, 2024). "Absolute Power & Batman #150 Top Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List". bleedingcool.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (July 3, 2024). "Batman #150 review". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (August 7, 2024). "Batman #151 review". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Epps, Justin (September 7, 2024). "Green Arrow Finally Has His Own Version of Joker (But Way More Powerful)". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Dodge, John (July 10, 2024). "Green Lantern: DC's Absolute Power Unleashes a Brand-New Superpower". CBR. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Laspada, Christian (August 22, 2024). "Superman #17: Magic's in the Air". Comic Watch. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Bergamini, Anthony (July 17, 2024). "Wonder Woman #11: The Justice League Dark Are Here To Stay". Comic Watch. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Forsberg, Taylor Blake (September 6, 2024). "Wonder Woman Admits That Batman Is Basically a God in DC Lore". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ Forsberg, Taylor Blake (September 5, 2024). "Wonder Woman Officially Proves She's a Better Tactician Than Batman (For 1 Major Reason)". ScreenRant. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ^ https://x.com/mikeljanin/status/1799178280815497641
- ^ a b c Smith, Sam (February 22, 2024). "DC Announces its Summer Blockbuster Event and Elseworlds Updates". CBR. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
- ^ a b c First Comics News (March 14, 2024). "The Fall of the House of Brainiac Begins in Action Comics and Superman This June". www.firstcomicsnews.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024. Cite error: The named reference ":2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ O'Donoghue, Kate (November 9, 2023). "Waller's Dream Team: DC's Suicide Squad Officially Returns with a Powerful New Member". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (March 15, 2024). "Full June 2024 DC Comics solicitaions". Adventures in Poor Taste. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Salmon, Will (April 18, 2024). "DC's massive summer event Absolute Power sees Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more take on a "Trinity of Evil" led by Amanda Waller". gamesradar. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Absolute Power Comic Reviews". Comicbook Roundup. June 26, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
- ^ Brooke, David (July 17, 2024). "DC Comics unveils 'DC All In' line of comics". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved July 17, 2024.