Another Painful Brick In The Wall: Reviewing ‘Absolute Power’ #2

When the going gets tough, the heroes of the DC Universe rally together so that they can face threats together. Too bad that Amanda Waller has already rounded up a vast majority of the known heroes and villains, and has her sights set on the last bits of resistance.

A secret weapon with personal ties to the heroes threatens everything as Absolute Power #2 rockets the summertime event to an explosive midway point. Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sanchez, and Ariana Maher deliver the devastation both physical and emotional.

Naturally, spoilers are ahead, so run away now if you’re not ready for such things.

Turn back the proverbial page to the first issue review that I wrote, and there is one thing I noted at the beginning. That would be how the very breakneck speed of this event (and many other recent comic book events) has been “short, sweet, and to the point,” as I so eloquently put it.

Guess what? This sentiment hasn’t changed at all.

Waid showcases, per usual, how much he knows and loves the DC Universe by so adeptly handling these characters and all that is going down. Not a moment is really wasted as we watch the heroes unravel, Nightwing steps up to lead as he’s meant to do, Brainiac Queen and a borg-ified (oh sorry wrong universe) Superman/Jon Kent strike, and the heroes are scattered to the winds once more.

Oh, can’t forget that Dreamer finally reaches a breaking point and puts her own family at risk from Waller to do what is right, and push back against Waller’s authoritarian power grab.

So much action and deeply felt moments are perfect for Mora who hasn’t met something that he can’t draw the hell out of so far. Swift kinetic beings moving through the pages, feeling lifelike and hefty in every single panel. Facial expressions, body language, and other signifiers are on point and screaming at us loud and clear the whole way. Everything is just so detailed and gorgeous, it’s hard not to just stare at each page for a long time.

Everything about this series is both super vibrant (it does still feature fantastical beings doing fantastical things) and very ominously dark. Sanchez flirts between that line effortlessly, making sure that we still feel the bombastic nature of this super world but also the danger of Waller and her team’s moves. The color palette uses both tonal ranges to really give the space and characters life and weight. Half of the issue is a big giant super slugfest (and I freaking love it) and everything still feels unique and colorful as well as easy to identify.

That’s because what Mora and Sanchez are both doing pays respect to the space and characters, giving us something truly tangible.

If Mora is someone that needs to be doing big bold books like this, Maher is a letterer that one should surely turn to for such things. No matter what, she’s always putting true creative fueled energy into every single letter that is on the page. Dropping in colors, shifts, and other modifiers that make things just big, loud, clear, and fun. We feel and hear those emotions, but also really can watch the quirky delivery of them resonate on the page.

Truly, I love what this book is doing and what everyone is bringing to it. Superhero comics, and the companies behind them, have their issues, but sometimes books that are just big bold superhero sequences that know just what they are meant to deliver are needed. For every poignant comic that leaves me thinking about the world around us, there are those that touch on things but also are just a big old ball of fun stuff.

Gimmie that fun stuff and a bucket of popcorn, stat.

Absolute Power #2 is now available from DC Comics.