Review: Superman Continues To Battle Ra’s Al Ghul’s Evil Empire In ‘Absolute Superman’ #10

After nearly a year battling the forces of Ra’s Al Ghul and his Lazarus Corp, Absolute Superman #10 seems to offer this weary reviewer the promise that the opening chapter in this new Superman’s story is coming to an end. And not a moment too soon. While I have marvelled at how this contemporary take on Superman hearkens back so much to Siegel and Shuster’s original Superman as a social justice warrior (Sorry, Dean Cain, but Superman has always been ‘woke’ and no more so than in this new take), the battle against an all-reaching, all-powerful evil corporation has lasted far too long. Drawn out as it has been and over-egging the darker aspects of the Absolute Universe. Y’know, just in case any reader is dumb enough not to know anything about the whole concept of this new universe by now. We get it, already! It’s bad, and evil corporations are even worse than they are in the DCU. John Byrne‘s Lex Luthor has nothing on Jason Aaron‘s Ra’s Al Ghul. Even if the idea of an evil global corporation is a very over-used trope in comic book storytelling over the years. Especially in world where our own real-life oligarchs are behaving worse than any fictional character. 

But, in a dark world, Superman still offers hope and another way. Having learnt from his father, Jor-El — in another flashback to his life on Krypton — that you must sometimes be cruel for the greater good, Kal-El proves he is the better man than his father as he faces off against John Smith/Peacemaker. It is not just that the Superman of this darker universe fights for the underdog (although, even that has been cast aside for more traditional supervillains like Ra’s Al Ghul, Peacemaker, and Brainiac), it is not just that he is a beacon of hope, but he is someone you can rely on to do the right thing. And here, even though he pays for being kind, this is a Superman fans can relate to. Not too far removed from his better known counterpart in the main DCU. 

As such, I did enjoy this issue, with Ra’s Al Ghul and Superman finally facing off and a surprise twist neither the reader or Superman saw coming. There’s also a cliffhanger that wants me to pick up the next issue. Job done then, DC. You have my attention again — and not just by Jason Aaron’s storytelling, but also by artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, who makes for a more than adequate replacement for series’ regular, Rafa Sandoval. Indeed, as fill-in artists go, Di Giandomenico is the mutt’s nuts. A skilled artist who adds a creepiness to the likes of Brainiac that only heightens the gothic tones of this brave new world. 

It’s an engaging issue, with Ra’s Al Ghul being a fascinating character that draws one into this particular issue, along with another Kryptonian episode at the start. Oh, and the dramatic cliffhanger too! It all adds up to a return to form for the creative team and, hopefully, an ending to this particularly over-extended storyline. 

Absolute Superman #10 is out now from DC Comics