Absolute Superman #16 Review

It’s Wednesday my dudes, and you know what that means? Another Absolute phenomenon hits the stores today for us to add to the collection! I am, of course, referring to none other that Absolute Superman #16. As you can tell from the rating, this was an great issue, but it was just also so much more than that. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings so, lets talk about that in our Absolute Superman #16 review.

This review will be spoiler-free, however, we do recommend you read the previous issue and Absolute Evil #1 before continuing.

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The Review

Image by DC Comics

Last issue ended with Superman meeting seemingly about to lock in to a huge battle against one of the most anticipated characters since their debut in Absolute Evil, Hawkman. Absolute Superman #16 offers much more than that giving us depth, clarity and a backstory to this darker version of Hawkman. But is he friend or foe?

Absolute Superman #16 does offer us the action we were all hoping for, but where this comic really sells itself is with the Absolute Hawkman lore. In Absolute Evil we see Hawkman bring a beatdown Green Arrow to the newly formed group of villains who call themselves The Justice League, from that you can only assume that he is one of the bad guys. After reading the first few pages however, it becomes very clear he is trying to do good in a world of evil, a world he believes will never change. If Superman can appeal to the good in him, Hawkman might end up being one of the most epic Superheroes this universe has ever seen and I for one cannot wait to see that unfold – if it does play out that way.

Hawkman was not the only new character teased in this issue. In the very first panel, we see a lightning bolt mark on a tomb wall, after that our suspicions are confirmed, this is the tomb of none other than Black Adam. I am sure many of you are as excited by this as I am, but what really excites me more is that if Black Adam exists within this universe, it’s only a mater of time before Shazam makes his Absolute debut.

Image by DC Comics

Not much else happens aside from that honestly, and yet it feels like so much happened in this issue. Absolute Superman #16 does an excellent job of moving the story forward in a way that just flows between arcs, but even the small details here really matter going forward. The character and world building we see here is going to make a huge difference to the series future. There is one thing I really wish I could talk to you about but it would ruining the end of this comic, so we will save that for next time, just prepare for some really intense issues to follow.

Juan Ferreyra is back in the hotseat providing us with some more of the series finest art. In particular, I really loved the style of the 1940’s flashback, they look truly stunning and give off an Indiana Jones kind of vibe which really fits the narrative. I don’t know if that is what Ferreyra was going for, but it really works!

In short, Absolute Superman #16 is not the most action packed, though there is of course some epic action moments… just look at the panel below. The world building, teasers and character growth which propels this story forward is where this issue really shines.

Image by DC Comics

Absolute Superman #16 shows us exactly what is yet to come in the series, with new characters, twisted fates, and a possible villain to hero arc that will be worth the read. We cannot wait to see this all unravel very soon – another must read from this incredible series.

What are your thoughts on this new arc so far? Is Hawkman friend or foe? Whatever your thoughts and feelings, share them with us in the comment section or on our Instagram page. Until next time, thanks for reading!

See also: Previous issue review

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