In the legendary publisher’s latest massive reboot Superman tradition, DC Comics managed to bring the character back to his Golden Age roots. THE Absolute Universe is DC’s new attempt to radically update its roster of heroes and villains, and one of the most impressive updated incarnations is Absolute Superman.
Absolute Superman #1 – written by Jason Aaron, with art by Rafa Sandoval – introduces readers to a new version of Superman, one that deviates significantly from his conventional counterpart. Some of these changes, like Kal growing up on Krypton and the presence of the Sol AI, are new and innovative takes on the character.
That said, some of these changes have a history in Superman’s first appearances in comics, bringing Absolute Superman closer to his Golden Age history.
How Superman’s Future Echoes the History of Man of Steel’s Powers, Explained
Absolute Superman #1 – Written by Jason Aaron; Art by Rafa Sandoval; Color by Ulises Arreola; Becca Carey Lyrics
THE Absolute The version of Superman is generally weaker than his conventional counterpart, and furthermore, the Kents do not play a role in his adult life. Both changes have roots in Superman’s earliest appearances. However, the most intriguing idea of all is to take the idea of Superman as the “Champion of the Oppressed” and return it to the forefront, just like his Golden Age counterpart. Returning to these character details and reinventing them for the modern era is essential to keeping them timeless, making it feel like these characters are being renewed for today’s era.
Absolute Superman resembles the characters’ previous incarnations more than their modern ones.
The modern perception of Superman favors the idea that he is unstoppably powerful, with strength to rival the gods on a regular basis. Although the Golden Age version of Superman was still incredibly strong, the upper limits of his superpowers were only explored later in the character’s history. Flight, for example, is an iconic part of Superman’s power set, but it only became part of the character’s history from the 1940s onwards. Superman Fleischer Studios cartoons. It was only at the end of the Golden Age that Superman gained all of the powers most closely associated with him.
In terms of powers, Absolute Superman resembles the characters’ previous incarnations more than his modern ones. He is still an incredibly strong and powerful character, but the scale of these powers doesn’t come close to that of the DC Universe’s mainline Superman. This new version of Superman can still get hurt in a fight, as evidenced by the Reaper Drones that crashed into him during his fight in this issue. And although Superman still has his heat vision, a power his Golden Age counterpart only obtained later, he has the disadvantage of being uncontrollable.
The lore that DC readers take for granted wasn’t always essential to Superman’s story
Absolute Superman #1 – Available now from DC Comics
Notably, the Kents are treated as an essential part of the Superman mythos, being guiding figures for Clark even throughout his adult life. But it wasn’t always like that with the character. Jonathan and Martha Kent were not given the names “Jonathan” and “Martha” until the 1950s and only became regular supporting characters in 1949. Superboy series. The idea of the Kents being part of Clark’s adult life wasn’t part of the character until John Byrne’s 1986. Man of Steel miniseries, which rebooted Superman and his backstory after Crisis on Infinite Earths.
Absolute Superman deviates from this idea, due to the fact that Superman was never adopted and raised by the Kents. However, the idea of Clark becoming Superman and the Kents not being part of his life harkens back to that earlier time in the character’s history. Given the Kents’ modern prominence in Superman’s supporting cast now, This is an intriguing change to make and one that will certainly be explored in the future of Absolute Superman, especially in contrast to its conventional counterpart.
Absolute Superman reminds readers that the character has always been the “champion of the oppressed”
Absolute Superman #2 – Available December 4, 2024 from DC Comics
In its original appearance in 1938 Action comics #1, Superman was called “the Champion of the Oppressed” and this played a role in his early characterization. In his early appearances, he fought against ideas like corruption, oppression, and war before fighting supervillains. While this aspect of the character never entirely disappeared, or even left in the background, the character’s evolution has resulted in an undeniable change in the types of threats he faces, giving focus to other aspects of the character as well.
Absolute Supermanin every change he makes, he brings the character back to his Golden Age roots.
In this sense, it is appropriate that Absolute Superman returns to the core of the original Superman, transforming the idea of Superman as the “Champion of the Oppressed” into the core of his superheroic identity. He fights the Lazarus Corporation, which exploits miners in Brazil, and dialogue from other characters makes it clear that he has fought them before. Although Superman has always been a hero to the marginalized, Absolute Superman reinvents it for the modern era, modernizing it for the 21st century.
Absolute Supermanin every change he makes, he brings the character back to his Golden Age roots. However, it is not simply a matter of returning to the past. Instead, these changes, as well as new aspects of the character, work together to create a new version of the character for a new generation. Superman has been a pop culture icon for over 85 years and it’s necessary to reinvent these characters to give them new life every now and then. The changes in Absolute Superman do just that, returning to its roots to create a new Superman.
Absolute Superman #1 is now available from DC Comics.