Absolute Superman #4 Review

• Written by: Jason Aaron

• Art by: Rafa Sandoval

• Colors by: Ulises Arreola

• Letters by: Becca Carey

• Cover art by: Rafa Sandoval, Ulises Arreola

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: February 5, 2025

Absolute Superman #4, by DC Comics on 2/5/25, follows Agent Lois Lane in her investigation to find the stranger from a strange land. Her travels reveal more about the world Kal-El now calls home.

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Is Absolute Superman #4 Good?

Recap

When we last left tween Kal-El in Absolute Superman #3, the El family became aware that the Ministry of Science knew all along that Krypton was dying and had a plan in place to save just the elite members of society. Jor-El's attempts to warn the public landed him in prison, but Kal and His mother broke him out with the help of advanced weapons and tech. The issue ended with Kal-El's parents unveiling a large ship they built to save themselves and as many people as possible. The epilogue showed a woman in a hospital room on Earth with some unclear connection to the abandoned Kent farm.

Plot Synopsis

Absolute Superman #4 begins with Agent Lois Lane of Lazarus Corp beating and arresting Peacekeeper Crenshaw for firing on innocent civilians at the end of issue #2. We learn Agent Lane has spent several months questioning civilians near spots around the globe where this "Superman" stopped briefly to lend a hand. Her search thus far has come up empty.

Later, Agent Lane receives a call from her retired father warning her to take out Superman if she should find him and to beware of the terrorist group known as the Omega Men. It's clear Lois has a contentious relationship with her father, and in turn, Mr. Lane harbors resentment over losing his legs during a battle with the Omega Men.

Elsewhere, Agent Crenshaw appears to be taking his humiliation at the hands of Superman poorly. During a mandatory therapy session with Lazarus Corp's Brainiac A.I., the computer gaslights Crenshaw into believing that he didn't actually harm anyone and that his spiraling mental state is only temporary.

During another solo search patrol on the streets of Brazil, Agent Lane walks down an isolated alley and is confronted by a junior member of the masked Omega Men, Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy tries to convince Lois that the Omega Men aren't terrorists and that they're trying to free people from the oppressive Lazarus Corp's propaganda and lies. After a brief fight, Lois gets the better of Jimmy. Suddenly, an armored senior member of Omega Men joins the fight - Omega Prime, aka Primus.

Primus and Agent Lane are evenly matched during their fight. Superman flies in and stops the fight. Primus attempts to convince Superman to join the Omega Men, but he knocks her away. Agent Lane pleads with Superman for a talk, but before they can continue, a squad of Peacemakers arrives to take Superman into custody. Superman freezes the Peacemakers and flies away.

The issue ends with Peacemaker Crenshaw blacking out with rage for being made a fool of again. When he comes to his senses, he realizes his uncontrolled rage turned deadly. 

First Impressions

Let's make a bet. How long can a comic series called Absolute Superman go without actually telling you anything about Absolute Superman (as an adult) or focus an entire issue on the titular character? Jason Aaron is playing a dangerous game by wasting time telling you everything you need to know about the world and the characters around Superman instead of telling you about Superman, which is exactly the same problem Jonathan Hickman is having on Ultimate Spider-Man. On the whole, this issue isn't bad if it was a transition issue or cooldown issue, but you have to actually get at least one arc under your belt for a cooldown issue to make sense.

How’s the Art?

Rafa Sandoval's art looks fantastic. The moments of drama in a dialog-heavy issue come through loud and clear, and the little action there is looks super. There are no complaints about the art, so Sandoval earns top marks.

What’s great about Absolute Superman #4?

If you have a burning desire to get to know the spirit and personality of Agent Lois Lane, including the tense relationship with her father, this is the issue for you. Similar to the previous issues, Jason Aaron spends a healthy dose of time building out Superman's cast of supporting characters and the world they inhabit to give the Absolute Man of Steel a fully realized universe to inhabit.

What’s not great about Absolute Superman #4?

A fully fleshed-out universe to inhabit is pointless if the main character is nowhere to be found. Jason Aaron has spent nearly four issues teasing a blank slate of a character where the big superheroics and wow moments are performed by his technically advanced suit. Either Jason Aaron is holding back Superman for some unknown reason, or Aaron thinks his world-building is more interesting than it really is.

Regardless, beautifully written moments don't replace the foundational aspects of storytelling. 

Whose the PoV character? We don't know because the PoV character changes with every issue.

If you presume that Superman is the lead, what are his goals? What does he want? We don't know because we haven't spent any time with him.

If you presume Absolute Superman stands for Truth, Justice, and the American Way, who or what is standing in his way? Unknown. Sure, Lazarus Corp is doing evil, but they don't appear to be any match for Superman's overwhelming power.

In short, Jason Aaron isn't telling a story. He's wandering in his own imagination without a thought or concern for where he's headed, and you're footing the bill for it.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Final Thoughts

Absolute Superman #4 is a perfectly decent character-building issue that gives readers a better picture of Agent Lois Lane. Jason Aaron puts considerable thought into fleshing out the Absolute Earth's rival groups and Agent Lane's relationship with her father. That said, readers expecting a comic titled Absolute Superman to have Absolute Superman show up for more than a couple of pages will be sorely disappointed... again.

5.5/10

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