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Absolute Superman (2024)
Absolute Superman (2024-) #11
For five years, he’s been on the run, hounded across our planet, and treatedlike a criminal…yet his only crime was being born somewhere else. NowSuperman’s rage threatens to engulf the world at the urging of Ra’s al Ghul.And the only ones who can save the day…are Kal-El’s dead parents.
Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2025
42 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Jason Aaron
2,372 books1,685 followersJason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.
In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.
Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.
In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.
In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.
After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 3, 2025
Screwed up issue. The ending...fuck Superman is MAD.
September 5, 2025
Brutal, intense, and a great segway into the next story arc. I am loving this take on supes. The art is also fantastic and depicts the action superbly.
October 6, 2025
The Absolute universe just keeps getting worse. Now Superman is brainwashed, and we have no idea of the nature of these effects—besides the obvious, which is a violent response to specific stimuli.
Special shoutout to Brainiac: every time I think you can’t get any freakier, you exceed expectations, so thanks for that.
Special shoutout to Brainiac: every time I think you can’t get any freakier, you exceed expectations, so thanks for that.
October 21, 2025
SUPERMAN SON OF THE DEMON-FINALE
MAN OF STEEL, MIND OF ASH.
"Kal-El ? What are you doing? you have to run"
"No.i don't.Not anymore "
Braniac is ready to bend Kal-El to Ra's Al Ghul's will.
General Lane tries to save his daughter.
impressive second arc..that furthers the story.
MAN OF STEEL, MIND OF ASH.
"Kal-El ? What are you doing? you have to run"
"No.i don't.Not anymore "
Braniac is ready to bend Kal-El to Ra's Al Ghul's will.
General Lane tries to save his daughter.
impressive second arc..that furthers the story.
September 6, 2025
This chapter delivers a brutal mix of horror and psychological warfare, with Brainiac putting Superman through mind-bending torture while Ra’s al Ghul pulls the strings. Lois is as unshakable as ever, Sam Lane has a standout “super soldier” moment, and the art leans into dark, claustrophobic tones that heighten the tension. Despite the bleakness, Superman’s hope shines through—and that balance is what makes this series so powerful. An absolute joy to read; this run continues to be excellent.
September 6, 2025
OK. Finally.
For the first time... I can see a bit of Good Ol' Sups
He's a beacon of hope.
Even thru brainwashing, he's not a killer. He's not vengeful.
(He's also not Batman. I'm ok with Sups killing)
And he gave hope to all Brainiacs under the slavery.
That. That's Superman.
Nice seeing Lois' dad being badass.
But I don't know... the end gave me a bad taste in my mouth.
Hoping for it to get good...
For the first time... I can see a bit of Good Ol' Sups
He's a beacon of hope.
Even thru brainwashing, he's not a killer. He's not vengeful.
(He's also not Batman. I'm ok with Sups killing)
And he gave hope to all Brainiacs under the slavery.
That. That's Superman.
Nice seeing Lois' dad being badass.
But I don't know... the end gave me a bad taste in my mouth.
Hoping for it to get good...
December 29, 2025
I really like the subtle connection Lois points out to Jimmy between Lazarus and the Omega Men, framing them as two sides of the same coin. It’s a smart bit of world building that adds depth to me.
What continues to stand out to me is how different Lois and Superman’s paths are in this adaptation, yet how deeply connected they still feel to one another. I was also genuinely happy to see General Lane appear, and I did not expect the direction they took him in this issue at all.
The story is unfolding at a slower pace, but it grows more intense with every issue. That gradual build really works for me, and I’m loving the tone they’re establishing for Absolute Superman.
What continues to stand out to me is how different Lois and Superman’s paths are in this adaptation, yet how deeply connected they still feel to one another. I was also genuinely happy to see General Lane appear, and I did not expect the direction they took him in this issue at all.
The story is unfolding at a slower pace, but it grows more intense with every issue. That gradual build really works for me, and I’m loving the tone they’re establishing for Absolute Superman.
September 14, 2025
I’m so done with series because the way al ghuls are depicted.
October 4, 2025
I vibe with this Brainiac design.
January 4, 2026
1/4/26
September 5, 2025
Well that was not an issue I should have read before bed, lol. Brainiac continues to remain pure nightmare fuel, and I love it! That was really good but wow did that ending leave me conflicted, I really hope I know how it’s going to go next and I hope it’s really good, but leaving it open ended like that to drag the story into the finale worries me. But I truly believe this story will keep Superman to what he believes at his core, as he continues to put life above all else. So as we jump into this issue the question at the top of the hour: how do you break the spirit of Superman and bend him to your will for ultimate world domination at the hands of Ra’s Al Ghul? According to brainiac, it includes strapping him down and using Kryptonite tools to get into his head and force him to live days on end of simulations that push him to the point of killing. You have to start early in his life, such as on Krypton, where you expose him to the imprisonment of his parents and remove the ability to try and save as many people as possible until he lashes out and kills the entire science league. Do that say…3000 times, and you will be ready to move to Earth simulations. How brutal is that.
It’s interesting seeing how the Ghul’s, especially Talia and her father box, treat brainiac as their tool, and how he even fears to power of the father box. But he returns that promptly to his own clones, any word out of turn, such as suggesting the Kryptonite meteorite be called Kryptonite, and he forces them to take out their own tongue as punishment. What also sucks is that brainiac took Sol and deprived it of sunlight and exposed it to red son energy to really deplete it. To make things even worse, Talia has the fun habit of visiting Lois and Jimmy every hour just to kick them around until the final show, the final test to prove Superman has shifted to their side: getting him to kill them.
But this is still a Superman story we are talking about, and at his core even after real time days of endless killing…when it really comes down to it he will never break. By day five we finally see Superman break free from the simulation and grab brainiac by the neck, right as he is about to kill him…he drops brainiac and realizes what he is doing, this isn’t who he is. He looks over to the brainiac clones and begs for their help, they are prisoners just like he is with the way brainiac treats them. They deserve better and together they can get that. But just as suddenly as he breaks out…the simulation around him quickly ends as brainiac gets pissed off it didn’t go the way he wanted it to. Superman didn’t cross the line, he didn’t kill brainiac in the simulation, and brainiac can’t understand why. By day twelve brainiac notices that the sol suit is back online and active and that the containment has been disabled. He questions his clones on this, only to be met with the phrase: “we deserve liberty.” As it turns out, Superman has been whispering to the clones at such a super soft level that their brains only registered it on a sub conscious level. When brainiac asks who the traitor is, suddenly all of his clones stood up and claimed it was them. For this treachery brainiac slaughtered all of them and continually replayed the security footage in Superman’s mind. Superman is a man who can rewrite hard wiring with his whispers, instilling hope and rebellion into machines. How does brainiac possibly have the ego to think he can break that?
As brainiac continues to try and break Superman by exposing him to the day the Kent’s were killed by the peacemakers, another visitor comes to the Greenland facility…General Lane. As always he seems he has to do a secondary screening with his robotic legs, which provides him the perfect opportunity to take the guns he hid out and start blasting his way through the facility to get his daughter! HELL YEAH! Sam wants to get out of there quickly, but even with Lois and Jimmy they are missing one more. Fighting their way through the facility, they get to the lab and blast a few holes through brainiac. As general lane continues to fight the peacemakers he trained off, Jimmy and Lois work to get Superman free. They can’t just pull everything out of his head, can they?! Suddenly tragedy strikes as General Lane walks into the room…with a blade stuck through his head. Primus and a load of peacemakers follow quickly after, as Jimmy pleads with Kal-El to WAKE UP! At this moment Kal is getting a chance to talk to the Kents as their entire world is surrounded by fire and dead peacemakers. It genuinely seems like these Kents are talking like the real ones would have, consoling him and telling him they are proud of him. But Kal-El continues to remain unsure with everyone trying to tell him what he’s supposed to be. Everything feels really great in this scene until the last line where they tell him to get out there and kill them all. That doesn’t sit right with me, and I feel like it doesn’t because it’s a remnant of the brainiac program trying to break him. But the core message of this scene remains, Kal-El already knows exactly who he is and doesn’t need anyone else telling him otherwise. As Kal-el finally breaks out of the simulation he immediately goes for brainiac, tightening his fingers around his disgusting neck. One of the other brainiacs who wanted liberation, dragged its chopped up body over to open the containment unit for Sol. As Jimmy is yelling out to Kal to stop killing brainiac, the entire world erupts as Sol is reengaged and surrounds the. Entire complex. But even Sol questions Kal-El at the end. Is it possible that all of brainiacs torture finally worked, is he broken? No…I really really hope not.
It’s interesting seeing how the Ghul’s, especially Talia and her father box, treat brainiac as their tool, and how he even fears to power of the father box. But he returns that promptly to his own clones, any word out of turn, such as suggesting the Kryptonite meteorite be called Kryptonite, and he forces them to take out their own tongue as punishment. What also sucks is that brainiac took Sol and deprived it of sunlight and exposed it to red son energy to really deplete it. To make things even worse, Talia has the fun habit of visiting Lois and Jimmy every hour just to kick them around until the final show, the final test to prove Superman has shifted to their side: getting him to kill them.
But this is still a Superman story we are talking about, and at his core even after real time days of endless killing…when it really comes down to it he will never break. By day five we finally see Superman break free from the simulation and grab brainiac by the neck, right as he is about to kill him…he drops brainiac and realizes what he is doing, this isn’t who he is. He looks over to the brainiac clones and begs for their help, they are prisoners just like he is with the way brainiac treats them. They deserve better and together they can get that. But just as suddenly as he breaks out…the simulation around him quickly ends as brainiac gets pissed off it didn’t go the way he wanted it to. Superman didn’t cross the line, he didn’t kill brainiac in the simulation, and brainiac can’t understand why. By day twelve brainiac notices that the sol suit is back online and active and that the containment has been disabled. He questions his clones on this, only to be met with the phrase: “we deserve liberty.” As it turns out, Superman has been whispering to the clones at such a super soft level that their brains only registered it on a sub conscious level. When brainiac asks who the traitor is, suddenly all of his clones stood up and claimed it was them. For this treachery brainiac slaughtered all of them and continually replayed the security footage in Superman’s mind. Superman is a man who can rewrite hard wiring with his whispers, instilling hope and rebellion into machines. How does brainiac possibly have the ego to think he can break that?
As brainiac continues to try and break Superman by exposing him to the day the Kent’s were killed by the peacemakers, another visitor comes to the Greenland facility…General Lane. As always he seems he has to do a secondary screening with his robotic legs, which provides him the perfect opportunity to take the guns he hid out and start blasting his way through the facility to get his daughter! HELL YEAH! Sam wants to get out of there quickly, but even with Lois and Jimmy they are missing one more. Fighting their way through the facility, they get to the lab and blast a few holes through brainiac. As general lane continues to fight the peacemakers he trained off, Jimmy and Lois work to get Superman free. They can’t just pull everything out of his head, can they?! Suddenly tragedy strikes as General Lane walks into the room…with a blade stuck through his head. Primus and a load of peacemakers follow quickly after, as Jimmy pleads with Kal-El to WAKE UP! At this moment Kal is getting a chance to talk to the Kents as their entire world is surrounded by fire and dead peacemakers. It genuinely seems like these Kents are talking like the real ones would have, consoling him and telling him they are proud of him. But Kal-El continues to remain unsure with everyone trying to tell him what he’s supposed to be. Everything feels really great in this scene until the last line where they tell him to get out there and kill them all. That doesn’t sit right with me, and I feel like it doesn’t because it’s a remnant of the brainiac program trying to break him. But the core message of this scene remains, Kal-El already knows exactly who he is and doesn’t need anyone else telling him otherwise. As Kal-el finally breaks out of the simulation he immediately goes for brainiac, tightening his fingers around his disgusting neck. One of the other brainiacs who wanted liberation, dragged its chopped up body over to open the containment unit for Sol. As Jimmy is yelling out to Kal to stop killing brainiac, the entire world erupts as Sol is reengaged and surrounds the. Entire complex. But even Sol questions Kal-El at the end. Is it possible that all of brainiacs torture finally worked, is he broken? No…I really really hope not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2025
This alternate reality isn't as enjoyable as the Absolute Wonder Woman title. In Diana's book, she is actually MORE powerful than her mainstream self, because she has all her normal powers, plus witchcraft. And, sure, this version of Superman has all his normal powers, plus this nanotech red cape with an AI. But, Diana's book is doing a better job of convincing me that she retains her sense of hope and compassion despite growing up in literal Hell. Clark's book... isn't doing that. Sure, the overall theme is about whether Clark can remain a voice of hope in a world that is highly corrupt, and where he doesn't have his usual touchstones of Ma and Pa Kent or Lois (albeit, he meets them much later in life).
I'm just not sure I'm a fan. This book is more of a chore to get through. It's almost the opposite of reading a typical Superman book.
I'm just not sure I'm a fan. This book is more of a chore to get through. It's almost the opposite of reading a typical Superman book.
October 6, 2025
This one was good. I liked the emotional deeper dive. The back and forth between superman and the importantance of resistance to absolute corruption. The emotional undertone was highlighted well with Lois and her dad, just adding more and more meaning and stakes to what’s is going on in superman’s head. He’s resisting trying to use deadly force to try and accomplish what he needs to. He easily can but he wants to do and be better. meanwhile the only way to save his body and self is by others using the same force he doesn’t want to. But when he emerges, it seems that the only thing on his mind and the only way to be himself is to sacrifice a part of himself to preserve the rest.
September 6, 2025
Absolute Brainiac is terrifying. I’m curious to see how this mental warfare will impact Kal-El moving forward. We’re not going to see a full heel turn, but Kal is mad and getting madder. Jimmy and Lois are becoming more of a team with Kal, so maybe it’s time for them to really band together against Ra’s. The story remains strong and compelling - one of the quieter books in the Absolute line but laying a ton of groundwork for the dystopian nature of this universe. I really didn’t jive with the art in this issue, though.
September 3, 2025
If you had told me at the start of this series that by issue eleven, the book would be asserting that both the violent slavers and the people fighting to FREE THE SLAVES are somehow equally evil, are "two sides of the same coin", I would not have believed you. I would have been wrong. Holy fuckin' fall off. This series has literally nosedived into the pits of hell. I'm tapping out. I can't read any more of this drivel.
September 14, 2025
Great story. Great conflicts. Just like Superman’s father said in the last issue “things are worth doing if it meant fighting for this {krypton},” the dream sequence of his earth parents said the same thing when it came to defending them.
Did Superman snap? Did he kill Braniac? Is he too far gone!!!!!? “Man of steel. Mind of ASH”. Absolutely amazing.
Does Talia know that something isn’t right with the world!!?!????
Did Superman snap? Did he kill Braniac? Is he too far gone!!!!!? “Man of steel. Mind of ASH”. Absolutely amazing.
Does Talia know that something isn’t right with the world!!?!????
September 26, 2025
Wow! This series is really kicking into high gear! Up there with Absolute Batman! I have Absolute Wonder Woman up next! Can't wait to get into that Absolute storyline. What a twisted world for Absolute Superman! Art and story are both superior.
February 9, 2026
Brainiac pushes the limits of Supermans subconscious where he simulates disasters, pushing Superman towards rage. Is Brainiac making it out alive?
Great use of body horror, General Lane getting annihilated in front of Lois was brutal. The colour palate reached a peak for me, great illustration.
Great use of body horror, General Lane getting annihilated in front of Lois was brutal. The colour palate reached a peak for me, great illustration.
September 3, 2025
What a father won’t do for his children. General Lane has made his stand, but is he too late? Will Kal kill?
September 4, 2025
*4.5 stars
This series continues to be awesome. Kal is really put through the ringer in this one. It has some really great character moments. The scene with the Kents was really sweet.
This series continues to be awesome. Kal is really put through the ringer in this one. It has some really great character moments. The scene with the Kents was really sweet.
September 8, 2025
Being sentenced to 20 years in the phantom zone for being an orphan is crazy
September 12, 2025
Another terrifying absolute universe book. It’s so dark. I wish it was more hopeful for a Superman book.
September 14, 2025
Dude he better not kill brainiac or ill crash out
September 14, 2025
This story is so intense that I am having anxiety for the young man.
September 20, 2025
estivo ben pero esta creo que se disfruta máis dunha sentada
September 28, 2025
Total twisted horror.
October 19, 2025
This series started out amazing, but now its slowly drifting into old territory.
October 20, 2025
Superman subconsciously teaches the other brainiacs ideals of freedom and compassion??? Holy shit this is what it’s all about
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews