Absolute Power #3 continues DC’s summer event with the most interesting issue yet, featuring writing from Mark Waid, art from Dan Mora, colors from Alejandro Sánchez, and letters from Ariana Maher.
The story starts with the heroes regrouping on the island of Themyscira, having struck a deal with the Amazons after the events of last issue. Heroes and villains are both still being picked up left and right by Waller, trapped in the prison that she’s made for them. The heroes are in disarray. They’re not agreeing with each other on how to handle things, which causes even more problems as they prepare for the next attack from Waller.
WRITING
Waid goes in a few interesting directions in this issue while also playing it a little safe. The friction among the heroes is amazing. Where the last issue saw them uniting towards a common fight under the words of Nightwing, this one sees them hesitant. They’re scarred, and they’re all blaming different things for that. The drawback is that, because of this contrast, a lot of what happens this issue feels very similar to the last. The heroes all meet up and lick their wounds, planning a potential counter attack against Waller once again. The only thing saving it from an exact repeat is the difference in the conversations topics. whereas they band together in the last issue, this one sees them falling apart. They’re struggling to stay together here.
Waid captures a lot of small character moments really well. He had said that he wanted to shine some spotlight on newer characters and further integrate them into the universe with this story, and he does just that. New characters interact with old, and some of these interactions really give the newer characters heart. Waid understands how to write these smaller characters among these legends, and uses that skill to strengthen the personality of those less exposed. This issue also has a few emotional beats, and they all hit really hard. It felt like the right path for a lot of the characters involved. The character work in this issue just houses some real gems.
ART
It’s becoming harder and harder to read a comic book with Dan Mora art and not praise it endlessly. It’s beautifully detailed from start to finish. He’s really been able to put his character design abilities to the test with this whole series, and this issue is no exception. Specifically, with these technological beings. Sure the Amazos are scary, but he brings life into the Brainiac Queen never seen before. She looks intricate and delicate, masterfully crafted. But she also looks sturdy and like nothing can cut through her. The same goes for the cybernetically enhanced Jon Kent. He’s detailed, but where the Brainiac Queen’s wiring all looks intentional, his looks messy. It’s not his choice to be this way, he wasn’t made this way, and doesn’t want to be this way. The design reflects that.
The panel layout is really strong here too. Mora does this really smart thing with the sizes of these characters. When they praise the other heroes and themselves, telling them to hope for a better tomorrow, they take up most of the panel and look larger than life. When they’re put in their place, they look small and defeated. Another point is the action. It looks so much more brutal than last issue, and way less one-sided. The heroes aren’t grasping for straws anymore. Mora draws them looking more confident that they were before, putting Waller and her teams on their back foot. It’s a really impressive thing to get across visually, but Mora gets it done with no problem.
COLORS
Sánchez understands how to use color in order to amplify emotion from both art and writing in such an impressive way that it becomes difficult to pick your jaw up from the floor. The emotional beats mentioned earlier? Sánchez makes those impactful in a way that makes its presence felt — like something would be missing without it. There’s an emotional moment later in the issue where the writing and art is already beautiful, but it’s truly brought to light with the color. It’s two characters clouded by darkness, light seeping in and shining on them. The light is hope, and it’s casting away the darkness. It’s not completely gone, but they’re fighting for it to be.
The issue also passes a lot of time, with Sánchez really making the passage of time here felt. We go from the night, to the morning, to the afternoon, to the sunset. While it’s bright for most of the day, there’s subtle differences in the lighting that felt intimate and careful. A lot of love and care was put into this, and the time of day along with the lighting matching the character’s moods was a really nice touch.
LETTERS
Maher makes a lot of character-specific choices in this issue and they all really work. Especially with Jon Kent. Without spoiling anything, he’s clearly struggling with his new robotic condition. When it’s the robotic control coming through, his speech is square and telegraphed, but reluctant. When it’s really him coming through, the bubbles and words are faint but those words carry more weight, as they’re really his. It’s a nice touch.
Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen’s speech bubbles both remain intact. They’re both cold and robotic, but later in the issue, the Brainiac Queen’s speech becomes more fluid and less robotic. Her bubbles fluctuate in shape and size, with real emotion coming through. The lettering really enhances the writing in this issue.
CONCLUSION
This issue was an interesting one. It felt like a contrast of the one that came before it, while also really throwing itself into necessary characters beats and emotional moments that the story couldn’t have gone forward without. It’s maybe the most important issue so far in terms of content, and the way this team executes that is something else.
Not a single character feels left out here. Everyone has purpose. That seems like a herculean task in a story like this where you should be focusing on the heavy hitters, but everyone involved really makes it work. Everyone is important, and hopefully that’s a strong sentiment going forward.
