Absolute Superman #21 Review

 

Absolute Superman #21 Review

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Breakdowns: Zander Cannon

Colorist: Ulises Arreola

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

Variant Cover Artists: Jerome Opeña, Gabriel Hernández Walta & Marguerite Sauvage

Editors: Ash Padilla & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: July 22, 2026

 

They battled across the planet. Hawkman defied Talia al Ghul to fight alongside Superman. John Henry proved he deserved a better life than working in a slaughterhouse. Yet as King Shazam unleashed storms and natural disasters, Superman simultaneously protected people from the once and (perhaps) future king's fury.

 

As Ra's al Ghul knew, King Shazam refused to listen to reason. But will Superman? Or will Kal-El take Hawkman and John Henry's advice and kill King Shazam? Let's leap into Absolute Superman #21 and see!

 

Story

After Superman took Hawkman’s mace and John Henry’s hammer, and hurled Teth-Adam to the moon, the story returns to those tense moments before Teth-Adam returned to the shuttered Lazarus Corp building. Kal-El called Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen to warn them that they would arrive soon. Their friend realizes he must step up his attacks like never before. But in case he doesn't survive this final battle, Kal-El gives Lois and Jimmy a final request.

 

While the primary battle takes place on the moon, Absolute Superman #21 weaves Lois, Jimmy, and Talia al Ghul’s battle into the narrative. Amid all the fighting, it also shows how far Hawkman has come. Yet these are battles between people who have lost everything. Like Kal-El, even if they survive this conflict, they must chart a path to their new normal.

 

In Jason Aaron’s story, Teth-Adam and Kal-El have much in common. Both lost their parents and their worlds. Yet while the young boy sought to protect his people, Kal-El used his powers to help and protect strangers.

 

Perhaps Teth-Adam has suffered more than Kal-El. He was tantalized with the power to protect people from aggressors. As King Shazam, he transformed his world. Then, he endured the trauma of 3,000 years of imprisonment. He may have killed Ra's al Ghul. Yet, Teth-Adam also believes that safety can only be achieved through strength. But in Absolute Superman #21, Kal-El cannot accept that holding power over anyone will ever lead to peace.

 

Art

The twisted metal framework of the damaged building frames Lois standing on the shattered floor. Immobilized, Talia sits and watches. Jimmy charges down a flight of stairs as he implores Kal-El to save himself. Yet in space, Kal-El holds a hammer and mace. A storm of energy swirls around him, obscuring his features as it transforms his appearance.

 

Aided by Zander Cannon’s breakdowns, Rafa Sandoval stretches the action across pages as Kal-El's armor covers him with spikes. The thorned warrior glows amid the energy storm. Yet Teth-Adam’s features also change. Freed from the Father Box, Teth-Adam has grown younger. But while battling to build his perfect world, cracks race across his skin as he and Kal pound regolith into rubble.

 

Ulises Arreola frames the first page in orange as the red dust of Krypton merges with yellow energy. Lois bears orange on her shoulder, while indigo and green surround Jimmy. The green links Jimmy with Talia, as they once fought together in the Omega Men. Orangish red and yellow rage on the moon as the combatants’ hands and feet glow, and the symbols they wear with pride burn in their chests. Yet the blue void surrounding the fighters darkens, until a storm of power swirls amid Kal-El’s darkest night in Absolute Superman #21.

 

Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text. The letters shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation. Rage-fueled yells swell letters and deform balloons. Two characters speak into black fields, while large white letters indicate time and location. Yet Lois’ narrative fills beige boxes, guiding readers through the tragic events. Vibrant sound effects enhance the battle of two supermen wielding weapons fit for the gods as they shake the heavens. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Like Sol, Kal-El’s fallen friend, most people believe that the Earth is hopelessly flawed. Perhaps if they had the power, they could make it more balanced. Yet Kal-El saw the Klerics of the Science League destroy Krypton by rigidly controlling every aspect of their world. So, as he strives to protect his adoptive planet, Kal-El fights not to install a perfect system, but to protect imperfect people in Absolute Superman #21.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Absolute Superman #21. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Superman #20.

For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Superman #19. 

For what happened even before that, see my preview of Absolute Superman #18.  

For more on Hawkman, see my previews of Absolute Superman #16 & Absolute Evil #1. 

 

Absolute Superman #21 Preview

 

 

They battled across the planet. Hawkman defied his masters to fight alongside Superman. John Henry proved he deserved a better life than working in a slaughter house. Yet as King Shazam's unleashed storms and natural disasters, Superman simultaneously protected people from the once and (perhaps) future king's fury. 

As Ra's al Ghul knew, King Shazam refused to listen to reason. But will Superman? Or will Kal-El take Hawkman and John Henry's advice, and kill King Shazam?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #21 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist & Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Variant Cover Artists: Jerome Opeña, Gabriel Walta & Marguerite Sauvage

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (Card stock)

Release Date: July 22, 2026

 

 

The Unbelievable Finale Of

“Reign Of The Superman!”

 

 

The final battle with King Shazam. "Reign of the Superman" begins here. But which Superman will it be?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Superman #20.

For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Superman #19. 

For what happened even before that, see my preview of Absolute Superman #18.  

For more on Hawkman, see my previews of Absolute Superman #16 & Absolute Evil #1. 

 

Absolute Superman #20 Preview

 

Teth-Adam wears a cloak of Egyptian dust. The red dust of Krypton protects Kal-El as a cape. Yet both hear the world scream, and wish they could make it a fairer, safer, and better place to live. As they battle over how best to accomplish this, John Henry Irons tries to keep up with the gods who defied the villain who stole his future. 

Then, there's Hawkman. He thinks he knows better than anyone else. Kal-El and Lois Lane might not like him. Still, Hawkman has been protecting the planet his way for 80 years.

Can Superman do what Ra's Al Ghul believed impossible, and reason with King Shazam? And can anyone prevent Talia Al Ghul from burning the entire world?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #20 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist & Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama, Juan Ferreyra & John Giang

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

Absolute Superman’s Greatest Battle Yet!

 

 

It’s Superman versus King Shazam versus Hawkman versus [REDACTED] in the greatest battle the Absolute Universe has ever seen! But who is their mystery challenger?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Superman #19. 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Absolute Superman #18.  

For more on Hawkman, see my previews of Absolute Superman #16 & Absolute Evil #1. 

Absolute Superman #19 Review

 

Absolute Superman #19 Review

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Colorist: Ulises Arreola

Letterer: Becca Carey

Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola

Variant Cover Artists: Chuma Hill, Haining & Jeff Dèkal

Editors: Ash Padilla & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 6, 2026

 

After the Peacemakers killed Lois Lane's father, Talia Al Ghul revealed that she was Primus, the leader of the Omega Men terrorists. Then Jimmy Olsen's former boss said that the only truth was that everything was a lie. Yet 3000 years ago, a woman who also channeled Omega energy prophesied an age of heroes.

 

While Talia’s father wavers in his commitment to burn the world in his refining fire, Superman and other heroes are arising to protect the planet. But who tore through the Peacemakers like tissue paper with his mighty hammer? And how have time, power, and imprisonment affected King Shazam? Let's leap into Absolute Superman #19 and see!

 

Story

His magnetized hammer absorbed everything the Peacemakers could fire at him. But that’s no surprise. John Henry Irons invented the technology that gave them their name. After Lazarus Corps bound him to a contract, they paid John a pittance to work in a slaughterhouse. That’s something King Shazam can relate to. Freed from the Father Box, he remembers his family dying while they worked as slaves. Three thousand years later, King Shazam discovers that nothing has changed.

 

While the story begins months ago, Absolute Superman #19 swiftly returns to the present. Despite planning to kill Ra's Al Ghul for years, John Henry Irons gets caught up in King Shazam’s awakening. Because of the power he accumulated in his extended life, Ra's Al Ghul believed he was a god. But now, Ra's, Talia, and John Henry Irons find themselves before a living maelstrom of anger and rage. John recognizes that, once again, his world has changed.

 

While John Henry Iron’s planned revenge transforms into a rescue attempt, the biggest confrontation is between Superman and King Shazam. The Red Lands shaped them both. Neither approves of slavery nor of power-hungry leaders slaying their citizens through war. In Jason Aaron's story, both would gladly turn Earth into a paradise if the masters of this world would let them.

 

Kal-El has finally found peace after saving Smallville. But King Shazam is angry and overwhelmed by the same screams Superman constantly rushes off to address. And unlike Kal-El, when he pondered the ethics of killing evildoers, King Shazam doesn’t have a lifelong friend like Sol to help him see reason in Absolute Superman #19.

 

Art

Mounds of meat weigh down a conveyor belt as John Henry Irons works beneath the machinery that should drive it. Then he climbs from the blood-covered floor and exchanges a crescent wrench and screwdriver for a sledgehammer. His determined expression never relents. Nor does John look around as he trudges past hanging sides of beef and the butchers who greet him as a friend. Then the man who built a device to stun people without injuring them lifts his sledgehammer, as a cow, locked in a kill box, silently regards him.

 

Red dust swirls around Kal-El as a black storm rages around King Shazam in Absolute Superman #19. Kal-El bears the red-and-gold symbol of the Kryptonian working class on his chest, while a yellow lightning bolt granted by Brainiac glows on King Shazam’s chest. As Kal-El’s forearms glow yellow and white, lightning crackles from King Shazam’s glowing chest and forearms. Dense beards frame Ra’s and King Shazam’s faces as the two former kings of this world regard each other. But unlike Ra’s Al Ghul, King Shazam’s features gradually shed their age after escaping the Father Box.

 

As Ulises Arreola casts bright colors into the dark settings of Rafa Sandoval’s action-packed art, Becca Carey fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase text. The letters shrink for lowered voices and grow bold for intonation. Raised voices swell letters and deform balloons, while large white letters indicate time and location. White letters in red boxes evoke Sol’s counsel as John Henry Irons shares his thoughts. The white letters in black boxes reveal King Shazam’s off-panel dialogue. Sound effects accompany a raging storm, King Shazam’s fury, and explosions as gods battle in the heavens. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Despite how people try to embrace him, Kal-El shies away from forming ties with them. While he has grown up in this world, Kal-El cannot forget his parents and Krypton. He may resemble the Humans he tries to help, but he doesn’t share their culture. An orphan twice over, Kal-El has no family on Earth. Nor does he eat or sleep like them. Yet as an age of heroes dawns, this son of Kryptonian soil must decide if he will forever be a stranger, or if he will finally sink roots into his adoptive planet in Absolute Superman #19.

 

Rating 9.7/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Absolute Superman #19.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Superman #18. 

Absolute Superman #19 Preview

 

While the Klerics enslaved Krypton with their lies, they secretly plotted to escape their ailing planet. The lords of Earth have followed a similar pattern of cruelty and domination. Kal-El dares to dream of a better future for his adoptive planet. Yet powerful rulers, like the Al Ghuls, Jack Grimm, and Veronica Cale of GATES, oppress the working class, and drain Earth of its resources in their unending quest for power.

Now, new forces are arising to stop them. They claim they want to be the savior of the world. But after seeing what power did to Hawkman, can Superman trust King Shazam? Or is anyone touched by Brainiac doomed to become an oppressor?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Absolute Superman #19 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Variant Cover Artists: Jeff Dekal, Chuma Hill & Haining

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: May 6, 2026

 

King Shazam is here to shatter the Absolute Universe!

 

King Shazam has risen with a power unlike anything Superman has faced before. What connection does he have to Brainiac and the mysterious Father Box? Plus, another classic character has made their Absolute debut, though it remains to be seen if they’re a friend or foe of the Man of Steel…

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

 

Absolute Superman #18 Preview

 

 

We are who we are. The world is the way it is. We can't change anything. At least, not if we believe we can't. But Superman doesn't hail from this world. He dares to believe that things can change. 

While people like Hawkman have signed on the dotted line, Superman refuses to kneel before any oppressor. After his trial in Metropolis, what dangers will he confront next? And can Superman inspire others to work toward a better tomorrow in the world that constantly tries to crush them?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #18 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Cover Artists: Rafa Sandoval, Gerald Parel, Ben Oliver & Chris Burnham

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: April 1, 2026

 

A New Arc for the Absolute Universe starts here featuring King Shazam!

 

“Reign of the Superman” kicks off here with the debut of not one but two Absolute Universe reinventions! The Battle of Kansas may have put the Lazarus Corporation into retreat, but it’s left behind some terrifying surprises in its hidden caches of weapons and world-ending secrets. The most dangerous of all? The sarcophagus of the legendary King Shazam! Don’t miss the start of a new epic that will change the hierarchy of power in the Absolute Universe!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

 

Absolute Superman #17 Preview

 

Superman dislikes screaming. So when he hears people in pain, he rushes off to assist them. But Hawkman dislikes his students popping in and out of his teaching sessions, even if they are helping others. But even as he admonishes his Kryptonian pupil, trouble is brewing in Metropolis and Missouri. Which cries for help will Superman respond to? And will he bond with his would-be mentor?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #17 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Cover Artists: Rafa Sandoval, Gerald Parel, Riley Rossmo & Mirka Andolfo

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: March 4, 2026

 

Parasite invades Metropolis!

 

Superman must save Metropolis from being devoured by his most terrifying enemy yet, the all-consuming Parasite—while the happiest man in the Absolute Universe, a simple family man named Lex Luthor, receives a fateful visitor…

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Absolute Superman #16 Preview

 

 

While there's life, there's hope. So when life screams for his attention, Superman races to rescue people from disaster, offer them comfort in their hour of need, or perhaps guide them toward reconciliation. Kal-El believes he knows where he belongs. Still, he's reluctant to put down roots. What villains will threaten Kal-El next? And are they as dangerous to his future as Lois Lane?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #16 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Cover Artists: Rafa Sandoval, Gerald Parel, Inhyuk Lee & Mahmud Asrar

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: February 4, 2026

 

A crucial follow-up to Absolute Evil #1!

 

Superman finds himself at the forefront of a bold new age of heroes in the Absolute Universe, but he quickly learns that he wasn’t the world’s first super-powered protector. Enter Hawkman, who has a few tips for the new kid, whether he wants to hear them or not!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

Absolute Superman #14 Preview

 

 

Lois Lane worked for Ra's Al Ghul. Now, as his tanks roll through Smallville, and Superman risks everything to fight the overwhelming forces, she wishes Superman would share more about who he is and what he cares about. But Superman told people about Krypton. He mentioned Smallville. So he knows he's to blame for everything Ra's Al Ghul does to the small farming community. Can Superman defeat Ra's Al Ghul without Sol's protection? And if so, will he accede to Lois' desires, or never reveal anything about himself again?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #14

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Cover Artists: Rafa Sandoval, Gerald Parel, Elizabeth Torque & Nikolas Draper-Ivey

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: December 24, 2025

 

The Battle of Kansas reaches its catastrophic conclusion!

 

It has all been leading to this. The final battle against Ra’s Al Ghul, for the fate of Smallville and the soul of Superman!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.