1/1 Comic Reviews: Going Against the Grain
Absolute Superman #3 written by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval
What a book to kick the new year off with! After two issues of establishing this new interpretation of the Man of Steel, this issue hops back in time to focus entirely on the story of the Els and the destruction of Krypton. We’ve been getting glimpses of the planet and the Els backstory, establishing that both Jor and Lara were scientists who had been cast out of the Science guild for their forward-thinking ideas. Jor-El had been laughed out for proposing that Krypton’s radical industrialization was killing the planet and Lara was shut down for proposing interstellar travel. Both were left with no option but to join the low-class worker’s guild, but rather than resign themselves to their loss of status, they both wore their crest with pride and did their part to contribute their skills to the everyday people they met. Unfortunately, an inspection of a mine reveals to Jor-El that his fears of Krypton’s destruction were not only accurate, but they were also fast approaching. Given that we live in a world suffering similar problems, it’s easy to imagine how well his efforts to warn people went. Anti-intellectualism is as deadly to our species as pollution, and, not to keep harping on this point, it’s going to be at least four more years before there’s even a chance of things getting better.
Meanwhile, we’re also introduced a bit more to young Kal-El. As previous issues had established, he was well on his way to his early teens before leaving Krypton, which has given him more connection to his home while serving to make him even more alien on Earth. He’s been clearly established in the present day as a champion of the downtrodden, but here we get a closer look at the young man. The first thing we see is that he’s struggling in school. He’s smaller than the other boys and too awkward to speak in front of others, but the thing that vexes his teachers the most is the fact that he insists on doing his own research and writing his reports on his own rather than using an AI. I already loved this new version of Superman, but he’s now my personal hero. The way he talked about how words have as much meaning as the thought behind them made me want to stand up and applaud. His family has a rebellious streak, and as we see later, there’s never any way to predict what an El will do.
As with all of the Absolute comics, there’s a degree to which the books are deliberately playing with the reader’s expectations. We all know how the Superman story goes: baby goes in rocket, everyone else dies, the end. Maybe Kal-El is a bit older, but it seems like things are going to go mostly the same. Then, the moment where it seems everything is going to fall in place... it doesn’t. Lara and Jor are nobody’s fools and they’re more prepared than I ever imagined. I won’t spoil it, but the page where the story breaks away from the mythology took my breath away. Before they put their plan in action, Jor, being the paragon of virtue that he is, tries one more time to warn the Science Guild and is arrested for his trouble. You’d think this would be an inconvenience, but the joke is on them because they’ve put a target on their backs and Lara has one big ass gun. What follows is an absolutely insane action sequence which makes it clear that Lara could give Batman a few lessons. Previous issues have shown that she’s responsible for Superman’s weird symbiote-esque suit, and we see her don it her which looks awesome.
Rafa Sandoval is a hugely talented artist. I’m always in awe of artists who can balance a multitude of tones in a single work. Previous issues have shown how well he can contrast Krypton and Earth, but in this Krypton-focused issue we get to explore the wonders of this amazing planet in more depth and it’s beautiful. It’s a land of sprawling environments and technological marvels where tornados of crystal can race across purple fields. Seeing the planet in all it’s glory makes it feel even more devastation to see it die and conveys the grief Kal-El must be feeling in the present day. Of course, his action scenes are equally amazing. The shot of Super-Batman Lara hefting a gigantic gun while she stands in a hole she melted into a wall is iconic. There’s so much to digest in the art and repeat readings only serve to unveil even more hidden wonders.
Timely yet timeless, this book continues to be the definitive Superman book of our age. With the El family, we’re given a trio of heroes to inspire us in a time when inspiration is desperately needed. There’s so much more to explore with this world and these characters, and I can’t wait to see where things go from here.
What if...? Galactus Transformed Hulk written by Mat Groom with art by Lan Medina
Mat Groom has been killing it on the cosmic books, so when I heard that he was writing the first issue of a new series of What if...? which involved alternate universes where Galactus empowered various Marvel heroes to be his heralds, I immediately pre-ordered. I have to say I was not disappointed. First of all, it’s amazing how much can be fit into a twenty-two-page comic book. We’re given our sole look at an entire alternate universe with its own status quo, but the book never feels rushed. The gist of it is this, Bruce Banner is desperate to get the Hulk under control, but he’s run out of options. Galactus appears to him with an offer: become his herald and in exchange, Hulk can rampage on the planets chosen by Galactus. Since they’re doomed to be devoured anyway, it doesn’t matter what destruction he causes. Seeing no other choice, Bruce accepts and becomes a silver-coated version of the Hulk. This all happens within the first few pages, by the way.
At first it feels like quickly getting the premise out of the way so we can move on, but it becomes apparent later that these first few pages are establishing the core theme of the book. People are often forced to compromise their ideals when they’re boxed in by circumstance, but does that absolve us of the consequences that come after? We make desperate choices to survive and at times go along with an oppressive status quo because it feels like the lesser of various numbers of evils. But even if we’re not the ones in charge, evil acts committed with our own hands are still our responsibility to bear. It’s not just the Hulk either. As we see later on, even the Avengers feel their hands tied when dealing with seemingly impossible problems. Of course, that isn’t to say that Bruce simply resigns himself to a life of evil and hardens his hard to the suffering of others. He actually employs his brilliant mind to help targeted worlds develop enough spaceships to evacuate their population before Galactus arrives. Since Galactus only wants the planet, it’s no problem for him if his herald is trying to save the people. I always enjoy this version of Galactus. He’s not maliciously trying to kill people. He’s a cosmic force that needs to consume planets or else he’ll die and take the entire universe with him. But in keeping with the themes of the book, he’s not absolved either. With all his power, maybe something else could be done, but he simply doesn’t have any interest in trying. It’s truly amazing to see how well a comic can establish its theme and explore it in a multifaceted way within such a short time frame. I want to be clear that it’s nowhere near as heavy-handed as I’m making it sound either. The characters never verbalize the themes of the story, they’re conveyed organically through the characters’ thoughts and actions. It’s good stuff.
There is an duty, nay, an obligation that an artist drawing a Hulk comic makes a spectacle of him smashing things. Lan Medina does not disappoint on that front. The fight Hulk has with his former comrades looks incredible. As a herald of Galactus, all of his smashing is accompanied by green flashes of cosmic power which only heighten the spectacle even more. The way herald Hulk is drawn looks so cool too. As Banner, he looks like Silver Surfer, but with a mop of brown hair. As Hulk, his muscles are so huge that they’re poking through the silver coating, giving him streaks of green on his silver skin as he charges into battle. It’s such a great design and it’s a travesty that we’re only getting one comic with it. It’s enough to make me add a Heraldverse comic to my wishlist where we can see all these crazy alternate heralds go at it with each other.
With stellar character work and spectacular art, this new What if...? series is starting strong. This book takes a fun premise and elevates it with compelling themes which serve the characters rather than distracting from them. Whether you’re a fan of the Hulk, cosmic Marvel, or just good stories, this is a book you can’t miss.