When I interviewed Jason Aaron during the New York Comic-Con, I asked him about Absolute Superman. He couldn’t say anything about it, so he replied with a slight smile and said, “Just wait.” The first issue was a fantastic start to the series; the second showed why he smirked. It was a masterpiece. A lot could be mentioned to prove this, but let's go into the introduction of Lois Lane.
Absolute Superman's Lois followed a path like her father on Earth-Prime. Instead of becoming a journalist, she joined the military. At first, she's following orders like you'd expect. However, like the Lois Lane we know from Earth-Prime, there's a rebel in her. When she sees that the "dangerous guy" she's arresting isn't a threat, she changes her path. This leads to Superman opening up to someone on Earth for the first time.
"It's important that I get my thoughts down accurately. My thoughts. Not Brainiac's." -Lois Lane
After returning to base, the Brainiac AI takes her report and alters her words to make Superman seem like a menace. The problem is this isn’t an AI-generated algorithm; it's Brainiac (who I think is secretly Lex Luthor). Lois doesn’t know that there’s someone behind this, but she also doesn’t care. Despite hating the process of writing up reports (another difference from her counterpart), she felt compelled to do so. She said this felt like something worth writing. And, when she was done, she was shocked at how good it felt.
I can’t wait to see where things go from here. Some readers may not have wanted Lois and Superman to get together here because they’re already a couple in DC Comics’ normal continuity, but right now there’s no guarantee that Superman and Lois will be an item. We’ve already seen Wonder Woman as the last living Amazon in Absolute Wonder Woman and Martha Wayne alive and well in Absolute Batman. That proves that the staples we know aren’t definite in the Absolute world. We also have to remember that this is a world created by Darkseid. Something horrific is bound to happen.
For all we know, Jason Aaron could be building up the Lois and Superman relationship for her to be killed. This might lead to Superman losing his cool and turning into a destructive force. Maybe he becomes so enraged that he becomes Earth's destruction or…doomsday (the character and the event).
Who knows what could happen in this world, but this could be what Brainiac wants. It would give him a reason to go after Superman with the full force of the Lazarus Corp. Unfortunately for them, it's not a fight that Brainiac or the Lazarus Corp can win. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow to see if that happens.
What did you think of Absolute Superman No. 2? Are you enjoying the universe as a whole? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter.