I've gotta say, I really liked the Absolute Power Ground Zero Special. I decided to buy this, and the main Absolute Power series (minus the sub-series and the tie-ins) on paper, waiting for the secondary stuff to show up on DCUI. And so far, I'm a fan.
This book is broken into three stories, each co-written by Mark Waid. The first shows the Suicide Squad tracking and capturing Jon Kent's boyfriend, Jai Nakamura, the son of the recent president of the island nation of Gamorra. The next shows Amanda Waller coercing D-list time-travel villain Time Commander into helping her with her plans. The third shows Waller enlisting and securing the help of the Brainiac Queen, who first appeared in the recent crossover in the Superman books.
As I've probably written, I've moved away a bit from the anti-Waller bandwagon; I feel like her time on Earth 3 is sufficient motivation for a heel turn for someone who was already skeptical of superheroes, and while not every writer will play her on what I feel his her new moral line--I think there are some things she still won't do, as she still has protection of regular (American) humans as one of her core motivations--I can blame that on the creators, not the character. I think Waid and Dan Mora (and this series) will do right by her, in general.
And Dreamer! I honestly love what's being done with her, because it's so surprising to me. She's DC's flagship trans character, and you'd think they'd be wanting to keep her untarnished, always choosing the right thing. That's what I'd expected from DC, and also from writer Natalie Maines, who obviously has a very personal stake in the matter. But she's a much more daring writer than I'd expected (as seen in Suicide Squad: Dream Team, which this follows up on), and is taking some pretty huge risks with Nia. And having such a conflict between her and Jai is honestly the best thing ever for both characters, as well as Jon (who hasn't had a lot of great character moments since he aged up during the Bendis run on the Super-titles). I think this facet of the story will have great benefits.
The Time Commander story was fun, and made me want to go back and read his last appearance, in Batman: Urban Legend. I hope to do that soon.
As for Brainiac Queen, my only regret is that I spoiled the end of the Superman books for myself for reading this. But I like Waller's devotion to raising/indoctrinating her, and it was presented well. Ultimately, these stories give Waller very different relationships with all of her main allies: Dreamer, Failsafe, Brainiac Queen, and Green Arrow. (Who knows what his deal is? But as has been pointed out elsewhere, he's expressed distrust for superheroes for longer than Waller's been around, so there's certainly precedent...though I'm hoping for better from him eventually.)
So bring on Absolute Power! I think this will be exciting as hell.
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Also I have to mention "World's Finest" Part 9 (I don't think there are actually any other parts)...
Au contraire! "World's Finest" is the regular back-up feature of Wonder Woman. This light-hearted fare is the perfect contrast to the often-dark main feature. Each chapter is pretty much a done-in-one slice-of-life, as was Part 9. Waitaminute. Does this mean you are not reading Tom King's Wonder Woman regularly? For shame! The first chapters of "World's Finest" have been collected in the Trinity #1; I only hope a new collection is released periodically after they get enough under their belts.
Featuring DC's brightest new star, Trinity! Discover Lizzie's earliest adventures as she takes the world of heroes by storm! Reprinting the character's first appearance alongside hilarious tales of the little Amazon and her Super Son babysitters, this special will be an instant classic for fans old and new. Plus, a brand-new story from the all-star creative team behind Wonder Woman that will tease the future of Diana's daughter! 44 pages, full color. Rated T+
My dark secret is out! I am not, in fact, reading Wonder Woman currently.
Cap, this doesn't have anything to do with Absolute Power, but a new collection of "Trinity" back-ups comes out this week.
The world’s finest heroes of tomorrow are back for more! The daughter of Wonder Woman and the Super Sons return for more stories filled with laughs, action and awe-inspiring adventure. Can Lizzie survive Darkseid and his terrifying math? Will an innocent trip to the past for homework change the future? Are Damian and Jon’s barks worse than their bite? Find out in this collection of the latest back-up stories from the hit WONDER WOMAN series!
Absolute Power: Task Force VII #5 , Green Arrow #15, and Absolute Power: Origins #2 have been published.
Looks like each issue of "Task Force VII" will be written by a dfferent writer. #5 is a bit better than the most of the previous ones, IMO. Velocity made a previous appearance in #1 of the main series, and his pursuit of Barry Allen is more surprising and exciting that I would expect.
But between the last scene and the whole of "Origins" #2, I stand ever increasingly disgusted of our lady Waller. She is truly irredeemable.
Green Arrow #15 is well written and, while it is very much a part of this same storyline, it has a significantly different tone. There is a bit of levity in the various interactions of the extended Arrow Family, but they all come across as competent in their own ways (even if difficult to tell apart at most times). Roy is particularly well written in this issue. The cliffhanger is not half bad either.
ABSOLUTE POWER: TASK FORCE VII #5 (OF 7)
Looks like each issue of "Task Force VII" will be written by a dfferent writer. #5 is a bit better than the most of the previous ones, IMO. Velocity made a previous appearance in #1 of the main series, and his pursuit of Barry Allen is more surprising and exciting that I would expect.
Agreed! Barry Allen is “my” Flash, and he’s really taken a back seat to Wally in recent years. Good for Wally fans, less so for me. But he got some good characterization work here, and it was gratifying that Velocity (the Flash Amazo) recognized that “experience and tricks” is why Barry remained elusive. He says Barry is neither the first nor the fastest Speed Force user, but he’s the only one who’s used his smarts to keep out of Velocity’s clutches. That’s my boy -- the smartest Flash!
We also see some Barry-training-Wally scenes we’d never seen before, and a scene of early Barry pulling a bullet out of his own chest. I sure never saw that in the Silver Age, but it stands to reason that Flash would catch a bullet now and then before he mastered his powers. And unlike Wally, Barry didn’t have anybody to teach him.
A good show for Barry fans, which are few and far between these days.
Then at the end we return to Steve Trevor’s story, and he sees what that big technological gateway is for. I won’t spoil it, but it’s really, really bad news for the good guys. And it means I may have to read some back issues.
ABSOLUTE POWER: ORIGINS #2 (OF 3)
But between the last scene and the whole of "Origins" #2, I stand ever increasingly disgusted of our lady Waller. She is truly irredeemable.
Yes, she’s a piece of work all right. But at least she was honest when she told the president she lied to her daughter when she said she wouldn’t become a monster. She knows she’s a monster. That’s more self-awareness than she’s ever shown before, with all the self-righteous “I am the hero here!” stuff she’s been spewing.
Also, we see how she developed bombs that could affect any meta it’s implanted into. I had wondered about that. I mean, some of ‘em have super-powers that would seemingly deal with an implant. But that is now explained.
She also gives a speech to Cyclotron about how “they” have manipulated events to change “viginante” to “hero” to “superhero” which has allowed groups like the Justice League to have “all the power.” I don’t know how much of this she believes herself, but later she says life is about “control” and nothing but. So other people having power would indeed bug her.
She also alludes to her dead husband (who died being a vigilante) giving everything in defense of what he believed. So that vigilante is OK, but the others are not. I honestly don’t see how Amanda jumps from her husband’s death to hating all superheroes still … but I admit I’m not trying very hard. The woman’s actions and attitude are nauseating.
Like I said, a piece of work.
Also, Trevor’s internal monolog about her in Task Force VII #5 was telling, as well. “I’m Steve Trevor and I don’t scare easy. … But there’s a level of composure that goes beyond valor — a deadness behind the eyes that lets you know someone’s capable of anything. I see it now in Amanda Waller … and it scares me to death.”
GREEN ARROW #15
Green Arrow #15 is well written and, while it is very much a part of this same storyline, it has a significantly different tone. There is a bit of levity in the various interactions of the extended Arrow Family, but they all come across as competent in their own ways (even if difficult to tell apart at most times). Roy is particularly well written in this issue. The cliffhanger is not half bad either.
I’ve had trouble distinguishing between some members of Team Arrow for a couple of issues (especially Arrowette, Red Arrow and Red Canary), but this one did us the courtesy of showing all of them at once and naming them. Halleluah! I think I can tell them apart now. Arrowette has blonde hair that shows, Red Canary has a mask that makes cat ears and Red Arrow wears a hood. I should be able to keep that straight. Unless Red Arrow lowers her hood.
I have to say some of this issue broke my suspension of disbelief. There's the scene where they are all in free fall at a great height, and can somehow shout to each other. Nonsense. You can't shout to someone across the street intelligibly, much less at greater distances and with the roar of the wind in your ears. Give them the Magic Ear Radios everyone has in the movies, and I'd buy it. But they don't have those. Then there's the scene wear most of Team Arrow is standing on a jet in flight. Preposterous. Then they shoot arrows at another jet that somehow catches up with a jet plane in flight, because sure, they can shoot arrows faster than the speed of sound. Then those arrows somehow anchor to a metal airplane, and then the gang somehow slides down the cables against the slipstream to land on the other jet ... and stand on THAT jet despite the tremendous air pressure. Ridiculous, start to finish. Air is pressing agains them at Mach One or better. They would be blown off the jet, or their arrows would blow backwards from where theya re, or they would slide backwards on those cables, or they would be blown off the second jet. There is not one part of this scene that is physically possible. There's such a thing as physics, people, and they call them laws for a reason.
Then a bunch of thugs with automatic weaponry and jet packs attack and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM MISSES WITH EVERY SINGLE BULLET shooting at targets that can’t dodge because they’re standing on a jet. In flight. Which is ridiculous. Actually, that happens all the time, and I usually gloss over it (Star Wars Storm Troopers Syndrome), but this time I had already been yanked out of the story, and now I know why so many people think comics are silly.
Or this: All bow-and-arrow users in DC Comics are magic.
Anyway, I guess we’re about to find out who Bright is. About time, because I don’t really care and the constant hints that we already know him (he’s from another Earth) are getting annoying.
One last thing: The flashback scene with Arrow and … who is it, Captain Cold? … in some snowy place doesn’t ring a bell, so maybe someone can tell me where it’s from. Also, the device that Martian Manhunter gave him … is that a new scene, or have we seen that before? Those scenes need an explanation.
Then a bunch of thugs with automatic weaponry and jet packs attack and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM MISSES WITH EVERY SINGLE BULLET shooting at targets that can’t dodge because they’re standing on a jet. In flight. Which is ridiculous. Actually, that happens all the time, and I usually gloss over it (Star Wars Storm Troopers Syndrome), but this time I had already been yanked out of the story, and now I know why so many people think comics are silly.
This fits movies and TV, too, not just Star Wars. One or more people with submachine guns missing all their shots. Not only that, but all those bullets don't evaporate if they miss their targets. Many of them bounce around and somebody will be unlucky and be hit.
I'm not reading the entirety of Absolute Power, mostly because my bad memories of The New Guardians and Secret Wars II killed my interest in grand overarching miniseries that require ancillary purchases of other tites and specials to get the whole story. Never again. That said, I am reading Absolute Power: Origins for the Amanda Waller story.
I gather that somehow (I'm not asking anyone to tell me how, so don't feel compelled to do so), Waller has become a Doctor Doom-level villain on a global scale. This is a long way from her introduction in the post-Crisis Legends miniseries and her beginnings in Suicide Squad. I recently acquired the trade paperback Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire, which collects Suicide Squad #1–8 and Secret Origins #14. That got me back into the groove of how she was in the early days. She was about "We Have to be As Dirty as The Bad Guys to Get the Job Done" -- an admittedly odious view that has infected far too many superhero comics since the introduction of The Punisher and Wolverine -- but at least back then she had Col. Rick Flag as the angel on her shoulder to keep her in check.
I'm intetested in Absolute Power: Origins because I wanted to see it flesh out something we saw in only a page or three in the old series: how her family tragedies -- the rape and murder of her daughter and subsequent deaths of her husband and son -- shaped her.
Captain Comics said:
I'm on record somewhere on this site in thinking that the "Joe Chill killed the Waynes" retcon was a bad idea. I believe to this day that the original story was just fine as it was: That the murders were committed by an anonymous thug who got clean away (and also, years later, killed an elderly man in his home the same night he robbed a TV studio after a masked wrestler didn't stop his escape, but that's another story). I've always believed it was more poignant that way, that what happened to the Waynes could have happened to anybody, and their money and status didn't prevent it. But that ship has sailed. Zero Hour tried to bring it back by showing that, at least in one version of the timeline, it was some anonymous thug because Joe Chill was too drunk that night to do anything more that sleep off a bender the night the Waynes were killed. But I don't think that story stuck.
Captain Comics said:
Lots to unpack that I don't agree with but here goes ...
I think it's far too much to expect someone who has had the family losses Waller has suffered to have a principled stand against vigilantism. I think it's far too much to expect that of Waller even if she hadn't had those losses. J. Jonah Jameson didn't and he also has railed against vigilantes from his first appearance in print.
Where Jameson and Waller differ, I think, is that he is against vigilantism, and she's about doing it better. It's not that superheroes get to choose to whom they bring punishment -- although they do -- it's that they are supposed to be there to do what the police can't. It's bad enough that the nine wise men and women on our nation's highest court have held, more than once, that the police have no duty to protect you, the individual (yes, really). But If the police aren't helping you AND the superheroes aren't helping you, what good are they?
As for "Superheroes are selfish and only solve murders in their own family," why is this posed as an either/or?
Likewise "It's the police she should be mad at." Who said Waller isn't?
"If she thinks Batman should have been working on her daughter's murder case instead of his parents' murder case .... then she's delusional." Again, I don't see this as an either/or. Actually, Waller's daughter's case is easier to solve since it wasn't a cold case from 20 years ago, and everybody in the neighborhood knew who was responsible. It's that the investigating police and the district attorneys weren't about to stick their necks out to prove it.
"If she thinks Batman's choices should put him in jail, then her own choices should do the same." As noted above, she's been to prison, more than once. Along that vein, I am also on record on this site in thinking Batman deserved prison and worse for what he calls the Protocols and I see as nothing other than his secret plans to murder his Justice League teammates. But who wants to litigate that story again?
ClarkKent_DC said:
I'm on record somewhere on this site in thinking that the "Joe Chill killed the Waynes" retcon was a bad idea. I believe to this day that the original story was just fine as it was: That the murders were committed by an anonymous thug who got clean away
The only thing I remember from Zero Hour was that it reversed the “Joe Chill did it” story. Not unlike the 1989 movie’s “The Joker did it” story, or the “Court of Owls did it”, it seems to weaken Bruce Wayne’s motivation. The message of the movie to someone unfamiliar with comics (like my wife) was “he killed the Waynes and Bruce (or the angry crooks) killed him.”
Absolute Power #3 by Mark Waid is by far the best issue so far. Loved it.
No spoilers, so I will be rather general here.
A lot that we saw happening in the tie-in issues is continued here.
Amanda is as loathsome and reckless as ever, but very significant events put both sides in dangerous situations. Not all goes for the worse for the heroes, though.
If Waller somehow remains as a threat after this series (I hope not), I feel confident that she and Nightwing will have been established as bitter foes of each other for the foreseeable future.
There isn't a whole lot of room for characterization, but what there is pleases me. Some nice use of past continuity as well. Also a new character or two, and a bit of mystery to boot.
We don't see a whole lot of Green Arrow (Oliver) here, but what is there makes me even further unable to believe that he would ever side with Waller. I have to assume that the two of them are keepíng a façade to each other, but it still makes no sense. I hope there is some scene retconning that Amanda attempted to brainwash Oliver, failed utterly, and somehow thinks she succeeded. I don't see that plot element making any measure of sense otherwise.
I read a scene on Bleeding Cool, where Waller tried to recruit Oliver. I didn't see the whole scene, and I don't even know what book it was in. But I'm guessing that's when he recklessly decided to play double-agent, not knowing how far he'd have to go.
That's my theory so far.
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