Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Jamal Campbell
Colors by: Jamal Campbell
Letters by: Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Jamal Campbell (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: July 17, 2024
Superman #16, by DC Comics on 7/17/24, checks in with the assorted characters of Metropolis after Amanda Waller's first wave of attacks robs supers and magic users of their power.
Is Superman #16 Good?
Superman #16 is perfectly good and has the potential to be a meaningful tie-in to Absolute Power. Whether or not writer Joshua Williamson can pay off that potential remains to be seen.
When last we left Superman in Absolute Power #1, what should have been a mundane mission to stop a bank robbery in progress turned into a fight for survival when one of Amanda Waller's Amazo robots zapped Superman with a power-stealing ray just before the naive robbers fired their pistols at the Man of Steel on top of a skyscraper. Superboy managed to save Superman before he hit the street below.
In Superman #16, Dr. Mid-Nite and Mr. Terrific frantically operate on Superman to repair the damage to his now-mortal body. Elsewhere in Metropolis, we witness Zatanna headed down a dark alley to find an entrance to the Oblivion Bar for temporary refuge. Unfortunately, one of Task Force VII has already stolen her magic powers, so her attempt to open the entrance fails.
Zatanna is spotted by Waller's stormtroopers and ordered to surrender herself. She knocks out the soldiers, thanks to some hand-to-hand training she learned in her early years from Bruce Wayne. More stormtroopers show up to swarm the former magician, but Mercy Graves arrives with an airship to scoop Zatanna up and take her to a temporary refuge in the Fortress of Solitude.
Zatanna finds an assortment of heroes but not as many as she hoped. Superman, up and about but still wounded from the gunshot, rallies the refugees. Zatanna steps forward with an idea that might help - regular mortals can travel the Dark Roads through the magical ether as underground passages to get to people and places unseen. Superman agrees to the plan and sends Zatanna to speak with Bruce and Diana for details.
Superman then speaks with Mercy about a secret mission he needs her to undertake.
Elsewhere, Jimmy Olsen, a powerless Silver Banshee, Lena Luthor, and a memory-less Lex Luthor work their way through the ruined floors of SuperCorp to look for weapons or tools that can help for defense. Their foraging mission is interrupted when they cross paths with Peacemaker and more Waller stormtroopers. It seems Jimmy and the rest have no chance, but Lois Lane arrives in Luthor's power armor to knock out Waller's forces and lead the group to safety.
What's great about Superman #1? For his part, Williamson delivers action, twists, and surprises. The general atmosphere feels like a city under siege by hostile forces, almost like a war comic. Williamson nails the plot and tone with a hint that the Dark Roads could be instrumental in Absolute Power's outcome.
What's not great about Superman #16? At the risk of being picky, nearly every protagonist on Superman's side is terrible about sneaking around. There isn't a stealthy bone in anyone's body, which is the only way half the plot developments in this comic could be possible, which is a little hard to swallow.
How's the art? Jamal Campbell does an excellent job from top to bottom. Campbell's figure work, action choreography, and dramatic composition are on point.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Superman #16 is one of the strongest tie-ins to Absolute Power by showing a ragtag group of heroes slowly coming together to mount a counter-attack to Amanda Waller's coup. Williamson's script gives you plenty of action and surprises with the atmosphere of a world at war, and Jamal Campbell's art is super-great.
8/10
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How does Zatanna still remember what she does about these roads though? Shouldn't every knowledge regarding the magical realm be stripped from her mind or something? And when exactly is this in regards to Batman 150 back up story? Cause there they were communicating via the Flash but he is completely absent here and they are looking for these dark roads. Based on superman's suit and the fact he is on his feet, this could be around that time cause there he was still resting and not with Zatanna so where was the Flash this issue? Or has the story of how they decide to use Barry as communications not happened yet??
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