Absolute Power

Absolute Power

by Mark Waid, Dan Mora (Artist), Joshua Williamson

The heroes of the DC Universe are powerless... but their spirits are unbroken! With the Trinity of Evil in power, the resistance begins in DC's most explosive blockbuster story in years.

The superstar team of writer Mark Waid (Kingdom Come) and artist Dan Mora (Batman/Superman: World's Finest) unite for Absolute Power, an epic event that sees DC's heroes tested like never before!

Following a career of machinations, and thanks to the combined might of the unstoppable android Failsafe and the otherworldly Brainiac Queen, Amanda Waller has finally achieved her goal: stealing the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on planet Earth. As chaos erupts in the streets and a massive misinformation campaign sways public opinion to her side, the founder of the Suicide Squad methodically targets each superhero dynasty one at a time, starting with Superman.

But even in this darkest of hours, a resistance is forming... and Batman is out for vengeance. Can these powerless heroes defeat the Trinity of Evil and their army of living weapons known as Task Force VII?

It's a shocking blitzkrieg across the globe that is decades in the making--and will shape the course of the DC Universe for years to come!

This volume collects Absolute Power #1-4 and Absolute Power: Ground Zero.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fiction, Comic Book, Batman

200 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2025

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rushed event that looks fantastic but lacks the complete package to make it really pop. It is a jigsaw with one too many missing pieces, and the amount of gaps ruins the final product. When something relies so heavily on reading tie-ins to understand properly, it is not well executed; excessive extra reading should not be a requirement to merely understand the basics. It's a shame to see talent go to waste, and whilst I own all of the spin off content and will read it in due course, what you get with the TBP isn't enough to sell this story.

actual rating 2.5 stars

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waid a minute...I want Mora that!

...and with that I've used up all of my funny for the week. And it's only Tuesday.

[Pruett · Rating 1 out of 5]

With all due respect to Dan Mora’s nice looking art, this reads like a parody of superhero comics, and I hated it. It sucks so bad. Absolute Power is pointless, exasperating, cliché and nonsensical. This event was an overdrawn excuse to bring a Justice League comic back onto stands. Heads up, DC Editorial? You can do that without commissioning an awful event series to go with.

[Jake Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looks great, but I shouldn’t have to invest in ALL of the tie ins to understand your four issue event. I will die on that hill, because other people have done it so Mark Waid can too.

So yeah. Looks good, too many missing pieces between issues.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have been reading a number of the Dawn of DC titles, from Chip Zdarsky’s Batman run to Joshua Williamson’s Superman run, you will know that it has been building up to this one big event that will shake up the DC universe, at least all the superpowers based on Earth. And then you have Mark Waid and Dan Mora – having previously collaborated on Batman/Superman: World’s Finest and Shazam! – reunite to do the crossover event that is Absolute Power.

Along with the event itself, which is four issues long, the trade also includes two additional issues that serve as a prelude to said event. The first of which is Absolute Power 2024 FCBD Special Edition showcases Amanda Waller’s base of operations that the Hall of Order, formerly the Justice League’s Hall of Justice, where she and Failsafe try to remove the abilities of the metahumans they have imprisoned.

The next issue Absolute Power: Ground Zero have three narratives going, from Dreamer who is forced to work for Waller, to then Time Commander also being forced to rebuild Failsafe after his defeat from Zdarsky’s Bat-run. And finally, Waller manipulating the amnesiac Brainiac Queen recruit her to help them complete their agenda and create a group of Amazos dubbed "Task Force VII" to drain the powers of superheroes worldwide. As much as these issues give some nice preparation for the event itself, so much of this book is built upon what has been going on through the Dawn of DC initiative, so you may have an easier time going into this book if you have a number of recent DC titles.

And then we move onto the main course that is Absolute Power, in which the Trinity of Evil that is Waller, Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen have successfully stolen the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on planet Earth. If you have read some of his earlier DC storylines like JLA: Tower of Babel, Waid has always been interested in exploring what happens when superheroes lose their purpose when they are suddenly depowered. Certainly, at the start of this story, the Justice League is no more and so you are spending time with characters who are already on rocky ground, despite the years of long friendship.

Although you can never accuse Waid as being a cynical writer towards superheroes, he doesn’t hesitate to go dark. As seen in the first issue here, Waid evokes real-world politics, especially in the realm of fake news, with Batman deducing the fake videos that depict superheroes committing acts of violence and destruction across the globe, which were created by artificial intelligence. As much as Waller may have a point in how super powers can be mishandled, her methods, along with Failsafe and Brainiac Queen, are so ruthless that you do detest her, especially the treatment towards Superman’s son Jon Kent.

For as much darkness Waid throws, there is still an element of hope, even when all the heroes have lost their abilities. From A-list icons to obscure DC characters, Waid makes great use of the ensemble cast in few moments of awesome characterisation, such as Nightwing becoming the leader of a resistance, since he’s already the leader of the Titans. As always with these crossover events, you do get the massive slugfests featuring the number of superheroes clashing, but when you have artist Dan Mora and colourist Alejandro Sánchez, you have one of the most gorgeous books in recent DC history, relishing in brutal but spectacular action. Plus, since you have these iconic characters being depowered, they are given all new costumes which are pretty awesome.

There are tie-in issues to Absolute Power across the multiple DC titles, so in case what the other characters are doing during the event, you might want to check them out. As for the event itself, this is one of the best crossover events that showcases the continuing brilliance of Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s collaboration, which makes me excited to see what they have in store with Justice League Unlimited.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another fizzle of a cross-over event.

Amanda Waller hates superheroes, so she discredits them with some deepfakes and allies her governmental black ops forces with some straight-up villains to steal their powers and take them out, and -- you know how it goes with slippery slopes -- maybe take over the world?

Mark Waid's introduction claims the story will show the heroes coping with the loss of their powers emotionally, but frankly, I think that may take up maybe two or three pages in the whole book. The sapped heroes mostly just arm up and march on with the fight for truth, justice, and the American way. Biff! Bang! Boom!


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• Introduction / Mark Waid, writer
• Prelude to Absolute Power [from Absolute Power 2024 FCBD Special Edition #1] / Mark Waid, writer; Mikel Janín, illustrator
• Stage One [from Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1] / Nicole Maines and Mark Waid, writers; Skylar Patridge, illustrator
• Stage Two [from Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1] / Chip Zdarsky and Mark Waid, writers; V Ken Marion, illustrator
• Stage Three [from Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1] / Joshua Williamson and Mark Waid, writers; Gleb Melkinov, illustrator
• Chapter 1. Powerless [from Absolute Power #1] / Mark Waid, writer; Dan Mora, illustrator
• Chapter 2. Resistance [from Absolute Power #2] / Mark Waid, writer; Dan Mora, illustrator
• Chapter 3. Last Stand [from Absolute Power #3] / Mark Waid, writer; Dan Mora, illustrator
• Chapter 4. Showdown [from Absolute Power #4] / Mark Waid, writer; Dan Mora, illustrator
• Covers and Variant Cover Gallery / Dan Mora, Mikel Janin with Trish Mulvihill, Jim Lee and Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair, Chris Samnee with Matheus Lopes, Stephen Bliss, Mike Deodato Jr. with Jao Canola, March Guillem, Gleb Melnikov, Wes Craig, Puppeteer Lee, Chrissie Zullo-Uminga, John Timms, Daniel Sampere with Alejandro Sanchez, Lucio Parrillo, Tyler Kirkham with Arif Prianto, Nathan Szerdy, Simone Di Meo, Salvador Larroca with Laura Martin, Ben Oliver, Ivan Talavera, Carla Cohen, Trevor Hairsine with Rain Beredo, Marc Aspinall, Mark Spears, Yasmine Putri, Simone Bianchi, Derrick Chew, Mico Suayan with Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Juliet Nneka, illustrators

[Paxton Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well done DC event. Not surprising as it’s designed by Mark Waid and Dan Mora.

Amanda Waller enacts a plan to first discredit all the meta-humans on Earth, steal their powers using upgraded Amazo robots, then incarcerate them in a super max black site prison.

This trade is only the 4 main, core issues of the event. Really solid read. Lots of fun, crazy twists and turns. Reading a few of the tie ins really helps as well. I don’t normally do that but there was a lot of good talent here so it felt worth it.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first issue. Waid is a fantastic writer but this didn't work for me.
Too much happened in tie ins and was skipped over here. This was poorly paced, just rushed. I think it needed to be six issues with more happening in here so that readers didn't need to buy all the other books.
Civil war and house of m are good examples of what I mean. They aren't perfect stories but they have all of the information you need to understand the stories and enjoy them. The tie ins expand on what is happening within and add depth, they don't tell key parts that were missing from the event.
Second onwards, some action scenes were difficult to follow - I love MorA's art. This was the only time I had a negative thought about it.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very enjoyable read, ticked a lot of boxes for me in terms of DCU expansion. Lots of strong choices to up the stakes, and Waller (and supporting villainous cast) is used very well to tell the story.

Reason I’m not giving this a higher rating is: the edition. I feel there is a lot missing or happening off-panel in this collection. Once it is compiled in a complete, ultimate edition including the Task Force VII and Origins storylines, I think this crisis will be more impactful as a fulsome story.

3.5/5

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-paced, all-out war against the system. I enjoyed this book, but the reason I could not give it five stars is that too much is missing. I know that these are shown in the individual heroes/ heroine books. It is okay if the other books act as a companion, but more than 50% of the story is in the other books. That is not okay with me. I could even see why some would give it three and a half stars.

Amanda Waller hates the meta-humans, but now she has allies (some by choice and some have no choice), as well as the rest of humanity behind her. Who is her trinity of evil? What trump cards does she have up her sleave? Is this war already over before the heroes even know it? Betrayal, manipulation, and, of course, heroics.

On a personal note, I would have liked to see more of Batman in this book, but I know that they are trying to pass the torch over, but I still don't like it.

The artwork is awesome. The story is good as much as is shown in this book, and it does setup the next evolution of DC. The book is finishes with a huge thumbnail varient covers gallery.

[Izabela Lewalski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Waller, back at it again

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolute Power is a pretty clean and enjoyable event (rare for DC!), but also one that'll probably be wiped from my mind in a week. Amanda Waller has been scheming behind the scenes for a while now and finally unveils her big plan: use fake news to convince humanity that metahumans are bad, then depower and imprison all those metahumans with humanity's consent.

That tracks, I guess, since TikTok influencers would 100% get on board with Waller's vibes. The big first issue, in which the superheroes are hunted down by nigh-invincible Amazos, was pretty fun. Then we get two issues of interesting team-ups and knockdown fights, followed by a final issue finale that pretty much ties things in a bow. Rarely is there ever a sense that the heroes aren't going to make it out of this one - I think the fact that the event is just four issues leads to some serious compression. If I had to guess, I'd say everything took place over the course of maybe six hours? Yeesh.

Dan Mora is on art duty and it's predictably fantastic - except for in the battle scenes, where characters seem to get lost between the panels. There are also simply too many characters here, so there's almost no throughline (besides Nightwing assuming a leadership role). Without a specific someone (or even a few someones!) to care about, I ended up caring about no one.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

«Абсолютна влада» — це велика подія від DC Comics, написана досвідченим Марком Вейдом. Ще до виходу перших випусків історія про те, як Аманда Воллер краде сили всіх мета-людей, обіцяла стати однією з найтемніших і найамбітніших подій видавництва за останні роки. Ідея протистояння між державним контролем і супергероями завжди викликає інтерес. Але чи дійсно все так, як подавали фанатам.

Подія починається з того, що Аманда Воллер за допомогою андроїда Запобіжника та інопланетної Королеви Брейніак викрадає здібності усіх супергероїв і суперзлодіїв. Світ у хаосі, а масова пропаганда змушує людей підтримати режим Воллер. Суспільство переконане, що це — шлях до миру. Але за лаштунками відбувається тихий терор. Вона створює Оперативну групу VII — армію, яка системно знищує всіх супергероїв. Але навіть у найтемнішу годину з'являється опір. Бетмен із друзями, позбавлені сил, розпочинають боротьбу проти свавілля Воллер.

Все рухається досить швидко, місцями — дуже ефектно. Але після прочитання залишається не надто багато для роздумів. Події масштабні, ставки високі, однак часто бракує моментів для емоційного занурення. Персонажі ніби пробігають повз: з’являються, щось роблять — і зникають. Це справляє враження такої собі хроніки подій, а не історії, де є місце драмі.

Марк Вейд майстерно малює образ Аманди Воллер — холодної, стратегічної, небезпечної. Це не карикатурна лиходійка, а жінка з баченням і методами, що викликають страх. Зазвичай Аманда з'являлася в окремих серіях, як «Загін Самогубців» чи «Миротворець». Але тут вона центр усього, вона хоче створити новий світопорядок. Це те, що мені сподобалося.

Як і в «Громадянській війні», тут порушується питання контролю над героями: хто має право вирішувати, що є добро, а що — загроза? Там — Тоні Старк і закон про реєстрацію героїв, тут — Аманда Воллер і радикальне знищення надлюдей. У обох історіях герої опиняються по різні боки конфлікту, і хоча «Абсолютна влада» менш збалансована, вона теж підіймає схожі питання.

Попри цікавий й інтригуючий концепт, «Абсолютна влада» залишає відчуття поспішності. Події розвиваються стрімко, але не завжди логічно. Що в результаті призвело до того, що сцени, які мали б бути емоційними та драматичними, такими не відчуваються.

«Абсолютна влада» — це приклад коміксу, який не виправдовує весь свій потенціал, але все ж залишається важливим для всесвіту DC. І якщо ви хочете бути в курсі, читати варто. Проте якщо ви шукаєте цілісну й глибоку історію лише в основних випусках — розчаруєтесь. Раджу ознайомитися із тай-інами, якщо хочете зрозуміти більше. І навіть тоді, це буде просто чергова подія. Не більше.

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Without the tie-ins this is just bits and pieces of a story. It reads like the outline of an idea rather than a fully fleshed event.

[Dave Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume collects a solid miniseries. While the brief story told here clearly builds on another crossover and other events that were published earlier that same year, Waid and his editors provide enough background information and strong characterization that I didn't feel like I *had* to have read that other material (which, mostly, I had not).

What I did find more than a little problematic about the story has much to do with its aforementioned brevity. Waid and Mora are representing action on an epic scale, but it almost feels like a Reader's Digest version of the tale they wanted to tell. Why this event series basically only got 5 issues, I'm not sure. As with just about any summer event, much of the action is happening off panel, many times in tie-in issues of ongoing series. Yet I could have used more editorial notes reporting when the latter was the case.

On the plus side, Absolute Power left me wanting more, but it may have left me wanting more than it should have. It's well worth experiencing for one's self.

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with most event books, this felt like pages were missing at times because many of the events described, hinted at, and expected are contained in tie-in issues (I assume.) It’s not dissimilar to Secret Invasion, which I just reread. I really wish these main event trades would contain a list of tie in issues and/or a suggested reading order.

But what is included here is cool. Big stakes. Big cast. Big fights. A few big twists. Dan Mora’s art is the biggest draw, but the art in the prequel issues are also solid.

[Jordan Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This event is one of those events where the tie in issues really do matter. If you were to just read the four issues of absolute power, this would feel like a rushed event. Credit where credit is due, the authors of their respective titles contributed immensely to make the story make sense.

However, I feel that this story was rushed. It’s ironic to say something like that when the entire arc is 30+ issues. However, when you build something up to be so big to the point where the only way to end the story is to stack
Deus Ex Machinas on top of each other to defeat the villain in a way that makes sense, it’s going to feel rushed.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as bad as I expected to be. I could happily go my whole life without ever reading about Amanda Waller again, but ugh I just love Nightwing so much, and it was nice to see some of the more obscure heroes here.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buena idea, half ass execution

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I finally got around to reading this! I enjoyed the whole thing. Now on to Task Force VII. Kudos to DC for the scope of this Absolute Power storyline. I see Jon played a key part and Nightwing as well.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A so-so event full of conveniences and hasty resolutions. Having plenty of the story clearly taking place in tie-in issues didn’t help. A fun idea and some nice art, though.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

why is damian white

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great comic event that is great with some knowledge about what the heroes are doing in their own comic runs during this event.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolute Power collects Absolute Power 1-4, Absolute Power: Ground Zero, and Absolute Power 2024: FCBD written by Mark Waid, Nicole Maines, Chip Zdarsky, and Joshua Williams with art by Dan Mora, Skylar Partridge, V. Ken Marrion, Gleb Melnikov, and Mikel Janin.

Amanda Waller has teemed with Failsafe and Queen Brainiac to convince the world that super heroes are a threat to humanity’s existence. Unleashing a firestorm of fake AI footage of heroes committing unspeakable acts against those they are sworn to protect, Waller puts forth a plan to lure heroes out into the open when she then steals their powers. With most of Earth’s mightiest heroes now powerless, they will have to rely on their cunning and teamwork to save the day.

A decent setup that just ultimately didn’t have any meaningful impact. So much of the story (as per the course for DC event books these days) happened in tie-in issues and not in the main event series. I think the biggest fault is that the stakes just never feel real. I know superhero deaths are played out as well, but this was the place for a big to hit home on Walker’s threat. At the end of the day, this just felt like a long Justice League arc instead of a major event.

[Raul Reyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The event felt so incredibly rushed it's clear this needed to be more than 4 issues. Which makes it the more frustrating that the tie in issues couldn't really even advance the plot too much so that people only reading this could understand what's happening; at least that's what was happening until after issue 3 where suddenly the things the tie-ins did actually mattered all at once. Maybe I'm just overly bitter since this is my first time reading an event, but I was incredibly disappointed with the book. The first two issues were just a non-stop battle that made it really difficult to concentrate on what was happening, and the other two issues were just fine. The best thing this event did was launch the new wave of titles.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

DC has produced a real crossover event in a way that Marvel hasn't been able to do for a long time. The problem is that I've never really liked this type of event. Here the tie-ins really serve a purpose instead of being pure cash grabs, but that's more than 30 titles to read for a 4-part event and frankly it pisses me off.

That said, the basic plot isn't bad and Waller, the villain you all love to hate, is well used. The plot is well done, there's tension and action, and Dan Mora's drawings are excellent.

In these dark times, when Marvel is reaching the bottom of mediocrity on just about all its licences, DC seems to have found the path to refreshing creativity. I can't wait for All-in

[Obi Juan · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me gustan los dibujos de Dan Mora. No son claros, por momento no se entiende nada, apenas se reconoce a los personajes.
No me gusta el argumento. Es una versión 2025 de LEGENDS, pero peor. Contado a las apuradas, con algunos guiones francamente vergonzosos, como el momento en el que Nightwing asume el mando. BATMAN NUNCA DIRÍA ESO.
No me gusta la traducción de Panini. “Despoderado” por “depowered”?! DIOS. Entiendo que no hay una palabra en español para traducirlo pero eso no significa QUE TENGAS QUE INVENTARLA!
Un despropósito de historia.
Menos mal que todo lo que leí luego (ALL IN y ABSOLUTE), me gustó.

[Syed Syabil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this begrudgingly so that I could understand the new Absolute comics but I realised by the end that I completely wasted my time. Also the story itself is not great! My suspension of disbelief can only go so far. The stuff Amanda Waller manages to pull of in this comic is genuinely ridiculous.

If you do insist on reading this you should probably read the Ground Zero prelude first. Event makes zero sense without the context. It honestly should have just been published as #1. I have no idea why they couldn’t have just included it and made the title 5 issues instead of 4.

[Luke Costin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full disclosure I only read this because I wanted to start reading the new All In line and I heard this was required reading.

The premise for this was pretty good but the execution was incredibly rushed and it felt like every tie in was essential to understand the story which is never good in an event.
My favourite part of the event was the Amanda Waller origins comic which massively fleshes out Waller’s motivations and completely makes you empathise with her.

Other than that, pretty weak.