Absolute Superman (2024-) #10

Absolute Superman (2024) (Single Issues)

by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval (Artist), Carmine Di Giandomenico (Artist)

Superman’s true enemy stands revealed. The notorious Ra’s al Ghul, lord ofLazarus Corp, murderer of millions, has plans for the Last Son of Krypton.Will Kal-El’s rage unleash the dark power of Son of the Demon?

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Superman, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Comic Book, Fantasy

Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2025

About the author

Jason Aaron grew up in a small town in Alabama. His cousin, Gustav Hasford, who wrote the semi-autobiographical novel The Short-Timers, on which the feature film Full Metal Jacket was based, was a large influence on Aaron. Aaron decided he wanted to write comics as a child, and though his father was skeptical when Aaron informed him of this aspiration, his mother took Aaron to drug stores, where he would purchase books from spinner racks, some of which he still owns today.

Aaron's career in comics began in 2001 when he won a Marvel Comics talent search contest with an eight-page Wolverine back-up story script. The story, which was published in Wolverine #175 (June 2002), gave him the opportunity to pitch subsequent ideas to editors.

In 2006, Aaron made a blind submission to DC/Vertigo, who published his first major work, the Vietnam War story The Other Side which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Miniseries, and which Aaron regards as the "second time" he broke into the industry.

Following this, Vertigo asked him to pitch other ideas, which led to the series Scalped, a creator-owned series set on the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation and published by DC/Vertigo.

In 2007, Aaron wrote Ripclaw: Pilot Season for Top Cow Productions. Later that year, Marvel editor Axel Alonso, who was impressed by The Other Side and Scalped, hired Aaron to write issues of Wolverine, Black Panther and eventually, an extended run on Ghost Rider that began in April 2008. His continued work on Black Panther also included a tie-in to the company-wide crossover storyline along with a "Secret Invasion" with David Lapham in 2009.

In January 2008, he signed an exclusive contract with Marvel, though it would not affect his work on Scalped. Later that July, he wrote the Penguin issue of The Joker's Asylum.

After a 4-issue stint on Wolverine in 2007, Aaron returned to the character with the ongoing series Wolverine: Weapon X, launched to coincide with the feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Aaron commented, "With Wolverine: Weapon X we'll be trying to mix things up like that from arc to arc, so the first arc is a typical sort of black ops story but the second arc will jump right into the middle of a completely different genre," In 2010, the series was relaunched once again as simply Wolverine. He followed this with his current run on Thor: God of Thunder.

Reviews

[Machiavelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An explosive chapter pitting Superman against Ra’s al Ghul and the Lazarus Corps. Jason Aaron delivers razor-sharp moral stakes and relentless tension, while Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art brings every clash and moment of defiance to life with cinematic force. The final twist lands hard, making this a standout issue in the Absolute Superman run.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

brooooo I didn't see that coming at all. wtffff

[Zoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing is going well in the Absolute universe. Superman is now captured by Ra’s al Ghul, and his ‘allies’ are unreliable.

[Murphy C · Rating 4 out of 5]

1/4/26

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything is so predictable with al ghul boring, yawning, sloppy.

[dusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how Brainiac is positioned as more of a pawn under Ra’s. It’s a fascinating dynamic, especially when you consider just how powerful Brainiac is in most other adaptations.

The flashback to Kal’s conversation with his father on Krypton about killing, and what it truly means to protect what you love even if that protection requires cruelty, was incredibly compelling.

Superman’s line, “I’m not the miner with the lava gun. I’m the last beast in the mine,” was absolutely powerful and felt like a direct echo of his father’s experience. That moment gave me chills.

The ending with Talia was also fantastic and kept me on the edge of my seat. I’m excited to see where this story goes next. They’re clearly taking their time with the build, and I’m enjoying the journey so far. I really hope it all culminates in something truly larger than life in the upcoming issues.

[zachariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn a twist that actually got me

Kal-el realizing the lessons his parents taught him, although good ones, can’t be used in every situation. What more could a parent want for their child to learn from their mistakes and be better.

Amazing art as usual and the story is just so good.

[Mikey Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

this issue was SO GOOD. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane come face to face, and we continue to see the brutality of the Peacemakers. Superman finally comes face to face with Ra’s Al Ghul and the echoes of his father’s words are in his mind…

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good issue but the reveal was so obvious...did no one guess that? I felt like it was supposed to be a big "reveal" but it was obvious?

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting a little too weird for its own good?

[Luca Mendes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is great

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUPERMAN SON IF THE DEMON
3- THE BEAST IN THE MINE

"The Superman is Here"

well at a Lazarus facility in Greenland where an enhanced Christopher Smith/Peacemaker is out to stop him.
Nice reveal at the end.

[scarlet♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

see i knew she was too good to be true especially when we still didn't know her name

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

DARN IT, DARN IT, DARN IT!!! I guessed HALF of this plot twist, I correctly figured out that Primus was Talia, but I didn’t think that was going to happen…ARGHH! But omg what a solid issue, Ra’s is getting everything he believes he wants and I can’t wait to see it blow up in his face. But how terrifying of a figure was Superman in this issue, huh?! At no point did he kill anyone, which is perfect, but for most of this issue he acts as a beast, encased in the dust from Krypton as he lays waste to the enemy forces sieging him at the base in Greenland where they are holding Jimmy. But this issue starts on a different note as Kal remembers back to his time on Krypton and a very important lesson his father imparted on him. On Krypton the people of the countryside were used to fighting for survival, in one instance his father, while attempting to rescue a group of miners, was forced into a position where the magmoles of the world were driven towards the surface mines (due to the changing world and lack of resources for them to feed on), and in order to get the crew out and get himself home…he was forced to fight back with force against these creatures only trying to survive. At first in this issue we see that Kal tries to get us to relate his ancestors fighting with blood and blisters to himself and his own siege on the Lazarus corp base as he literally descends from the heavens with the sands of krypton coming out from him like dark wings. But then we see Kal go for round two with the hybrid Christopher Smith who is armed with a Kryptonite weapon and wants to finally kill Kal. It’s no competition, Superman is able to bring him down by beating him senseless in a few seconds. But that doesn’t put Christoper Smith down for good, even with his weakened arms he reaches up to try and shoot Kal. So what is Kal to do? He remembers back to his father’s words after he came home from slaughtering those innocent creatures who were only trying to survive the way they now how. He has no choice but he should’ve been more prepared. He doesn’t see what he did as the right thing, as that’s only what people tell themselves because it makes tough decisions easier. There will always be tough decisions, but “we must never lose sight of what constitutes cruelty and inhumanity. Especially when we’re the ones being cruel.” Jor-El believes that in his time and the father’s time before that they have had to be the cruel ones to keep everything from going away…but now we look back on Kal, he loved his father and knew how wise and caring he was…but now he is dead, alongside everyone else he knew, and all they could save was Kal. So now he knows what decision he has to make. During the siege Primus lead the omega men through a boom tube to try and get Jimmy back while Superman distracted everyone. She approached Christopher Smith and Superman, pleading with him to finally end it. And when Superman wouldn’t she started to take it upon herself to do it, only for Superman to melt her sword. But at that moment as she is berating him for being a coward, the curtain begins to rise in our final act in this snowy battlefield as Ra’s, the peacemakers, and Lois/Jimmy approach the omega men, Superman, and a very defeated Christopher smith. Ra’s announces that Superman is the son of the demon, not by blood of course but that is what is coming now. Christopher hears this and wails, he believed he would be the chosen, but Ra’s doesn’t see that way and instead decides to take Christopher’s gun and put down the lamb in wolf’s clothing he sees before him. Superman tried to fly in and stop the bullet, but with it being a Kryptonite bullet it went right through him and into Smith. Earlier Ra’s was talking to brainiac about his plans for Superman, Brainiac helped develop this fight in an area with minimal sun to help break Superman…but that’s not what Ra’s wants at all. He wants to make him stronger, in fact now he faces Superman and announces his plans for them to work together and rebuild the world themselves…isn’t that what you want…son? But Kal is not his son, and with the memories of Jor-El he never will be. But Ra’s sees room for that to change../especially as his “sister” drives a Kryptonite dagger into Superman’s back! Like I said earlier, unfortunately I predicted that Primus was Talia, but I thought she was rebelling against her father, not creating a rebellion to lure in Superman like this for their cause! As Superman goes down Talia and Ra’s immediately start killing the rest of the omega men and Superman can do nothing but fall back in despair and call out to Sol as he is thrust into a completely changed world of his own. Sol…please come back. What I find really interesting is that the final page is Ra’s and Talia standing side by side with the boom box as Talia specifically says “all hail the omega.” Shoot…who gave them that boom box, did Ra’s make a deal with the god of this world, are they aware?! None of this is good, I hope Jimmy and Lois are alright.

[Brannon O'Neal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve been loving the leftist, revolutionary themes throughout this. It is clearly referencing the inevitable class war that capitalist exploitation creates, as it reduces the working class to nothing more than wage slaves. It also captures the environmental cost of endlessly tearing the world apart in search of more resources to hoard. Capitalism is a system that values corporate profit over human life, which makes it immoral, and the book has done a great job of portraying that. Unfortunately, the finale of this issue does not excite me. I HATE the trope where both the fascist villains and the revolutionary army are in the wrong because “they both use violence” but it’s even worse to reveal that the revolutionary army is actually SERVING THE FASCISTS???? I’ll keep reading the next few issues to see how this resolves, but if it becomes some kind of preachy, “the only way to enact change is through non-violence”, my eyes will roll so hard I’ll start seeing the world upside down. There are times when we have to resist fascism and oppression by any means necessary. Malcolm X was right. You can’t “both sides are wrong” an issue when corporate elites are literally enslaving entire populations. It isn’t just our right, it is our duty to resist fascism, oppression, apartheid, and genocide. I would hope that Superman, of all people, can see that.

[Khanh-Chau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm rating this issue because what the heck. I wasn't expecting that - wow, I'm actually shook at how things are going. I'm not used to actually being shocked by a plot twist.

I've been loving all the incorporation of the original Superman lore, but at the same time, still managing to keep some parts of the original Superman personalities in tact, and then how they incorporated the Al Ghuls but they made the twist good here, I wasn't prepared wth. I went from emotional from Kal El's backstory with his parents (I was typically like yeah, they're gone, typical backstory, in past tellings but this one got to me lol), Martha and Jonathan's part of his history (which still hurts somehow, even though their relationship is different now??), and pleasantly surprised with how they're incorporating Superman characters but also from outside the Superman comics... I'm still shook at Ra and Talia being here in general LOL

Panel of Superman hovering is awesome!

[Rhett Marak · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s difficult to say what supermans ultimate agenda is. Superman perceives a lesson his father told him in one of two ways; does he see himself as the victim, or does he perceive the lesson to be one of a moral standard. It was assumed superman would kill agent Smith based on the end of his father lesson, that what’s done it to protect what they have. A lesson that not every choice is easy even if it’s for their benefit. Thus leaving me questioning why Superman didn’t kill Smith.
It’s revealed at the end the Omega Primus is Talia, I was wondering when she’d be coming in and I’m shaking my head to myself that I didn’t see that coming.
Why would Talia be the head of an organization against Lazarus? Now that is such a genius way to gather all those who are against Lazarus then kill them, brilliant.
Superman holding back is downfall once again, I guess that we will see Superman not hold back once he fights Ra’s as Ghul.

[RubiGiráldez RubiGiráldez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parece que la cabecera sentía la urgencia de por fin poner algo más de acción y debacle. Pero es una pena que el 2º round de Christopher Smith solo se utilice de shock hueco para cierta revelación a mayores en el antagonismo de los Al Ghul que sigo sin tener claro si cobrará fuerza ni sentido como principales villanos para este Absolute Superman (sí que me vale por la parte de no ir a lo obvio y recurrente con Brainiac). El nuevo artista también hace bajar mucho el impacto general construido hasta ahora.

Aunque Jason Aaron ha tratado de dar la falsa sensación de que este Kal-El podría ser más proclive a la ofensiva y destrucción que ciertas iteraciones modernas del Hombre de Acero han hecho malentender en el "canon". Se vuelve a dejar claro que sea cual sea la figura paterna en la infancia del Kryptoniano, se le inculcarán los mejores valores para que no tenga que recurrir al asesinato como primer recurso por mucho bien mayor que suponga.

[Alexis Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a very interesting plot twist. I did not see that coming at all, whatsoever. I am liking the more gritty, heavy take on superman. He seems to be really struggling with incorporating his humanity in the context of a world so deprived of it, and its desire to corrupt him. He just feels so broken but in a way that feels so relateable. Also, the bit about the lava bug trying to fight their way out and attacking those on their way. I wonder what it’s supposed to parallel back on earth? Maybe the Omega men, but i’m not certain since they aren’t mindless and they are choosing violence to prevent a greater violence. Anyways, this issue has got me curious and waiting to see what comes next.

[Jerry Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not see the TWIST COMING. SOOOO many implications.

- Talia Al Ghul, revealed to be the Omega Man, DOUBLE CROSSED the omega man and critically injured Superman. Then killed the men.

- at the end, she says “ all hail the omega”. And Ras is old as time itself. Does that mean they know about Darkseid. Are they working for him!!!? Is that why they have a BOOM TUBE!!!???

- Talia has been trying to recruit and turn Superman dark the entire time because their plan all along.

WHAT AN ISSUE. Oh and Superman talking about he can destroy a human in a second is crazy. OP. He needs to be unleashed.

[Michael Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jason Aaron has been absolutely killing it on this book! I loved the moral dilemma facing Superman and the exploration behind his decision making. His previous life on Krypton, and the lessons learned from his parents, has given him an intriguing bit of dimensionality. And the hook setting up the next issue? Holy crap. This book keeps surprising me in all the best ways.

[Siegfried · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, the sh*tshow continues.
Loved the way he appears, majestic, for a single moment...
Then, he's back to being the EmoSup.
And Talia finally presents.
Dunno if I like R'as as a Sup villain. If it was the usual Sup, done in a second.
This? More dragging...

[David Dalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this series is kicking into high gear! Brilliant! Whoever thought of Absolute Superman and Batman! I plan to start on Absolute Wonder Woman soon and see how that goes. Love the revamp, the characters, and the art!

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

What?!? I wasn’t expecting that at the end holy crap that caught way off guard but looking back it makes so much sense??? I mean they were trying to hard to get Supes to give into his anger and make him a killer??? That was really well done. I loved the narration in this one

[Arch Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah! This is getting nuts!

Definitely did not see this plot twist coming with Primus being Ra’s Al Ghul’s “daughter”.

Honestly makes sense though. Outstanding issue and writing though. This is what we needed.

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even alone, faced with insurmountable odds Superman will not kill. The revelation at the end was perfect. Can’t wait for the next chapter.

[Andy Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

ehhhhh idk about all that....

[Jeff te cuenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

He visto muchas quejas de este tomo por el final y será porque no soy muy lector de DC, a mí me gustó bastante y me encantan los caminos que va tomando el universo en general.

[Frodo · Rating 4 out of 5]

sigue sendo a serie das 3 grandes que menos me gusta

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

This issue was to the wall action through and through. I dig the balance or brutality and compassion in this one. The reveal at the end was sweet too. This feels different and fresh.