Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Absolute Power has been a long time coming and promises to shake up everything you thought you knew about the DC Universe. In this series of features, Jules Chin Greene unpacks each new chapter of the comic’s pivotal event and helps us understand what it might mean.
Like most comic book fans, I form my own theories about how a story might go. Most of the time I’m wrong because my theories aren’t particularly serious anyway. They’re mostly about how I think the story should go and what characters I’d like to see appear, so I never share those theories publicly. For example, I’m a New Gods fan, and part of being a New Gods fan, in my experience, is reading dozens of crossover events and waiting for Orion, Lightray, Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Forager, and Metron to show up. It’s like Waiting for Godotjust with more power.
After the events of Absolute Power #1, I wrote that the New Gods could certainly overcome Waller’s blockades to help the heroes of Earth. That was all I thought of. But now, with Absolute Power #2, I’m starting to think that my theory might be right for once. The new gods might be coming!
In the second issue of Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s epic event, Nightwing tells Batman to retrieve a Mother Box hidden by Amanda Waller. Dick describes the Mother Box as “the key to accessing the powers of the New Gods,” who live in a dimension beyond our own universe. A Mother Box is a living, pinging supercomputer that helps Orion, Darkseid’s son and arch-enemy, blend in with the beautiful and peaceful population of New Genesis. (A computer that helps people calm down? No wonder New Genesis is beyond space and time as we know it.)
I couldn’t ask for a better way for the New Gods to re-enter the fray at a major event. Just before sending Batman on the hunt for the Mother Box, Nightwing notes that “villains always think their motives are universal,” and explains that selflessness, the urge to protect the weak, and resistance to tyranny are completely foreign concepts to Amanda Waller.
However, these values are perfectly embodied by the New Gods. I can’t think of a character in the DC Universe who hates tyrants more than Orion. Acts of oppression send Orion into a state of rage so intense that the atoms of his face shift and he turns from a handsome warrior into a monstrous beast. Do you see why he’s now my favorite character in the entire DCU? Amanda Waller has no idea what hornet’s nest she’s about to step into. I can’t wait to see what Ram V and Evan Cagle do with these beloved characters when their New Gods Series starts in December!
But enough about the new gods. Let’s talk about how Mark Waid and Dan Mora are a dynamic duo that continues to deliver. Absolute power this is how a menacing crossover event should feel, and I believe it’s down to Waid’s use of key items in the DC Universe. Little things (literally) like the bottle city of Kandor, a Phantom Zone projector, and a Mother Box go a long way in presenting a believable reality in which the story takes place. Mark Waid is known for his extensive knowledge of the DC stories, and that certainly pays off here. And it’s always a joy to watch Dan Mora draw Nightwing.
On Absolute power Panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year, Mark Waid hinted that Dreamer would have a difficult road ahead of him. Seeing Dreamer alongside Waller was an emotional rollercoaster in and of itself, but I was filled with pride when Nia stood up for herself and her family in Absolute Power #2. By protecting Jon Kent from the Brainiac Queen, I was able to get Dreamer back on my side immediately, but I’m terrified of the consequences for her. Nicole Maines mentioned at a panel at SDCC this year that Dreamer is just an eighteen-year-old trying her best, and I really hope she and Jon Kent can work together again. In a dark time like this, they really need each other’s support.
Speaking of Jon Kent, I know I’ve written before about Amanda Waller being my favorite DC villain, but man, Absolute power reminds me of how cruel she can be. I’ve been an avid reader of Jon Kent for several years and like Dreamer, I’m incredibly proud of how he has overcome traumatic events. But now to see him infected by the Brainiac Queen and separated from the rest of his family hurts!
Amanda Waller, I hereby challenge you to a one-on-one game of hockey. It’s the best I can do.
Absolute Power #2 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Alejandro Sanchez is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
Jules Chin Greene writes about comics, TV, games, and movies for DC.com. His work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse, and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Þjórsárdalur and Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or denial of future plans by DC.
