Absolute Superman #24
“Get Brainiac” Part 3
“Steel”
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Juan Ferreyra
Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Publisher: DC Comics
Superman’s hunt for Brainiac continues, this time with the help of a new ally…
The Man in the Chair
Brainiac remains one step ahead of Superman. Each time the Last Son of Krypton follows a lead, instead of his target, he finds another superpowered being placed in his path.
Fortunately, Superman isn’t alone now. Assisting as his “man in the chair” is John Henry Irons, the man with the giant hammer (get your mind out of the gutter). John offers Clark tactical and moral support, while building himself a suit of armor so he can help in the field as well—a true man of Steel…
Forging Bonds
I remember when John Henry Irons appeared for the first time in 1993, during the Reign of the Supermen story. Even though the central mystery of that storyline was “which, if any, of these men is Superman returned from the dead?” it was pretty clear right from the start that it wasn’t going to be John Henry. That actually made him a more compelling character—here was an ordinary man, a builder who had seen his works warped and misused, and decided to do something about it. No, he wasn’t Superman, but that didn’t stop John from acting like it.
In true Absolute Universe style, this version of John Henry Irons is very much the same man at his core, just with a much darker edge. The choice to have the issue’s narration be a letter John Henry is writing to his mother gives us great insight into who he really is (no one knows you as your momma does), while at the same time showing how Clark appears to “ordinary” people. The mumbling way he talks, the way he hides his face behind his hair—it all hides this powerful, inspiring person who is able to give hope to anyone he meets. John Henry is a little bit in awe, and who could blame him?
Let’s talk about Clark for a minute. Now that he’s fully established as Superman, he’s trying to establish himself as a man as well. Calling himself Clark, inviting John Henry to live with him on the farm. Maintaining the farm. Going to the diner in town, even though he doesn’t need to eat. Getting embarrassed when John Henry tells him to ask out Lana, the waitress at that same diner. For a character that started the series out so alien and different from the version we’ve known for more than eighty years, he has become something new yet wholly familiar now. He’s immediately recognizable as the character we all know and love, just with certain aspects downplayed or emphasized.
In a real world that increasingly sucks with each passing day, it’s refreshing to know that even in a world specifically created by Darkseid so he could screw with his enemies, Superman is always Superman at the end of the day. I know he’s not real, but it gives me hope that there are truly good people out there even in our crap world.
Whew, that got heavy. Let’s bring things back down a bit.
We meet three new versions of classic villains this issue, all placed in Superman’s path by Brainiac. Chemo, the Atomic Skull, and Bloodsport all test Clark in different ways—and each gives John Henry a new way to assist and test out new iterations of his armor. I don’t want to spoil anything here, but the way all three villains are dispatched involves methods other than punching them in the face and throwing them in prison. Nonviolent solutions and efforts to rehabilitate are the name of the game here. Again, it’s very refreshing to see. In fact, these scenes are the highlight of the issue for me. I wish I could talk about them more here, but if I do, then there’s no reason for you to pick up the book yourself.
Another highlight is seeing the friendship between Clark and John Henry develop over the course of the issue. They start off as relative strangers, and by the end Clark is asking if he can make suggestions on the armor and John Henry is admitting that he’ll probably ignore them, but go ahead. Really funny stuff, and something I could picture my own friends saying. It’s impressive just how far Clark has come in just 24 issues—the question now is, when he finally catches up to Brainiac, will he be able to hold onto this newfound humanity or will he once again fall prey to the rage inside that almost overwhelmed him in the past? Will having John Henry—now Steel—by his side finally give him the edge he needs?
Outside the Box
Jason Aaron once again gives us an Absolute take on a character who manages to overcome his own darkness to bring hope to a hopeless world: John Henry Irons. His script in this issue jumps back and forth through encounters with three different villains, plus moments of Clark and John Henry bonding—all tied together by John Henry’s letter to his mother. All the jumping around could make the issue disjointed or confusing, but Aaron is able to make sure that the nonlinear storytelling is done in a way that shows the characters’ growing relationship. And I give him massive kudos for all the nonviolent solutions to the villains in this issue—I wish more comics had ideas like that.
Juan Ferreyra handles art and colors again this issue, and does another great job with both. I do have to admit that I’m not crazy about the design for Steel. John Henry Irons is already a mountain of a man, so it makes sense that his armor would have to be larger. But the way it’s presented here, he’s practically Hulk-sized (wrong company, I know) and it just doesn’t look right to me. The idea of using Sunstone in the armor is a cool one—the visual just doesn’t come together for me. Everything else in this issue looks great, though. There is plenty of action with the three different villains, and he keeps everything exciting even when there’s no fisticuffs. Even more importantly, the quiet personal moments are never boring and contain plenty of character—especially through strong facial expression work.
Building Hope
Absolute Superman #24 is another strong issue that gives Superman a powerful ally and, more importantly, a close friend. That extra connection to humanity can only help as he continues on his hunt for Brainiac. And as the nonviolent solutions to the three villains presented in this issue show, this duo is willing to do things differently in order to bring hope to their world.