Absolute Superman #7
Scheduled to arrive in stores: May 7, 2025
Cover date: July 2025
“Son of the Demon” – Prologue: “A Mind is a Terrible Thing”
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artists: Carmine Di Giandomenico and Ulisse Areola
Cover: Rafa Sandoval and Ulises Arreola
Variant Covers: Dan Panosian, Leirix, Jorge Molina
Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
We begin in a desert in Nevada, a squadron of Omega Men have infiltrated Brainiac’s compound. One by one each member of the squadron is brutally killed. Brainiac then returns to his lab where he is “tinkering” with a human, adding cybernetics to the human’s body. While working he is talking to himself and obsessing over the Superman problem. He enters into a fit of rage over his inability to solve the Superman problem, breaking one of the jar cities.
The story flashes back to Brainiac’s creation. It is revealed that this Brainiac was created as number 419,732 to shovel expired Brainiacs into a furnace. For 49,901 days Brainiac 419,732 shovels the bodies of his fellow Brainiacs into the furnace, until there are no more Brainiacs to dispose of. In the process he begins to go a little loopy. With no more Brainiacs, Brainiac 419,732 leaves the furnace room and finds the bridge of the ship. In the bridge he discovers that Brainiac 1 has been destroyed, leaving Brainiac 419,732 as the sole remaining Brainiac.
We then return to present day; our Brainiac calls a council of Brainiacs from across the universe to discuss who Superman is. Through this council he discovers the origin of Superman, and the means of destroying him.
Story – 3: This felt like the first real misstep of Absolute Superman. Switching to Brainiac’s perspective really ground the forward momentum of Superman down to a halt. We have already spent so little time with this version of Superman in the Absolute Universe. So far in seven issues, we have had an issue focused on Lois, one focused on Brainiac, and the other five issues have spent a lot of time telling the story of Krypton. The lack of Superman prior to this issue hurts my enjoyment of this story.
My primary complaint aside, this is an interesting take on the rise of Brainiac. I enjoyed the idea of him starting as a Brainiac in charge of cleaning out the corpses of previous Brainiacs. I’m also interested to see what happens with the Council of Brainiacs that he contacts about Superman. Aaron has created a fun new take on Brainiac that has intrigued me. I also like how this Brainiac is an evolving creation, he has passions that he acknowledges need to be removed, it is an interesting take.
Art – 5: The art continues to be fantastic. Carmine Di Giandomenico’s art is perfectly creepy, adding a fantastic ambience for the depravity of Brainiac.Cover Art – 5: Rafa is back for the cover, and delivers a fantastic image.Variant Cover Art (Dan Panosian) – 3: This cover is fine, nothing that jumps out about it to excite me though.Variant Cover Art (Leirix) – 3: Aside from a weird pose, this cover is also fine.
Variant Cover Art (Jorge Molina) – 4: I like the shadows across Superman’s face, and the image of his forearms lit up in energy.
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