"Absolute Power" is a 2024 American comic book crossover storyline presented by DC Comics. As part of the Dawn of DC initiative, the main limited series will be written by Mark Waid, with art by Dan Mora, and will be debuting on July 2, 2024. The event takes place in the aftermath of "House of Brainiac".[1]
| "Absolute Power" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher | DC Comics | ||
| Publication date | July 2, 2024 | ||
| |||
| Main character(s) | |||
| Creative team | |||
| Writer(s) | Mark Waid | ||
| Artist(s) |
| ||
| Colorist(s) | Trish Mulvihill | ||
| Editor(s) | Paul Kaminski | ||
Premise
editTo neutralize the ability of every metahuman around the world, Amanda Waller recruits Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen into the Suicide Squad, beginning a campaign of hate and fear over people. In response, the Justice League and the remaining heroes form a resistance.[2]
Publication history
edit"Absolute Power" is an upcoming crossover event published by DC Comics and set to be released July 2, 2024. The main limited series of four issues will be written by Mark Waid and drawn by Dan Mora.[1] During the Dawn of DC initiative, a "Trinity of Evil" was teased,[3] featuring Amanda Waller, leader of A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate and the Suicide Squad, alongside the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a Silver Age character who was reintroduced in 2022 during the "Failsafe" arc from Batman (vol. 3) #125–130 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez, and the Brainiac Queen, a female variation of Brainiac who was introduced in May 2024 during the "House of Brainiac" storyline by Joshua WIlliamson and Rafa Sandoval.[4]
Plot
editBackground
editIn response to recent events involving metahumans, Amanda Waller decided that superpowers, regardless of coming from both superheroes and supervillains, are already dangerous to be left unchecked. She gains the approval of the Council of Light (later revealed to be several clones of Brainiac in disguise) to take drastic measures. To archive her goal, Waller takes over the Hall of Justice, founding the Bureau of Sovereignty in order to discredit both the Justice League and Titans as berserk heroes. She even blackmailed Dreamer and Green Arrow to work for her, by taking over Gamorra and create an exclusive prison for metahumans.
Meanwhile, in Gotham City, Batman developed Failsafe, an AI robot with the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh's personality, who is determined to eradicate all crime, even if that means not following his creator's moral code. He created his own army of Amazos to archive his goal.
Finally, in Metropolis, Brainiac created the Brainiac Queen as a mean to experience the feeling of love he lost during his previous planetary invasions. Her other functions also involve devouring the abilities from the worlds he conquered until she gains her final form. After admitting his last defeat against Superman, Brainiac sends the Queen away, but in the process, she lost her memories.
After the Brainiac Queen awakens from her slumber, Waller and Failsafe recruit her to help them complete their agenda. This includes using her powers on a special robot that causes power draining over the metahumans, transferring these to Failsafe's Amazo army.
Titles involved
editPreludes
edit| Title / | Issue(s) | Writer | Artist(s) | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman (vol. 3) | #145–149 | Chip Zdarsky | Jorge Jiménez | Tomeu Morey | March 5, 2024 | June 18, 2024 | "Dark Prisons" story arc |
| Action Comics | #1066 | Joshua Williamson | Rafa Sandoval | Alejandro Sánchez | June 25, 2024[5] | "House of Brainiac" tie-in | |
| Superman (vol. 6) | #15 | ||||||
Countdown to Absolute Power
edit| Title | Issue(s) | Writer | Artist(s) | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suicide Squad: Dream Team | #1–4 | Nicole Maines | Eddy Barrows Eber Ferreira |
Adriano Lucas | March 12, 2024[6] | June 11, 2024[7] |
| Green Arrow (vol. 7) | #12–13 | Joshua Williamson | Eric Gapstur Phil Hester Sean Izaakse Amancay Nahuelpan |
Romulo Fajardo Jr. | May 28, 2024 | June 25, 2024[5] |
| The Flash (vol. 6) | #10 | Simon Spurrier | Vasco Georgie Ramón Pérez |
Matt Herms | June 25, 2024[5] | |
Limited series
edit| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Colorist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolute Power | 1–4 | Mark Waid | Dan Mora | Alejandro Sánchez | July 2, 2024[8] | October 2024 |
| Absolute Power: Task Force VII | 1–7 | Jeremy Adams John Layman Pornsak Pichetshote Alex Parknadel Dan Watters Leah Williams Stephanie Williams |
Khary Randolph Max Raynor Calire Roe Pete Woods Marco Santucci Caitlin Yarsky |
TBA | July 10, 2024[9] | September 25, 2024 |
| Absolute Power: Origins | 1–3 | John Ridley | Alitha Martinez | July 24, 2024[9] |
One-shots
edit| Title | Writer | Artist | Colorist | Premiere date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Comic Book Day 2024: Absolute Power Special Edition | Mark Waid | Mikel Janín | Trish Mulvihill | May 5, 2024[8] |
| Absolute Power: Ground Zero | Nicole Maines Gleb Melnikov Mark Waid Joshua Williamson Chip Zdarsky |
V. Ken Marion Dan Mora Skylar Patridge |
Patricio Delpeche | June 25, 2024[8] |
| Absolute Power: Super Son | Sina Grace Nicole Maines |
Travis Mercer John Timms |
TBA | September 18, 2024 |
Tie-ins
edit| Title | Issue | Writer | Artist | Premiere date | Finale date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman (vol. 3) | 150–152 | Chip Zdarsky | Jorge Jiménez Denys Cowan |
July 2, 2024[9] | September 4, 2024 |
| Green Lantern (vol. 7) | 13–15 | Jeremy Adams | Fernando Pasarin | July 10, 2024 | September 11, 2024 |
| Superman (vol. 6) | 16–18 | Joshua Williamson | Jamal Campbell | July 17, 2024[9] | September 18, 2024 |
| Wonder Woman (vol. 6) | 11–13 | Tom King | Tony S. Daniel Belén Ortega | ||
| Green Arrow (vol. 7) | 14–16 | Joshua Williamson | Amancay Nahuelpan | July 24, 2024 | September 25, 2024 |
Release order
edit- Free Comic Book Day 2024: Absolute Power Special Edition
- Absolute Power: Ground Zero
- Absolute Power #1
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII #1
- Absolute Power: Origins #1
See also
edit- "Genesis", a 1997 DC crossover event.
References
edit- ^ a b Epps, Justin (2024-02-22). "DC's "Trinity of Evil" Unites in ABSOLUTE POWER, 2024's Massive Summer Blockbuster". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ Salmon, Will (2024-02-22). "Suicide Squad supremo Amanda Waller is close to achieving Absolute Power in DC's next big event". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ Brooke, David (2023-11-09). "DC's signals a Trinity of Evil with 2024 Dawn of DC teases". aiptcomics.com. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
- ^ Arrant, Chris (2023-11-09). "Suicide Squad's Amanda Waller is leading DC's Trinity of Evil, and that means trouble for Batman, Superman and the good guys". Popverse. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
- ^ a b c First Comics News (2024-03-14). "The Fall of the House of Brainiac Begins in Action Comics and Superman This June". www.firstcomicsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Kate (2023-11-09). "Waller's Dream Team: DC's Suicide Squad Officially Returns with a Powerful New Member". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
- ^ Brooke, David (March 15, 2024). "Full June 2024 DC Comics solicitaions". Adventures in Poor Taste. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c Smith, Sam (2024-02-22). "DC Announces its Summer Blockbuster Event and Elseworlds Updates". CBR. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ a b c d Salmon, Will (2024-04-18). "DC's massive summer event Absolute Power sees Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more take on a "Trinity of Evil" led by Amanda Waller". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-04-18.