Absolute Power #3
Kevin Rossi
Recap
THE LAST STAND OF PARADISE ISLAND! Our heroes are on the run following the Trinity of Evil's devastating attack on the fortress of Solitude! With Superman's headquarters in ruin and the super-powers on Planet Earth in the clutches of Amanda Waller, Failsafe, and the Brainiac Queen… is this the end of the line? No way — the resistance lives on! Using fortress technology cobbled together by Mr. Terrific and Air Wave, Earth's last hope have retreated to Themyscira, home to Wonder Woman and famously suspicious of outsiders. Can Superman, Batman, and the rest of the depowered heroes strike an alliance with these elite Amazonian fighters? All this, and a mad mayday from Barry Allen as DC's war for Absolute Power rages on!
Review
Absolute Power #3 maintains the incredible momentum that the previous two issues started. The series has been nonstop action in epic proportions thanks to writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora. As with the first two issues, Absolute Power #3 has many moving pieces and characters, which can be intimidating, but Waid has a fine grasp of these characters. The previous issues did an excellent job of juggling all the different characters while establishing Waller’s goals, and now readers will see how the heroes react. It seemed like everyone got their moment in issue two and that feeling carries over to Absolute Power #3, and now readers will see Nightwing in full-on leader mode which is such a highlight of this issue. Waid’s love and respect for the DC pantheon is impressive and he continues to juggle all of the players in this series efficiently. However, this series wouldn’t be as effective without the rest of the creative team. 
Some of Dan Mora’s best work at DC is in Absolute Power #3. Previous issues have walked the line between horror and traditional capes and cowls storytelling but with this issue, Mora was able to give readers some of the best-looking horror to come out of a main DC book in decades. Alejandro Sanchez elevates the art and skillfully highlights Mora’s insane level of detail. At times, Sanchez’s coloring on Mora’s pencils feels reminiscent of Alex Ross’ work on Kingdom Come, which seems impossible to replicate but he somehow manages. Ariana Maher’s lettering is the cherry on top of this issue. Maher’s lettering feels natural and organic to the panel layouts and art. Her lettering often feels well thought out and strategic, which brings home the synergy between Waid’s script and Mora’s pencils.
Final Thoughts
Absolute Power #3 is a masterclass in action and pacing thanks to Waid and Mora’s chemistry as a creative team. This issue is nearly nonstop in action and keeps raising the stakes page after page. This issue has maintained the exciting momentum that the previous two issues started and is leading readers to a fantastic climax in the next issue. It will be interesting to see how Absolute Power leads into DC’s next big projects.
Absolute Power #3: The Last Stand
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
