Absolute Power – Ground Zero #1 

Writers – Nicole Maines, Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, and Joshua Williamson 

Artists – Skylar Patridge, V Ken Marion, Gleb Melnikov 

On weekends, I try to get to my new comics pile when I am able to do so and I wanted to dive into this one-shot before starting the main Absolute Power mini-series. I am running a little behind on this event only because I wanted to finish the House of Brainiac crossover in Action Comics and Superman as a character introduced in that mini event plays a major role in this one. 

This one-shot contains three stories that set the stage for Waller’s final plan for power and domination. Dreamer and the Suicide Squad are after Jay Nakamura on Gamorra Island, Time Commander tries to get out of a pickle using his time travel know -how, and the Brainiac Queen becomes an unwitting pawn of Waller after safely making it to Earth. 

Each story highlights how deliciously wicked and evil Waller is and how close she is to finally achieving a world without superheroes. Some things to keep an eye out for in the main series – will Superman Jon Kent have a major role to play in the event and how will Dreamer’s actions in Stage One affect their friendship? Will Time Commander play a large role in Waller’s defeat after being outsmarted in Stage Two? What will happen if/when Brainiac Queen realizes she is being used and will she kill Waller for her ruse in her “up-bringing” before being sent out to fight the heroes of the DC Universe? 

If you haven’t been keeping up with the ongoing Batman and Superman titles, there is a helpful guide at the end of the book with some character stats and information on the players in this event, a checklist of titles that will tie-in with this crossover, and a preview of Issue One. 

What would have been REALLY helpful is if DC added the FCBD issue of Absolute Power to this issue as a bonus. Some may have missed out on the free issue if they didn’t make it a LCS for Free Comic Book Day back in May. I’m sure if the company added it to the one- shot, the book would probably have been closer to six or seven dollars, instead of the $4.99 price tag. You know what would have been the ultimate win/win – if comic shops provided leftover issues of the FCBD issue to those that pulled the issue or ordered it online. I know that this couldn’t be feasible but it was just something I was thinking about while reading this issue. 

I’m sure this event will set up the all-new Absolute DC Universe in some fashion and I’m curious to see how that plays out. 

By the time this review posts, this one-shot might hit the DCUI online app, if you subscribe to it. If that is the case, you might be in luck about the FCBD book I mentioned. 

Absolute Power corrupts and how it will affect Waller is anyone’s guess. It’s nice to see her getting a spotlight as a premiere villain in the DC Universe.  Let’s enjoy this ride while we can and see how it affects the DC Universe at large and who will live and who will die (until they are resurrected a few months later because that’s what happens in COMICS!)