In this review of Absolute Superman #14, the battle between Superman and Ra’s Al Ghul is decided. Can Superman survive the Demon’s onslaught?
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #14
Written by JASON AARON
Art and Main Cover: RAFA SANDOVAL
Variant Covers: GERALD PAREL, ELIZABETH TORQUE, NIKOLAS DRAPER-IVEY
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 12/24/25
This review contains spoilers
Absolute Superman #13 concluded with Ra’s Al Ghul wielding a kryptonite sword while standing over a weakened Kal-El. Absolute Superman #14 begins as their fight continues, with Al Ghul having the upper hand. His kryptonite blade further weakens and slashes at Clark, who spits blood into the face of his attacker. During the battle, Brainiac is ordered to kill Clark’s friends who are trapped in the purple crystal construct, but what is left of Sol makes the ultimate sacrifice and deletes all of its programming, rendering Brainiac powerless. The loss of Sol enrages Kal and he unleashes a massive heat vision blast on Ra’s, but it has little effect other than draining Superman’s energy reserves.
Meanwhile, the Peacemakers square off against the newly freed Lois, Jimmy, and the rest of the people from Smallville, who are armed with rifles. When the soldiers are ordered to kill everyone, Clark gives in and agrees to bow down to Ra’s. He rips off his labor guild crest, crushing it into tiny sunstones, only to fashion the crystals into a massive red blade to attack the Demon at the last moment. Using his advantage of flight, Superman attacks Ra’s from all angles, finally breaking the kryptonite blade, forcing Ra’s to surrender.
Clark brings Ra’s to Pakistan to stand trial for his crimes there. Upon returning to Smallville and healing up in the sun, he goes to visit Martha at the senior living home, only to discover that she passed away the night before. The nurse tells Clark that Martha had been talking about him and gives him a box containing something Martha had been working on for weeks. On the final-reveal splash page, we see that Martha was creating a new suit for Clark, although it was not quite finished. With tears in his eyes, the issue ends.
Analysis
Writer Jason Aaron brings The Battle of Kansas arc to a close with a brutal battle between two incredibly powerful individuals. What I find more impressive than the fight is Clark’s determination throughout it. The Absolute Universe characters are a little different than their regular counterparts, but the core of Superman is kept intact here. Even when faced with an opponent who is bigger and certainly stronger thanks to the kryptonite sword, Kal doesn’t back down. He takes a beating, but manages to outsmart and outlast Ra’s. It’s not until the very end of Absolute Superman #14 that Clark truly understands that Earth is his home now. When he finds out that Martha has died, but leaves him a suit and a note, it allows him to grasp that while his birth home is gone, he has a place in this world.
I like how Aaron writes this ending with the incomplete suit from Martha. That, along with the loss of Sol, gives Clark a new place to start. Of course, I fully expect that the suit he’s had this whole time will be fine and that Sol will make a return at some point soon, but I’m hoping it won’t be immediate. He does mention that he’s collected all the sunstone crystals he could from the battle area and that his cape works, but it remains silent. This will make for a good challenge as Clark moves forward in this universe.
Rafa Sandoval’s art in these last three issues has been great. He draws Ra’s in such a way that he’s far larger than Superman. The action in the fight is easy to follow and full of energy, emotion, and power. Clark gets a major beating and Sandoval does well with showing that through the expressions on Superman’s face. As good as the fight illustrations in Absolute Superman #14 are, my favorite is the final page. Clark is hovering off the ground, holding the suit Martha made for him with tears coming from his eyes, while the sun sets in the background. Ulises Arreola has been the colorist on the whole run and he continues to employ a fantastic range of colors in this one. The colors, highlighting, and shading in the fight are perfect. The greens from the kryptonite blade shine out onto characters and surroundings. The energy effects from the sunstones also look great during the battle. I hope the art team sticks around for a while because their work is top notch.
Final Thoughts
Absolute Superman #14 is an issue that’s full of energy and action. It brings Superman to the brink of defeat, but keeps the Man of Steel on top. Have fun, comic lovers!
