Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Superman | Tagged: absolute, Absolute Phantom Stranger, Absolute Superman, black adam, jason aaron, King Shazam, phantom stranger, Rafa Sandoval, shazam, teth-adam

Absolute Phantom Stranger And More In Absolute Superman #18 (Spoilers)

Absolute Phantom Stranger and more Absolute debuts in Absolute Superman #18 out today (Spoilers)

Today's Absolute Superman #18 by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval from DC Comics adds two new reinventions of classic DC Comics characters for the Absolute Universe. As well as giving greater depth to the history of one already established. And the origin of the Absolute Black Adam, or King Shazam, on the banks of the Nile, as an Egyptian slave, in and around the time of Moses. A time of prophecy, of powers and of strangers…

As a prophecy of the Absolute Superman, made over three thousand years ago, by a stranger…

A Phantom Stranger… and one who can see the world, the universe, that Darkseid has created. Traditionally appearing as a tall, pale man with white hair and glowing white eyes, dressed in a dark blue (or black) fedora, trench coat/cape, suit, and gloves, he first appeared in The Phantom Stranger #1 in 1952, created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino. Over the years, he has starred in multiple solo series, team books, and crossovers, embodying themes of redemption, fate, mystery, and moral guidance. So this is quite the new look. The Phantom Stranger has appeared across DC history, from the 1950s onward, often narrating or influencing events involving the occult, demons, or larger cosmic forces. Multiple conflicting backstories have been proposed over the decades (sometimes in the same story, like the 1987 Secret Origins #10 issue that offered four possible tales, including a fallen angel who refused to choose sides in the war between Heaven and Hell, The Wandering Jew archetype, a man from biblical times who cursed himself through hatred or actions, or a scientist or other mortal trapped in some existential loop. In the New 52, he was explicitly Judas Iscariot.

But Teth-Adam seeks guidance, inspiration, magic and power elsewhere, and finds it from a wizard. Originally created by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck, he first appeared in The Marvel Family #1 in 1945 from Fawcett Comics, as the ancient predecessor to the hero who would become Shazam. In ancient Egypt, the Wizard Shazam sought a champion of virtue. Teth-Adam, sometimes depicted as a prince, a slave, or a fair ruler, was chosen and granted immense powers by uttering the magic word "Shazam!", he served as a hero but became corrupted by his power. The Wizard, regretting his choice, stripped or banished him, exiling him far into space or imprisoning him for millennia, renaming him Black Adam to reflect his darkened soul. More reently, the Wizard drew power from six Egyptian gods, Shu for stamina, Heru for speed, Amon for strength, Zehuti for wisdom, Aton for power, Mehen for courage, rather than the Wizard's traditional Greco-Roman pantheon. And so this Teth-Adam also find a wizard. Just not the wizard we may have been expecting…

That's Brainiac, the alien computer and part of the Absolute Universe, three thousand years ago. With a number of his component attributes…

And while The Phantom Stranger and Black Adam get their Absolute Universe characters established and a history added to the Absolute Braniacs, we also get to see another character established, traditionally in the Superman comic books.

Welcome to the Absolute Steel. The original Steel, John Henry Irons, is a weapons engineer and inventor who creates a high-tech suit of powered armour to fight crime and protect others, originally during the absence of Superman after his death in Superman #75. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist Jon Bogdanove, he first appeared in The Adventures of Superman #500 in 1993. In the Absolute Universe, of course, it could be anyone. Absolute Superman #18 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval is published today by DC Comics.

Absolute Superman #18 by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval
"Reign of the Superman" kicks off here with the debut of not one but two Absolute Universe reinventions! The Battle of Kansas may have put the Lazarus Corporation into retreat, but it's left behind some terrifying surprises in its hidden caches of weapons and world-ending secrets. The most dangerous of all? The sarcophagus of the legendary King Shazam! Don't miss the start of a new epic that will change the hierarchy of power in the Absolute Universe!

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