In case you missed the memo, Absolute Power is DC's latest crossover event, running across a four-issue limited series as well as the current issues of all of DC's core books. In it, Amanda Waller has, with the help of Failsafe and Braniac, faked some global attacks, turning the world against superheroes. Not only that, but her Amazo robots are capturing metahumans and draining them of their powers.
Absolute Power #2 is out today and it's an absolute barnstormer of an issue, one that makes a few big changes to the status quo. In it, the global situation is looking dire indeed. 80% of the world's superheroes have been captured, drained of their powers, and placed in a detention center on Gamorra Island. The remaining 20%, including the really big hitters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, are all still at large and currently gathered at the Man of Steel's Fortress of Solitude. There is still hope, but they're fractured and divided, not acting together as a unit.
Spoilers ahead for Absolute Power #2
Normally, this is the sort of situation that would lead Batman to take charge, but as Mister Terrific not incorrectly points out, Bruce isn't always the best at being a team player. They need a new leader, but as a frustrated Wonder Woman says, "We cannot afford the luxury of arguing! Whoever we choose, it has to be the right person."
Enter Nightwing.
Yes, the original Robin, Dick Grayson, steps up to the mic with a speech that immediately inspires new confidence in the remaining heroes. He points out that Amanda Waller's weakness is that she has underestimated how committed all of the superheroes are to doing good and working together and that that is a strength.
Nightwing immediately sets out a clear plan for what the heroes need to do next. The Titans will work as a defense squad. Batman is dispatched to find the Mother Box that Waller has managed to get her hands on (which is indeed the plot of this week's Batman #151), while Superman is sent on a multiversal mission to find new allies. Wonder Woman is put in charge of rescuing the imprisoned heroes, while Black Canary must put together a team to bring back Green Arrow – who appears to have taken Waller's side in the conflict.
It's a sensible plan and one that speaks to Dick's fearsome tactical nous. The current run of the Nightwing solo comic by Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo has been a resounding success, bagging awards and really boosting the character's status in the DCU, so this feels like a fitting development and a well-deserved promotion.
Nightwing as the leader of all of DC's superheroes won't last forever, of course. It's likely just until the end of this current worst-ever-crisis. But for now, Dick Grayson is Batman's boss, and Superman's, and Wonder Woman's. As Bruce Wayne proudly smiles at one point in the issue, "That's my boy."
Absolute Power #2 by writer Mark Waid, artist Dan Mora, colorist Alejandro Sánchez, and letterer Ariana Maher, is out now from DC.
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