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| Front cover of All In Saga by DC Comics |
Score (out of 5 Capes)
A fun if uneven launch of an exciting new direction in the DC Comics universe.
My Review
The All In initiative from DC Comics promised to reimagine the characters in exciting new directions. It would launch whole new titles, under the Absolute Universe umbrella. And it would bring significant changes to the existing in-continuity heroes and titles.
This trade paperback collects in one handy volume the key moments that kicked off the All In saga.
Leading the charge is Absolute Power #4, the conclusion of the four-part limited series in which Amanda Waller tried to strip the powers from all Earth's mighty heroes. The fourth and final book in that series pits the heroes against Waller's forces, a final desperate assault to try and stop her.
Artist Dan Mora provides powerful images. Whether in the dark corners and confrontations or sparkling and electrified moments, his images are striking and ferocious, with everything from colours and inks to layouts and intense closeups driving the emotional impact. Mark Waid's story is taut and tense, keeping readers on the edge of our seats. He successfully builds toward the climax and conclusion, leaving us almost breathless.
This is a critical tale for half of the All In project - it sets up the new start for Justice League in particular, as well as several other titles that DC would release in the coming months.
Where it misses the mark, unfortunately, is that it works better as a final chapter for Absolute Power than as a starting point for the All In Saga TPB. By leaving out the first three chapters of the limited series and dropping us only into the final chapter, we struggle to understand what is going on and to keep up with all the shifts in scene and the many overlapping plot threads.
Once you push through the confusing bits, it sets up nicely the next key chapter, the DC All In Special. Co-written by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder, the two halves of this one-shot converge on a common moment from two very different angles and in two very different narrative styles. Well done to the duo for pulling it all together in a coherent whole.
The "Alpha" chapter comes first in this collection. The visuals, drawn by Daniel Sampere, are bright and fun, packed with cameos. After surviving Amanda Waller's power grab, the heroes of the Earth decide to radically expand the Justice League and kick things off with a first meeting of the membership on their shiny new satellite. Things go sideways, though, when Darkseid shows up, fused with The Spectre.
One of my favourite parts is the prominent role played by Booster Gold. I am a Booster booster, as seen in my many other reviews of his books and appearances. In recent years, he had been under-used and largely portrayed as a buffoon when he did show up. So to see some maturity on his part and some actual respect from others (well, Superman at least) is a pleasant change. He is the logical choice to explore the rift left behind by Darkseid, and since his part of the story is left hanging, one wonders what might be next for this character.
Wes Craig handled the art duties for the second half, the "Omega" section. It is as dark and foreboding as the "Alpha" section is bright and cheerful. The heavy inks and blocky faces and poses are reminiscent of some Kirby or Romita work and are well-suited for the story about how Darkseid came to that confrontation with the newly reconstituted Justice League.
I love the Alpha/Omega framing of this story. It brilliantly sets up the split between the newly launched Absolute Universe, and the profound changes portrayed in the regular DC Universe titles. We readers are left thinking: Oh boy, this is going to be fun!
That excitement carries over into the third story in this collection: Justice League Unlimited #1. Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora continue their partnership after the Absolute Power limited series with the relaunch of a new and radically expanded Justice League.
With the new satellite as their base of operations / clubhouse, the disembodied AI of Red Tornado coordinating the hundreds of members, and Boom-tube tech replacing the old-fashioned transporters, this series feels poised for greatness.
Mora easily meets the challenges of visually distinguishing between the large cast of characters and different fronts of action. Waid deftly weaves many twists and emotions into the distributed action locations. It is an exciting first issue. I do worry that too large a cast of characters will lead to marginal and ever-revolving cameos, but this is a strong start.
Next up is Batman #153. Writer Chip Zdarsky does a solid job of casually weaving into the narrative some of the changes in the new All In direction. Some get prominent play, like the Riddler's new Nygmatech organization - and Batman is duly suspicious of its mission. Others are more subtle, like ex-Commissioner Gordon's new Private Eye role and the many changes in the Wayne Enterprises world. A little action, a little introspection, a little setup, a nicely balanced restart.
Superman #19 is less successful. Joshua Williamson, co-author of the All In one-shot special, certainly knows what the goals of this reset are. But while the elements are familiar and exciting, the overall effect is more jarring than the smoothly integrated Batman chapter or the cascading exposition of the Justice League reset.
Lois Lane has Superwoman powers and the backing of an entire SuperCorp behind her. This alone feels too drastic a shift, despite its links to past Superman and Supergirl stories. Then Doomsday, Time Trapper and Atomic Skull all packed into one tale means that the villains need to compete for space on the page and reader attention. Without even mentioning the shocking twist on Time Trapper at the end. It all leaves the reader feeling like the Superman creative team is trying too hard.
I do love Dan Mora's accompanying images, though. The fiery end-of-time confrontation, the fight scenes, all are spectacular. But what really stands out are his facial expressions on Lois Lane. From hard-driving editor-in-chief to her fear and worry as she remembers Superman's first confrontation with Doomsday, to the sheer joie-de-vivre on a two-page spread as she flies to the rescue, Mora's portrayal of her is top-notch.
The collection closes with Wonder Woman #14, written by Tom King and drawn by Daniel Sampere. It is by far the slowest of the stories collected in this book, a melancholy and reflective walk through the stages of grief and hope and new starts. King deftly sets up a bold new direction for the Amazon princess. Its maternal and emotional overtones set it up to be a fascinating counterpoint to the new Absolute Wonder Woman.
The structure of the story presents some fascinating constraints and challenges on the visual side of the storytelling. Sampere does a phenomenal job rising to meet those challenges. With solid-black day counters bisecting most pages, he makes some skilled choices in how to carry the story forward. And he handles in a very believable way the wide range of emotions demanded by this tale.
One single issue from six different titles are brought together in this collection. While they do not always work, the overall effect is a solid new direction for the DC Universe, especially the core characters of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League. This is gonna be a fantastic ride!
What I loved
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| The return of the powers is a spectacular 2-page spread in Absolute Power #4 |
One of the plotlines of the Absolute Power mini-series is that the powers of many heroes have been transferred from them into Amanda Waller's Amazo robots. When the climactic moment arrives, the powers return from the now-disabled Amazos to the heroes. It is a key moment, appropriately celebrated in this dynamic two-page spread.
I love the moments captured here. Each image is diverse and spectacular, befitting this key turning point. It also sets up some future All In storylines as the return of powers was not perfect.
I prefer the Graphic Novel format for my comics-reading, but this spread illustrates one of the limitations of the format: it is almost impossible to spread the bound pages wide enough to appreciate the full effect.
What I didn't love
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| Excerpt from Superman #19 showing Supercorp |
As discussed above, All In divided the DC universe in two, with new titles of re-imagined characters in the Absolute side, and new starts in the in-continuity titles. Yet Superman #19, the purported new start for the Superman title, feels like we have been dropped into the middle of something.
While the Superwoman powers are clearly still new to her, Lois Lane has a support team that is organized and well-funded enough to have a spectacular high-rise on the Metropolis skyline, recruited and trained staff, monitoring and management tech in place.
It leaves the reader with the impression, not of an exciting new direction, but rather that something was missed along the way. Enough is explained to fill in the details of this new angle on these heroes, but confusion remains about how did we get here?
Related Reviews
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Absolute Batman: The Zoo (coming soon)
Quick Reference Details
Writers: Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Tom King
Artists: Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig, Dan Mora, Jorge Jiminez
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: April 29, 2025
Parental Rating: Teen
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| Back cover of All In Saga by DC Comics |
