This week presents a big problem if you are a DC Comics fan. Not only is Absolute Power wrapping up with a fourth issue, but they’re also releasing the DC All In Special, which introduces the brand new Absolute Universe, as well as establishing the status quo of the DC Universe proper. Oh, and it’s a flipbook.
The oversized issue is written by Joshua Williamson and Scott Snyder. But one half, set in the DCU, is drawn by Daniel Sampere. And the other half, focusing on Darkseid, is drawn by Wes Craig. So is one “side” of the book better to start with than the other?
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. While there’s technically no wrong way to read the book, having read the issue, here’s our recommended reading order for this week’s DC Comics.
1. Absolute Power #4
You’re actually going to want to start with Absolute Power #4 before you read the DC All In Special. Even if you haven’t been reading the book by Mark Waid and Dan Mora — and you should, this event was pretty great — it ends with a crucial table-setting for the future of DC Comics. A lot of that info in the last few pages of Absolute Power #4 is reiterated by the DC All In Special. But at the same time, it’s given more room to breathe in Absolute Power, versus the quick info-dump in the Special, and I would venture you might be a little lost without it.
2. DC All In Special #1 – Omega (aka the Darkseid/Absolute Universe side)
So as mentioned above there are two sides to DC All In Special. I’m going to recommend that if you want to read the story “in order” (I’ll explain that a little more in a second) you start with the “Omega” story that is penciled by Wes Craig, and has the new Absolute Universe trinity on the cover. The reason here is that this picks up almost simultaneously with the end of Absolute Power #4, whereas there’s a time jump on the other side of the flipbook. I’m not going to get into spoilers here, but suffice it to say that following Darkseid’s actions makes for a much more straightforward story — at least until the last page of this half of the book, which may be pretty confusing until you read the “Alpha” story.
3. DC All In Special #1 – Alpha (aka the DCU side)
Full disclosure, I read the “Alpha” story first, and it’s bright and hopeful and cheery… Right up until it crashes into Darkseid’s part of the story. I could be wrong here, but I think the writers intend you to read “Alpha,” be confused about what’s happening with Darkseid, and then have that info filled in once you read “Omega.” But! It’s confusing, is what it is. The “Alpha” story is your classic Justice League recruitment story, with a nice emotional hook around Booster Gold. It’s easier to understand until it’s not, and if you have an ordered mind I think you might have an easier time reading “Omega” first. The one exception here is that “Alpha” walks you right up to the final page of the “Omega,” which otherwise might not make sense, as there’s another seeming time jump.
DC All In Special: Chronological Reading Order
That was a lot of words for something that should be pretty simple, huh? Allow me to make it even more complicated by laying this out chronologically. And I want to note, this would be a very stupid way to read this, but whatever.
- Absolute Power #4
- DC All In Special #1 – “Omega,” up until page 25 (including the title page)
- DC All In Special #1 – “Alpha”
- DC All In Special #1 – “Omega,” page 26
Again, don’t do this, it’s unnecessarily fussy. But the final page of “Omega” reiterates info from “Alpha” that only makes sense if you’ve read “Alpha.” So, there you go. Happy reading!