After 88 Years, Superman’s Sidekick Is Finally A True Superhero

Published Jul 26, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot. The Absolute DC universe has basically been an excuse to flip iconic DC mythologies and status quos with novel origin stories for DC’s most popular characters, and Absolute Superman has not disappointed in that regard. Nobody could’ve anticipated that Superman’s first supervillain in Absolute Superman would be the Batman villain Ra’s al Ghul, for instance, and this continuity’s Brainiac is as multifaceted as he is terrifying. Because of its pacing being a bit of a slow burn with relatively lengthy arcs so far, Absolute Superman hasn’t had to rush through any character’s arcs and has had a chance to build out its world wonderfully, even if there isn’t a new Absolute version of a beloved Superman villain in every second issue. Likewise, if it wasn’t for how Absolute Superman is paced, we might not have received such a rewarding storyline for Jimmy Olsen. Absolute Superman’s Jimmy Olsen Is An Omega Man Jason Aaron’s ongoing Absolute Superman series starts out hot with an era dominated by Lazarus Corp, Peacemakers, and the Omega Men, introducing readers to this canon’s iterations of Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Christopher Smith, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, among others. Jimmy has had one of the most interesting character developments of any Absolute Superman character, and, only 21 issues into this series, he’s already been treated to the beginning, middle, and end of an arc. We meet Absolute Superman’s Jimmy Olsen—or Alpha—in issue #4, as an emboldened revolutionary and member of the Omega Men. It was neat seeing Jimmy and Lois as two sides of the same coin, with their seemingly rival factions, Omega Men and Lazarus Corp, ironically turning out to be two sides of the same coin, as well. But, just as Kal-El has inched ever closer to his original iconography by swapping black for blue, Omega Prime/Primus revealing herself to be Talia al Ghul, daughter of Lazarus Corp director Ra’s al Ghul, and massacring the Omega Men led to Jimmy moving to Metropolis and becoming an editor at the Daily Planet. Where Does Jimmy’s Story Go From Here? In issue #21, Jimmy arrives to save Lois and defeats Talia by shooting her in the leg (whether or not he was actually aiming at her shin is amusingly left to interpretation). With this chapter concluded, Jimmy has now quit his job typing in AI prompts and leaves Metropolis to join a remnant faction of the Omega Men stationed in Thailand. Because of how prominent he’s been throughout the series thus far, it would be surprising if this was Absolute Superman’s way of writing him out of the story completely, and it’s unknown how big a role the Omega Men will continue to play. The solicitation for Absolute Superman #22 reads as follows: GET BRAINIAC BEGINS! Superman will stop at nothing to see the universe’s most vicious madman brought to justice. But before he can get his hands on Brainiac, Superman will have to go through Metallo, a man with Kryptonite in his veins. Get Brainiac begins here, kicking off the march to a game-changing blockbuster issue #25! Absolute Superman #21 is out now. Created By Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel First Appearance Action Comics Alias Kal-El, Clark Kent, Jonathan Kent Alliance Justice League, Superman Family Race Kryptonian Franchise D.C. The icon who launched the entire world of superheroes, the last son of Krypton escaped his dying world to crash land on Earth and be raised as Clark Kent. The world knows him better as Superman, the Man of Steel, the leader of the Justice League, and the most well-known hero in the DC Comics Universe. Blessed with the powers of a demigod, Kal-El of Krypton fights enemies both small and cosmic in his endless pursuit of truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.