Warning: Spoilers ahead for Absolute Power #3!An invasion of Amanda Waller's world DC comics was so devastating that it accidentally broke one of DC's biggest unspoken clichés. With the fate of all superheroes on the line, Waller faces resistance not only from the regular DC roster, but from heroes readers have never heard of—because they're not American.
The situation is dark Absolute Power #3 by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. The bulk of DC's heroes embark on desperate rescue missions from the paradise of Themiscyra, while Waller and Failsafe harass most of the world's governments. But all hope is not lost: When one of Waller's Amazons pursues Zealot, Cassandra Cain, and Black Orchid, rescue comes unexpectedly in the form of two new heroes.
New Arrivals – Kadejos and Rana Dorada – Are meant to be superheroes from Central America, giving readers a rare look at superheroes from outside the United States.
DC Reminds Readers That Superheroes Are Out In The World
Absolute Power #3 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sánchez and Ariana Maher
On the one hand, It makes sense that the bulk of DC's heroes are American characters; DC is an American publisher that writes stories for a predominantly American audience in an environment rooted in pro-American World War II propaganda.
As such, American ideals and virtues are often extolled—Superman's own motto originated as “Truth, Justice, and the American Way.” American colors and motifs are often incorporated into character designs. Foreign heroes like Wonder Woman (apparently Greek) are presented as devotees and ambassadors of American values, while foreign metahumans are often villains.
It's not just this cultural bias that DC has to deal with. It takes special research and effort to write accurate depictions of other countries so that attempts don't instead come off as tokenism—see, for example, DC's Hispanic Heritage Month controversy, when variant covers were criticized for equating Hispanic culture solely with food. This difficulty leads publishers to play it safe by expressing internationality Through the lens of DC's pre-existing and mostly Justice League of America heroes – Like Batman Incorporated and the Chinese Justice League teams. In a world full of heroes, it's rare to see someone without American ties.
It recognizes the wider world of DC Comics
Superheroes aren't just from the US
Absolute Power #3 does a better job than most at acknowledging DC's worldwide metahuman presence, starting with China's Big Ten. The Big Ten has been a constant background presence in the DC Universe since its introduction 52 #6 by Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Griffin, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Alex Sinclair and Nick J. Napolitano.
While their portrayals are certainly prone to pastiche, they remain examples of DC characters who exist outside of the American sphere of influence—unlike characters like Avery Ho and Kong Kenan, who, when they're downplayed, Versions of American heroes Flash and Superman, only from China.
Kong Kenan debuted and starred in his own solo series:
The New Super Man
by Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic, available now both digitally and in collected editions from DC Comics
2023 years The We Are Legends publishing line also made a push to highlight Asian and Pacific Islander characters.. Created by Ram V and Lalit Kumar Sharma, Vigil is an Indian superhero black ops team with the shape-shifting Saya, the immaterial Dodge and the electroconductive Arclight as their protagonists in a series rich in mystery, espionage and government meddling.
On the contrary, City BoyCreated by Greg Pak and Minkyu Jung, Cameron Kim is more of a street-level hero, able to communicate with and shape the souls of cities. Characters from the We Legends line Performance as a nice first step, however much of the world is underrepresented in the DCU – for example, Australia, Eastern Europe and the entire African continent.
Is DC finally overcoming its biggest superhero cliché?
All Signs Point to Yes
so that Absolute PowerBig Ten inclusion along with Rana Dorada and Cadejos (naming conventions imply Central American origin) Waller does a great job of highlighting how over-expansion affects the entire world. The nation, which along with Themiscyra serves as the last refuge for metahumans, has been at odds with the United States since 2023. Wonder Woman The series, drawn by Tom King and Daniel Sampere, manages to paint a picture of a world where superheroes are a part of life all over the world and not just in urban America – something that DC often implies but rarely demonstrates openly.
The Vigil, City Boy, and more. meet with
Dawn of DC: We are Legends Special Edition
#1 anthology!
In retrospect, it seems strange that seeing superheroes from another planet is more common than seeing superheroes from another country, but Inclusions like Rana Dorada and Cadejos help round out the DC world in a big way.. It's quite another to treat Superman as a universal hero (he has commensurate power), but pretend there are no superheroes outside of America. It's a persistent cliché with little justification – but that's about it DC comics finally withdraws.
Absolute Power #3 available now from DC Comics.
