Comic Review: Absolute Batman Volume 1
While I used to read comics constantly while growing up, it's been a few years since I’ve read anything, especially when it comes to DC Comics. The most recent series I’ve been interested in reading has been their stand alone alternate timeline tales such as Dark Knights of Steel (2021) and to lesser extent DC vs. Vampires (2021). While the main universe titles have lost their luster for me due to terrible writing decisions (I will never forgive them for what they did to the Super Sons), the new Absolute titles from DC drew me in yet again for a tale from elseworld to end my comic drought.
Official Summary
A gang of masked killers terrorizes the streets of Gotham. A vigilante fights for his city—but he’s not the Batman you know. The Absolute Universe, born out of the Justice League’s apocalyptic battle with Darkseid, ushers in a set of brand-new realities that reimagine your favorite heroes as you’ve never seen them before.
Quick Information
Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Nick Dragotta
Publisher: DC Comics
Published: October 9, 2024
Genre: Action, Drama
Rating: Teen
Series Status: Ongoing
Review
Over the years we’ve seen countless versions of Bruce Wayne. As a reader, I thought I had seen them all and that there were hardly any more surprises when it comes to the core character of Batman. Absolute Batman however blew my expectations out of the water by doing what I thought was impossible: giving us a fresh, new look at Bruce Wayne.
Gotham is under siege by a group called the Party Animals. Not even the police or Mayor Jim Gordan have been able to stop them. Enter Bruce Wayne, blue collar worker by day, vigilante Batman by night.
The reimagination of Bruce Wayne’s origin story is what stands out most to me. It’s not the loss of his fortune or the lack of a relationship with long standing allies like Alfred Pennyworth, but rather the new foundation Absolute Batman presents for Bruce’s backstory. Bruce grows up in Crime Alley alongside his best friends who consist of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, including Waylon Jones (Killer Croc), Edward Nygma (Riddler), Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) and Selina Kyle (Catwoman). This on its own is fascinating to read about, especially with how much they’ve impacted each other's lives. Bruce’s father Thomas Wayne is a teacher who is gunned down in front of Bruce, providing him the motivation to become Batman, while his mother Martha is an activist, still striving for a better Gotham. Similar to the normal tale for Batman, Bruce isn’t alone here, but his allies have changed. For instance, one of the biggest changes is showing Alfred Pennyworth as an MI6 agent who is shadowing Bruce as he has his own mission in Gotham. Their interactions are very different from what we’ve seen in the past, but there is still a familiar feeling about them. As a reader, I hope to see more Alfred in whatever form after DC killed off his character in the main universe.
The character design originally kept me away from this title, but once I started reading I understood the thought process behind the design choices. Trust me, everything makes sense and has a story based reason behind it. The artwork keeps characters identifiable but gives them a bold new look suitable for the brand new story.
This first volume collects issues 1-6 of Absolute Batman in the story arc titled “The Zoo”, which follows Bruce Wayne’s new origin story which brings the very best strengths of comic book storytelling.
I’m not alone in my praise for Absolute Batman, as the first issue #1 was the bestselling single issue of 2024 and had multiple printings selling around 400,000 copies. Suffice to say this title looks like it has some staying power.
I haven’t been this excited about a Batman story in a long while, and I can’t wait to read more. I hope it continues its momentum and action packed storytelling. I wonder if Bruce’s friends will continue to be his allies or if they will turn into villains throughout the story. If it turns out to be the latter, I imagine the story is going to become even more complicated for Bruce as he has a deeply personal connection to those characters. I would love to see the writers subvert the usual tropes.
Because of how much I enjoyed this series I may even look into other Absolute titles. If you’re like me and have been disappointed in DC Comics direction in recent years or maybe haven’t been able to overcome the daunting task of jumping in on issue #1090 in a series, Absolute Batman is a great comic to pick up and start reading with its own unique take on our favorite old characters.