There is an old adage in the comic book world that goes “Comics are 49% writing and 51% art.” Really all that means is that one can boost a mediocre script with terrific art but one can not save passable art with a terrific script. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta deliver the perfect combination of engaging storytelling with dynamic artwork in their current ongoing series titled “Absolute Batman.” Absolute Batman is at the masthead of DC’s Absolute universe. Titles in the Absolute universe include Absolute Batman, Absolute Flash, Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman and more. They are all set in a shared reality that is separate from the main continuity of the DC universe. It takes everything that readers know about the characters they love and flips on their heads. When Batman is striped down to have no money, no mansion and no butler, what is left is the Absolute Dark Knight.
The series has been releasing monthly since October of 2024 and currently has 19 issues out. The first six issues are the arc titled “The Zoo.” This arc follows Bruce Wayne, a construction worker living in Gotham city who moonlights as Batman. When the villain Black Mask has his henchmen (affectionately called the “party animals”) running around the city causing panic, Bruce steps into the role of Gotham’s caped crusader and begins to take out the party animals. With the help of Alfred Pennyworth, an MI6 special agent tasked with monitoring what goes on inside of Gotham, they defeat the party animals and Black Mask.
Following “The Zoo” is a two issue arc called “Absolute Zero.” This story follows Bruce Wayne attempting to infiltrate the facility known as Ark M in search of answers about how it is connected to Black Mask and the corruption within the city. Once entering he meets a man named Victor Fries. Victor seems to be a helpful young man but he reveals himself to be a towering lanky monster who attacks Batman. Bruce manages to escape the facility after almost being frozen alive but when he returns home, he is left with more questions than answers.
This leads neatly into the third arc, a six issue story that is fittingly named “Abomination.” The storyline opens with the introduction of Bane, a hulking beast of a man who is working for the man Behind Ark M, Jack Grim. Bane is tasked with capturing Batman. This arc chronicles Bruce’s capture and attempted escape attempts from Ark M with an electric conclusion in massive fight between Batman and Bane in a football stadium.
After the finale of “Abomination,” readers are given an entire issue dedicated to the origin of the man behind Ark M. While the name Jack Grim may not sound familiar to readers, his alter ego is one of the most recognizable villains of all time: The Joker. In this universe, Joker is not a mentally ill man wearing face paint and a clown costume. He is a centuries old entity who has been actively controlling Gotham from the shadows since at least the early 1800s.
Following the single issue “Joker” is the conclusion to a two part story that started in Kelly Thompson’s “Absolute Wonder Woman” issue 15. This single issue features a team-up between the Batman and Wonder Woman of the Absolute Universe.
The next arc titled “The Seventh Kingdom” chronicles the rampage of Poison Ivy as she wreaks havoc in the city of Gotham.
“The Seventh kingdom” leads directly into the current arc called “The Straw Man.” This storyline opens with the introduction of Scarecrow, a man who seems to thrive on fear and destruction. While this arc only has one issue out so far, it has been revealed that there will be additional appearances from characters like Harley Quinn, Death Stroke and The Court of Owls. There will also be first appearances of characters such as Two-Face, The Penguin, Manbat, and various Robins.
it can be said with the utmost confidence that Absolute Batman sits with the greats. the seris’s consistency is comparable to books like Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” Robert Kirkman’s “Invincible,” and Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns.”
On League of Comic Geeks, there is not a single issue that dips below 4.3 / 5 stars. It averages 4.5 / 5 stars across all 19 issues. The gripping story written by Snyder is able to pull in both new and old fans of Batman through the subtle and major changes to Bruce and the characters around him. Couple this with Dragotta, an artist who is continuously growing. Readers can clearly see the inspiration he has taken from Japanese manga artists such as Katsuhiro Otomo and Tsutomu Nihei, while still staying true to his roots as a western artist, bringing forth a new and distinct style for readers to enjoy.
In terms of raw numbers, DC’s Absolute line has sold over 8.2 million units since its launch in October of 2024. Absolute Batman alone has sold over 3 million copies which are unprecedented numbers for modern comics. The average number of copies sold per issue in the modern day is around 25,000. compare that to Absolute Batman issue 1 selling over 400,000 copies. In the secondary market, the series has had a meteoric rise as well. Signed copies graded at a 9.8 of issue one have sold for $1,500.
Absolute Batman offers a fresh and creative perspective on the dark knight, without losing what it truly means to be Batman. The bold new direction and lack of an established universe makes it the perfect jumping on point for new readers. Combining this with Dragotta’s stunning and larger than life character designs makes it clear why young people are so fascinated by this interpretation. The series represents not only a rebirth for DC, but for comics as a whole as it breaks record after record with each new issue. Snyder and Dragotta prove that producing comics may be 49% script and 51% art but it is definitely 100% storytelling.
