Starting on October 9th, 2024 with the release of Absolute Batman by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, DC’s new line of Absolute comics has shaken up the state of the DC Universe with all new interpretations of famous characters. The line aims to depict how these characters would change from their normal status-quo lives if their origins had vital pieces missing. A blue-collar Batman, a Wonder Woman who was not raised on Themyscira, and a Superman that was raised on Krypton instead of Earth were featured in the wave of this new line.
This new universe seems to be catching the same lightning in a bottle that Marvel captured in 2000 with the release of the acclaimed Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men, but instead of a strong focus on modernizing the characters, the focus swaps to show how hope and heroism will persevere no matter how these heroes’ origins shift and change.
During the announcement of the Absolute line back in July of 2024, there was actually a lot of discourse over it. The first look we got at the line was the cover of Absolute Batman #1, which features a much larger and more muscular Batman, clocking in at 6’6” as opposed to his usual main-universe 6’2”. The discourse from this cover actually came from the bat symbol used on the suit though, as it had a much more rectangular shape than usual and doesn’t look very much like a bat.
A lot of fans on social media actually wrote off the series entirely before it even released due to the misshapen symbol, but even that didn’t stop the hype behind the books.
The first wave quickly gained popularity as a breath of fresh air in comics and sold remarkably well. Despite releasing so late in the year, Absolute Batman #1 climbed up to be the best selling comic book of 2024. According to the writer of Absolute Batman and overseer of the Absolute comic line Scott Snyder on X, the books “really did outperform any expectations we had by a lot.”
The second wave of the line was announced in December and features an Absolute version of the Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter. The second wave stuck even further from the status quo, namely Absolute Martian Manhunter which adds an element of psychological horror to the mix. Every book in the second wave has officially started, with the most recent series to release being Absolute Green Lantern.
Even before the second wave was released, the hype was palpable. From pre-orders alone, Absolute Flash became the best selling comic book since The Flash (1987) #1, with over 180,000 pre-orders.
The first arcs of each of the first wave of books are all wrapping up, and the second arcs are beginning to be announced. With the finale of the first arc of Absolute Batman having been released on March 19th, the second arc just ended last month on May 14th. The third arc will begin on June 11th, now focusing on a new version of Bane to rival the blue-collar Batman.
Following the heavily political first arc of Absolute Superman, where the Man of Steel was fighting off a corrupt corporation that exploited its workers, the second arc will pivot to the more fantastical. Starting with issue #7, the book has revealed its antagonist to be a new take on Brainiac: a villain with a god complex, an extraterrestrial level of intelligence, and a collection of dead and extinct worlds in his collection. The next issue continuing this will release on June 4th.
The second arc of Absolute Wonder Woman is leaning into her Greek mythological roots even further than earlier issues, whilst still adding a twist. The latest arc focuses on Wonder Woman traveling through a twisted version of the Labyrinth, which is apparently from a government facility called Area 41 (a reference to the fact that Wonder Woman’s first appearance was back in 1941).
As of the writing of this article, no third wave has been announced for the line. A graphic novel of the first arc of Absolute Batman is scheduled for release on August 5th, followed by Absolute Wonder Woman on the 12th, and Absolute Superman on the 19th.