Should You Read Absolute Batman?

Absolute Batman corrupts, absolutely...

I’m someone who’s been out of comic books for a long time. I may never have really been in it before. When The New 52 released in 2011 I tried, I really did. But before long the constant crossovers and pressure to buy more and more different comics really left me with a bad taste in my mouth for what American comics had come to be. Fast forward to 2026, the only comic books I’m currently reading are One Piece and Berserk. But I keep seeing things on social media about this new Batman comic that’s a real shake up of anything we’ve had before. This Batman’s working class and the Joker is rich! And it references Berserk and manga?! I gotta see this. I’ve got to admit that going in, even I was thinking “What’s so impressive about this Bizzaro-verse? DC have done that before”. I’m glad I pushed past that cynical feeling because what I found was a comic that has quickly became some of my favourite books that DC have ever released.

The first thing you’ll probably come to realise is this comic is gorgeous. For such a dark and gritty storyline, there are some beautifully detailed backgrounds to get absorbed in. It also doesn’t shy away from visual comic tropes. You’re still going to get all the KRAKADOOMs and WABLAMs. But now they’re stylised to relate to the scene and the mood they’re trying to set. To me, it also evokes 90s comics. Specifically the Todd McFarlane era. This Batman’s cape-work is very much from the Spawn school of anti-heroics. There is equal parts beauty and the beast in Absolute Batman though, which is where where I think the Berserk comparisons came from. The monster designs on display are gleefully grotesque and pull from some of the most famous horror sources in the business. I guess that brings us to the Rogues Gallery... this is probably the scariest Batman’s foes have ever looked on the page. This is the thing that made me fall in love with the series. The monsters have always been my favourite part of Batman. The classic mad scientist origins, the tragic villains who can’t look themselves in the mirror any more, the melodrama! It’s all here in abundance.

The first thing you’ll probably come to realise is this comic is gorgeous. For such a dark and gritty storyline, there are some beautifully detailed backgrounds to get absorbed in. It also doesn’t shy away from visual comic tropes. You’re still going to get all the KRAKADOOMs and WABLAMs. But now they’re stylised to relate to the scene and the mood they’re trying to set. To me, it also evokes 90s comics. Specifically the Todd McFarlane era. This Batman’s cape-work is very much from the Spawn school of anti-heroics. There is equal parts beauty and the beast in Absolute Batman though, which is where where I think the Berserk comparisons came from. The monster designs on display are gleefully grotesque and pull from some of the most famous horror sources in the business. I guess that brings us to the Rogues Gallery... this is probably the scariest Batman’s foes have ever looked on the page. This is the thing that made me fall in love with the series. The monsters have always been my favourite part of Batman. The classic mad scientist origins, the tragic villains who can’t look themselves in the mirror any more, the melodrama! It’s all here in abundance.

I really don’t want to spoil anything about who shows up because discovering the twists of who becomes who is absolutely a big part of the fun. They somehow mange to pull it off without it seeming like a wink and a nod every few pages though. Even the most know-it-all fan will still find some interesting twists and turns to be found in the story. Everything’s familiar but strange and gross all at the same time. This also very much applies to Bruce as well, he’s different but still our Batman. This is another origin story so we’re seeing him struggle with how to keep his humanity in a world full of monsters. His Absolute Alfred has already gone down that path in some ways and is primed to dispense the fatherly advice we all expect but it comes from someone who’s already closed themselves off from the world and lost everything. Their relationship has been super interesting so far and I hope it’ll continue to build. At the time of writing only 22 issues have been released and I’ve been loving where the story has gone so far. There have been some great slow burn big mysteries fed to us and also some amazing villain of the week still issues. If it continues on like this, it could become one of those generational runs that old comic fans will recommend to new fans forever. It could also very easily fall apart next issue... we’re in uncharted territory here and it’s very exciting! I get the feeling that the entire Absolute Universe of comics is designed for long time readers but also people (like me) who got to know the source material through ancillary media like the movies, cartoons and video games and are primed to get all the references. So if you fit either of those groups and are looking for a new take on The Bat, I’d definitely recommend giving this a shot.

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