And yes, that is one chunky Bat-emblem.
Well, after getting only the slightest taste of what’s to come with DC’s new Absolute Comics imprint in last week’s DC All-In, we are getting the first official title this week with Absolute Batman.
Which is smart, of course, since of The Big Three at DC (Batman, Superman, and Swamp Thing Wonder Woman), Batman is the easiest sell. Much like the Black Label imprint, kicked off by a Batman mini (goosed a bit by some small controversy) grab the fans with the Caped Crusader, then once you have their eyeballs, try to sell ’em on, like, Absolute Elongated Man or whatever.
Demand is sky-high for Absolute Batman #1, so much so that even the exorbitant number I ordered has me thinking “wellll, should have ordered more, maybe.” I haven’t had quite as many queries into the following Superman and Wonder Woman launches, though I did have my fair share of “add all Absolute titles to my pull list, please” so I guess that counts.
As to the book itself, without getting into spoilers I’ll say the comic is fine, a drastically different Batman with many of the key aspects of the character altered or gone entirely. Advanced publicity was heavy on this Batman having no money, no butler, no Batcave, etc., but there is at least one other change to the core concept I wasn’t expecting, and I’m hoping it’s not just a set-up for…how can I say thins, pushing that core concept back into place in an issue or two. Ugh, I know, that makes no sense to you right now, assuming you’re reading this before getting your filthy mitts on the comic, but you should get what I mean once you cast your peepers upon it.
Much internet hay has been made about Batman’s…physique (much like that first Black Label book, har har) and in context it looks perfectly fine. It’s an exaggerated superhero body, just like how Mom used to make, and it gives a little bit of a goofy vibe to a comic that potentially could be too dark given the general tone and setting.
(Speaking of which, it was noted by writer Scott Snyder that this version of Earth was centered around “Darkseid energy” versus the “Superman energy” of Earth…One, or Prime, or whatever the mainline DC Universe is set. This seems like one of the very few explicit references to the conceit set up in Doomsday Clock #12, where the DC Universe centers itself, and rebuilds itself as required, around Superman.)
And despite the “no butler” thing, Alfred is in the book, setting up what I think will be quite a different professional relationship between him and Bruce Wayne. There’s also this other thing, where…well, I was kind of hoping they’d not introduce that already, letting the series settle a bit before bringing this in. I guess that was too much to hope given everything. Not that I don’t think it’ll be interesting.
It’s a very dense book, lots of pages full of panels and text, which still flows smoothly and never feels cramped. This 48 page first issue is going to give way to the standard 32 page format with #2, with no attendant drop in priceHopefully the storytelling will continue at this level and keeping giving folks their money’s worth.
It’s a compelling start, I’ll give it that. And yes, it’s “dark,” though oppressively so. The tone may work for Batman, and we’ll just have to see how well this new dark Absolute Universe fits with the upcoming Superman and Wonder Woman titles.
Anyway, this publisher can’t be thrilled about the new line.
Honestly, I have no problem with Batman as a Thicc Boi, but shouldn’t his head be just a *little* larger in proportion to, say, his thighs?
In any case, the Absolute book that looks most interesting to me is Absolute Wonder Woman. She’s the princess of Hell or something, which is a cool take.
@Thom H.
Since they decided to make him a pinhead- Batman, Bill Griffith should get to write and draw an Absolute Batman story with a Zippy cameo…”Are we having Absolute Bat-fun yet?”
I just read Absolute Batman 1, and agree with a lot of your takes. My initial thoughts:
GOOD
Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin produce excellent visuals. Martin’s Vertigo-esque palette fits the tone of the story. Dragotta’s clear storytelling is matched by his ability to sell the big moments. No complaints in that department.
I like the changes to Bruce’s backstory. Having the inciting incident from his childhood occur due to [no spoilers here] and his acquisition of skills come about when he [no spoilers here] worked logically.
The character voices and narration were successful, and most changes to certain characters were interesting.
NOT SO GOOD
Boy, is this comic grim! The Party Animal gang is a bit too violent for my tastes, even if their deeds are told and (thankfully) not shown.
Did we have to have [no spoilers here],on the last page? Ugh.
The bat symbol looks the way it does because [no spoilers here], but that set-up doesn’t make a ton of sense. “Rule of cool” only gets you so far.
ULTIMATELY (heh heh)
I liked more than I didn’t, and I’ll see how the first arc plays out. Scott Snyder’s writing is hit-or-miss for me, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
It struck me as “What if Frank Miller made the first Image comic?”
“about Batman’s…physique”.
Might as well go ahead and make the guy a Weeble.
“WEEBLES WOBBLE, BUT THEY DON’T FALL DOWN! THEY DON’T FALL DOWN!”
Daniel T: “It struck me as “What if Frank Miller made the first Image comic?””
You have summed up ALL of my objections in 1 sentence.
@ Snark Shark
LOL!