Absolute Batman #1: A Bold New Take on the Caped Crusader

Joe Meola ‘25 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Spoiler Warning

The Absolute Universe—DC Comics’ response to Marvel’s Ultimate Comics—has finally arrived! Spinning out of the events of October 2nd’s DC All In Special, in which the villainous New God Darkseid was granted dominion over a new world in the DC Multiverse, October 9th’s Absolute Batman #1—written by famed Batman writer Scott Snyder and drawn by artist Nick Dragotta—is the first installment in a series’ set in this twisted new universe. The Absolute Universe presents readers with drastic reinventions of iconic DC superheroes whose stories can be followed from the start with little to no prior knowledge. Readers will get the chance to meet a Wonder Woman raised in Hell, a Superman without his Clark Kent alter ego, a Flash unburdened by the legacy of the speedsters who would have come before, a new wielder of the Green Lantern powers and mantle, and—to get things started—a Batman without his usual wealth. How are these characters’ worlds impacted by these changes? You’ll have to read to find out!

Following a one-page flashback of a young Bruce Wayne at the zoo, this issue opens not with Batman himself, but rather with this universe’s version of Alfred Pennyworth. While Alfred is typically depicted as the butler, confidant, and surrogate father of Batman’s alter-ego Bruce Wayne, this version of Pennyworth is a government operative, pulled out of a five-month-long mission in Singapore to run surveillance on the villainous gang known as the “Party Animals,” which has set its sights on Gotham.

After this introduction to Pennyworth, readers are formally introduced to the present-day Bruce Wayne—drawn by Dragotta as a hulking mountain of muscle—training at a gym owned by Waylan Jones, who, instead of operating as the misunderstood villain Killer Croc, was a childhood friend of Bruce’s alongside other usual Batman villains Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot, Harvey Dent, and Selina Kyle. This scene also contains more of the opening flashback scene, which reveals that young Bruce was at the zoo for a class field trip and that his father, Thomas Wayne, was his class’ teacher. The trip is interrupted by what seems to be a gunshot, closing this installment of the flashback.

Next, Roman Sionis—better known as the Black Mask—the leader of the Party Animals, hosts a meeting on a large yacht with Gotham crime bosses Carmine Falcone and Sal Maroni, who threaten to kill him if he does not leave Gotham. In turn, Sionis’ underlings brutally murder the two crime bosses.

Readers then get to see the Party Animals in action, as they launch an attack on a town hall meeting hosted by Mayor James Gordon—who was elected due to his contributions as Gotham’s Police Commissioner—with Commissioner Harvey Bullock and Officer Barbara Gordon serving as his security detail. Alfred watches from a distance, instructed by his handler to only gather intel and not interfere despite the likelihood of casualties. This is when Batman finally leaps into action, showing off the methods that make him distinct from traditional depictions of the hero. 

His cape serves multiple functions, as Batman is seen using it to deflect gunfire, grapple and toss opponents from afar, and balance on it like a pair of stilts. The elongated ears of his cowl double as throwable bladed weapons that look much more like knives than traditional batarangs. 

Lastly, the massive bat emblem adorning the hero’s chest can be detached, functioning as an ax when combined with a handle-like attachment, and he uses this ax to cut a gang member’s hand clean off. Dragotta’s depiction of Batman’s methodical brutality and unique fighting style makes this scene absolutely stunning to look at, and this scene’s placement cements it as the perfect place to further cement how different this Batman is from the one readers are more familiar with.

After Batman uses explosives to blow up the Party Animals’ escape route and incapacitate the fleeing members, Alfred is instructed to attack the hero, who makes quick work of him. However, the next day, Alfred begins keeping tabs on Batman in his everyday life as working-class Gothamite Bruce Wayne. Alfred’s narration establishes that Bruce is a twenty-four year old man who was raised in Gotham’s Crime Alley by his mother—a social worker—and his father—a teacher. Alfred comments on Bruce’s intellect, noting that the boy was tested with scores indicating a near genius level and that he won an engineering competition in the fifth grade with a mobile, collapsible bridge invention that could be used for humanitarian aid. As a prize, Bruce’s entire class was granted a trip to the zoo. At the zoo, as previously alluded to, the class trip was interrupted by gunshots. Bruce’s father instructed the students to hide in the bat sanctuary and not open the door, before he himself was shot by the gunman.

Alfred also establishes that Bruce was able to attend the best university in the state with a football scholarship but faked an injury in order to avoid playing. Instead, Bruce studied various fields in order to hone his intellect and save his body for his crusade in Gotham, where he took on a variety of small jobs before settling as a construction worker at City Hall.

Alfred continues to follow Bruce’s daily routine, which includes visiting his mother, who is very much alive and well in this universe, despite typically being dead in regular DC continuity. Alfred contemplates killing Bruce, but opts against it, determining that he’s just a kid.

Later that night, Alfred confronts Batman once again, this time one thousand feet above the city within abandoned scaffolding that Bruce uses as his headquarters. Batman shoots a nonlethal shotgun round at Alfred before stealing his motorcycle and driving it off the structure.

The issue ends with an epilogue, providing information on Alfred’s target in Singapore. This man has trained with martial artists across the globe before killing those who trained him. No one knows his real name, but his inability to laugh has inspired people to call him “The Joker.” This Joker, while obviously very well-trained, is also one of the richest people on the planet, drawing an interesting parallel to the traditional version of Batman. 

This is a phenomenal start to this new take on Batman. Scott Snyder does an excellent job at fleshing out this new version of Batman’s corner of the DC Universe, introducing the main cast, and establishing backstories along with the primary conflict. Nick Dragotta’s art pairs well with this new take on the Dark Knight, as the artist does a particularly excellent job at depicting this issue’s high-octane action sequences and the unique nature of this version of Batman’s costume.

For readers looking for a unique take on a popular hero, or for those looking to get into following monthly comic books, look no further than Absolute Batman, and keep an eye out for future series set in the Absolute Universe, starting with October 23rd’s Absolute Wonder Woman #1.