How DC’s Absolute line became the year’s biggest superhero success

A gun. A mother. A planet. These are the foundations of DC Comics’ trinity of superheroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman—and DC’s new Absolute line of comics uses them as points of divergence to reimagine its flagship characters. What if Bruce Wayne survived a mass shooting? What if Diana was raised by a witch instead of an Amazon? What if Kal-El lived on his planet before it was destroyed? 

Spearheaded by writer Scott Snyder, whose run on Batman was a highlight of The New 52, a previous attempt to revamp DC’s entire superhero line, the Absolute titles strip off decades of continuity to recontextualize these characters for a modern audience while staying true to their cores. Unlike The New 52, the Absolute titles don’t disrupt any ongoing series, are limited to only a few key characters, and are backed by the sharp visions of Snyder and editor Chris Conroy, who encourage exceptional creators to bring their unique visions to the page. 

DC All In Special #1 (DC Comics)

The Absolute Universe launched with DC All In Special #1, a one-shot flipbook with writer Joshua Williamson, artist Daniel Sempere, and colorist Alejandro Sanchez focusing on the current DC Universe while Snyder worked with artist Wes Craig and colorist Mike Spicer to birth the Absolute Universe. The story is hectic table-setting for a new galaxy where DC’s biggest bad, Darkseid, reigns supreme, but the contrast of Craig’s Kirby-inspired exaggeration and bold page design against Sampere’s more standard widescreen layouts and realistic drawing spotlights how the Absolute artists’ personal styles set the line apart. 

The last few years of Snyder’s career have seen him working with a distinguished roster of artists on his creator-owned projects, and he goes big by connecting with artist Nick Dragotta for the line’s flagship series, Absolute Batman. It cannot be overstated just how vital the art is to the excitement around the Absolute titles. Dragotta’s work on East Of West with colorist Frank Martin Jr. stands as some of the most exciting and immersive sci-fi storytelling in comic-book history, and giving Dragotta carte blanche to redesign DC’s most popular hero and his world demands attention—about $400,000 worth, making Absolute Batman #1 the year’s best-selling single issue. 

Absolute Batman (DC Comics)

Absolute Batman was the biggest comics announcement at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, largely thanks to the cover image of a gigantic Batman looking unstoppable in front of the Gotham skyline, adorned with spiked body armor and a cut-up cape tipped with the sharp fingers of a bat’s wing. The iconic Bat-symbol is replaced by a stylized brick, signifying both the hero’s blunt demeanor and his new civilian occupation as a civil engineer. 

All of this looks even better in action, and it’s thrilling to see just how much thought Dragotta has put into the function of every part of the suit. The ears are throwing knives, the cape can hook onto attackers from a distance, and the chest emblem detaches to become the head of a giant hammer. These design elements change the way that this Batman fights, and Dragotta and Martin Jr. deliver the year’s most exhilarating superhero action sequences as Batman bulldozes his way through the swarms of deadly Party Animals terrorizing the city.  

Absolute Batman (DC Comics)

Artist Hayden Sherman has steadily released new projects in a wide variety of genres that each have their own visual storytelling sensibilities, and they recently worked with Snyder on IDW’s Dark Spaces: Wildfire and Dark Spaces: Dungeon. Sherman enriched those horror stories with page layouts that experimented with graphic design to drastically shift the mood and intensify the emotion, and that willingness to play with form fuels the visuals of Absolute Wonder Woman. 

Working with writer Kelly Thompson and colorist Jordie Bellaire, Sherman brings a sense of bombastic grandiosity to Wonder Woman’s beach-side battle with giant monsters by using curved panels that feel like they are expanding from the energy within. For the flashbacks of the god Apollo handing baby Diana to her new mother, the witch Circe, Sherman emphasizes the otherworldly nature of the interaction with unconventional panel shapes that lock together to create more visually interesting page designs. In terms of cool factor, Sherman’s Wonder Woman design is up there with Dragotta’s Batman, equipping her with full body armor, a horned helmet, a giant sword pulled straight out of shōnen manga, and a magical steed in the form of a skeletal Pegasus.  

Absolute Wonder Woman (DC Comics)

Absolute Superman is the anomaly of the line in that its original artist, Rafael Albuquerque (who receives a special thanks), had to leave the project due to the catastrophic flooding in Brazil earlier this year. His replacement, Rafa Sandoval, is a top-tier superhero artist, but he doesn’t have the horror background that gives Albuquerque’s art its atmosphere and emotional intensity. Absolute Superman may not have as much style as the other two titles, but Sandoval is very well-suited to the spectacle of writer Jason Aaron’s story, which takes readers from the sci-fi majesty of Krypton to the gritty streets of a mining town in Brazil. The sprawling vistas plus Ulises Arreola’s jewel-tone colors distinguish Krypton from the cramped, drab Earth environment, which evokes the sense of confinement that the adult refugee Kal-El feels on his new home planet. 

After reading the first two issues of the Absolute launch titles, Absolute Batman stands out because of its sheer density in both writing and art. Snyder packs the first two issues with backstory, action sequences, and a variety of character dynamics, and Dragotta regularly puts more than 10 panels on the page, breaking down conversations and fights into more individual beats. With so many comics today feeling like they don’t justify their price tag, moving away from decompression is a wise decision that boosts the line’s value. 

Absolute Batman (DC Comics)

Snyder’s script for Absolute Batman #1 doesn’t waste any time showing readers the many ways that this version of Batman is different: Thomas Wayne is a school teacher killed while protecting his students (including his son) from a mass shooter at the zoo in broad daylight. Bruce is a blue-collar civil engineer whose mother is still alive and worried about the growing distance between them. A common thread across the Absolute titles is swapping friend/foe dynamics, and butler Alfred Pennyworth is now a mercenary hunting down Batman while the classic rogues are Bruce’s closest childhood friends. 

All of these different relationships, and the baggage carried over from their previous interpretations, give Absolute Batman the most emotional heft of the three launch titles. The other two narrow the personal scope to focus on parent/child dynamics and the central romance in each superhero’s lore. Absolute Wonder Woman removes the Amazons and Themyscira from Diana’s origin, instead having her raised by Circe on a remote island in the underworld. Years of their relationship are depicted in a sequence of three double-page spreads, each composed of four full-width panels showing the evolution of their home from the same angle. These snapshots develop a tender bond between mother and daughter but also showcase how Diana’s environment goes from cozy to claustrophobic as she grows up, compelling her to leave the nest and fly free.  

Absolute Wonder Woman (DC Comics)

Absolute Wonder Woman isn’t very concerned with modernizing Diana’s story, relying on the hook of “warrior witch with a giant sword” to grab readers. Absolute Superman tries much harder to address the pressing sociopolitical issues of right now, from environmental collapse in the name of technological progress to corporations exploiting their workers to maximize profit. The commentary is the characterization here, particularly with regard to Kal-El and his parents, whose relationship is solely defined by their shared resistance to the corrupt ruling class. This makes Absolute Superman the coldest of the three titles. 

Kal-El experiencing life on Krypton with his parents is a huge change, but the first two issues don’t do very much with the idea. The reveal doesn’t come until the end of the first issue, and the second issue devotes most of its attention to an extended action sequence that lays the groundwork for Kal-El’s relationship with Lois Lane, who is now an agent for the evil corporation Superman is trying to take down. That said, the action looks phenomenal, with Sandoval and Arreola taking advantage of Superman’s new energy-based suit to electrify the aura around the character. 

Absolute Superman (DC Comics)

The Absolute line debuted strong, but the next wave of titles looks even more intriguing. Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles tell a speedster coming-of-age drama in Absolute Flash, Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay are going full cosmic horror for Absolute Green Lantern, and Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez are mashing up sci-fi and crime for an Absolute Martian Manhunter series that looks totally bonkers. These are some of the most innovative creators working in superhero comics, and that commitment to extraordinary talent is the driving force behind the line’s success.