The world of comic book superheroes and villains is changing, and people are changing with the running trends. From violence to rallying behind anti-heroes, the world of heroes and villains has grown really broad.
That’s where the gray area comes in. The area where the majority of the world lives, and the area where the trend of fighting demons both outside and inside has been going on for some years now. Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman is yet another tale in that area.
Absolute Batman is not here to kid around
Although there have been innumerable iterations of Batman who are sad or grieving or just plain depressed, there have not been many representations of Batman that have been bat-sh*t crazy.
Absolute Batman is a part of DC Comics’ Absolute Universe, and this time around, Bruce Wayne is a blue-collar civil engineer who operates during nighttime as a crime-fighting vigilante.
Here lies the rub. While doing his vigilante thing in the night, Bruce Wayne is stalked by a secret agent named Alfred Pennyworth! According to readers, this version of Batman seems to be more of an “anti-system” type of character, while Pennyworth’s character is given a complete overhaul.
The comic book also showcases a Gotham City which is much more brutal and violent than most adaptations, while ‘chaos’ and ‘anarchy’ are the story’s highlights. Absolute Batman has been generating quite a lot of heat online because of the controversial nature of the comic book. Speaking of controversies, writer Scott Snyder clarified some of the reasons why he chose to write such a dark story for Batman.
Writer Scott Snyder had genuine reasons for Absolute Batman
We all know that Bruce Wayne/Batman comes from a dark place. Although he was the son of a billionaire industrialist, Bruce Wayne saw death when he was a little kid, and his life changed forever.
During a recent conversation on Reddit, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder answered some fan questions about the comic book. During one such talk, Snyder was asked about his inspiration for the grimness and fears of Batman. His answer is indeed very surprising.
I put all my fears about myself in those stories. Owls is about not being near good enough to compete with history (the legacy fo batman), DOTF is about fear of fatherhood – being a dad again when your career is taking off unexpectedly…
He continued,
This time around I’m writing Bruce facing fears I have for my kids, for them. I want him to be brave the face of things they’re up against. I want him to be for them. I’m Alfred in the book, looking at things from an older POV and Bruce is this wild, unstoppable passion to change things against all odds.
Well said indeed, and the truthfulness of his answer can be seen in the comic book issues that are getting published alongside Nick Dragotta as the creative artist for the panels.
With that being said, this version of Batman is getting quite famous (and infamous) for the controversial things that he has done so far. Some of them… are quite horrible to talk about, while others are simply too jarring and intense to see on a comic book page.
Why is everyone taken aback by Absolute Batman?
To put it into simpler terms, it can be stated that Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman has intense levels of graphical violence and mutilations. According to readers, there are shots of blood, violence, mutilated eyes, and more in the comic books.
The level of violence has led to some online debates on whether this version of Batman crosses the line, or is it just artistic freedom taking the character for a ride? It seems that the fine line between violence and Batman’s motivations could have accidentally been crossed in this storyline, and fans aren’t too sure about it.
On the other hand, Batman’s demeanor and the behavior that the character has had since the inception are quite jarring and sudden for the world. Being an “anti-system” character in the comic books, fans are finding it hard to believe that Batman could be so heartless to criminals and the people around him.
The Batman in Absolute Batman is more guttural, rude, and harsh compared to every other version, while his treatment of the criminals has been noted as very visceral and nonchalant about the safety and well-being of the criminals (which is very odd for Batman to do).
Aside from all of these facts, it can be said that Absolute Batman is a jarring piece of work since Batman kicks a literal child during a segment of the book without even a flinch! Naturally, fans will be taking their sweet time to get acquainted with this jarring version of Batman, and Absolute Batman will take some time to be accepted by fans of the character.
The first issue of Absolute Batman had a release date of 9 October 2024, and at the moment of writing, six issues of Absolute Batman have been released so far. Although the world loves to hate this Batman, there’s always a risk of getting canceled if things get too much.
The sixth issue was released with a release date of March 2025, so nothing can be confirmed or denied about the release date for the next issue of Absolute Batman.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
