BANE Creator Graham Nolan Walks Back ABSOLUTE BANE Comments, Sort Of

BANE Creator Graham Nolan Walks Back ABSOLUTE BANE Comments, Sort Of

Once again, Graham Nolan has taken to X to voice his discourse about Absolute Bane, but this time he's reacting to the reactions of others.

By ChandlerMcniel - Mar 28, 2025 10:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman

Graham Nolan is the co-creator of Bane, the Batman villain known for his enormous size, use of a super steroid called Venom, and breaking Batman’s back. Bane has been redesigned for the Absolute Universe, a new initiative by DC Comics that sees characters’ stories retold without key elements of their backstories. Absolute Bane will be introduced to Absolute Batman, a series with over the top, jarring art. Check out Absolute Bane below.

At first, Graham Nolan said he truly hated the design. His comments are below.

In a post on X, he called the design an abomination. His full quote reads, “As the designer /co-creator of Bane…this is a terrible abomination.” Someone on X then asked him if the head is the main thing he doesn’t like about it, to which he replied, “We can start there.” In the same thread, he was asked if anyone else has ever done Bane justice in their interpretations of the character. He replied, “Of course. Many have, and done excellent interpretations. This is not one of them.”

Now, the internet seems to have gotten to him. He made another rather emotional post that said the following. 

“After being asked countlessly for my opinion on this version of Bane, I gave an honest answer and broke X! I've been called everything from a "has been", to "bitter", to "old". Okay, the last one may be accurate. Relax! It's just MY opinion! It shouldn't affect how you feel about it. 1.6 MILLION people viewed the post and it seems that many had their own opinion. If every one of you were buying comics instead of reacting to the opinion of one guy, this business would be in better shape. I'm now issuing you all a challenge. Why get mad at me, when you can get even with me? BUY THIS BOOK! Tell your friends and get multiple copies. Prove me wrong with your wallets instead of your keyboards and give this artist a HUGE royalty pay day! Let's get this book to 1.6 million in sales! That'll show me.”

While it’s a very strongly worded post, he does have a point. If people are mad at him for calling someone else’s depiction of a character he co-created an abomination, the best way to get back at Nolan and prove him wrong would indeed be to buy the book. Of course, one does not have to buy a comic book to disagree with him. Just like he’s entitled to his own opinion, everyone else is entitled to their own. 

The Absolute Universe is truly either loved or hated. In Absolute Batman, Bruce’s mother is alive, he has no money, and Alfred is an MI6 agent. His rogues gallery including Riddler, Killer Croc, and Catwoman are all his best friends. In Absolute Superman, Kal-El comes to Earth as a young man who witnessed the collapse of Krypton and still remembers his home planet. He isn’t anywhere near as strong as the usual version of Superman, and his cape is made out of some kind of nanotechnology that is also infused with an AI. Lois Lane is a corporate military agent and the Kents are barely around. In Absolute Wonder Woman, Diana is not raised on Themyscira because Themyscira has been completely destroyed. Instead, she is raised on an island full of monsters, and her adoptive mother is actually Circe. She rides a pegasus that has no flesh, but does have a skeleton that also feeds on magic. 

There are plenty of comic readers that simply can’t get on board with the changes or are too put off by the art. The Flash and Martian Manhunter are also getting the Absolute treatment, but their series are much newer than Absolute Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. 

What do you think of Graham Nolan’s comments? What do you think of Absolute Bane? Let us know below!

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HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 3/28/2025, 10:08 AM
Apologising is the worst thing you can do to those types of people.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/28/2025, 10:11 AM
@HashTagSwagg - he's moreso pointing out that no one is gonna buy the book
TGDestroyer
TGDestroyer - 3/28/2025, 10:12 AM
@HashTagSwagg - True, you can never satisfy everyone and definitely not. fans
Amaru
Amaru - 3/28/2025, 3:06 PM
@McMurdo - Which isn't true. Absolute Batman is doing well.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/28/2025, 3:12 PM
@McMurdo - Isn't this book consistently at the top of the sales charts?

Absolute and Ultimate books have been dominating for the last year. Absolute books are even beating Ultimate books and I'm pretty sure Batman's the top seller.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/28/2025, 3:19 PM
Yeah I just fact checked myself and as of December last year Absolute Batman #3 was number 1 and Ultimate Spider-Man #12 was number 2.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/28/2025, 4:00 PM
@Amaru - referring to absolute Bane per his response
@observerio
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/28/2025, 4:02 PM
@McMurdo - My bad. Still bet it's one of the more successful that month.
TGDestroyer
TGDestroyer - 3/28/2025, 10:09 AM
It's not over the top or jarring in terms of art for me. I'm more concerned if the storytelling is consistently good throughout. I just liken the art to a variant of 90's Jim Lee.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 3/28/2025, 10:10 AM
Lol epic troll can't deny.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 10:13 AM
Never been a fan of one artist shading another. Especially a comic-veteran casting the shade.

Artists should be championing, and holding eachother up. Of course he's entitled to his opinion, but why take a jab at one of your cohorts for absolutely no reason aside from being precious about your original design? Live, and let be.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 3/28/2025, 10:17 AM
@RedFury - Literally everyone else online criticized it, would you have preferred he lied? Even if he said “no comment”, that would’ve been affirmation he didn’t care for it.
DudeGuy
DudeGuy - 3/28/2025, 10:26 AM
@RedFury - art is subjective. Saying he can’t have an honest opinion because he himself is an artist is ridiculous.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 10:30 AM
@soberchimera - "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I'm not sure why everyone defaults to raging about why they don't like something.

He didn't have to comment. He knows the weight his voice carries. So why cast that shade at a fellow artist?
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 10:33 AM
@DudeGuy - I'm not saying he can't have an honest opinion. But why can't he just keep it to himself? To his point if people don't like it, they won't buy it. Does he really need to influence people's decision by going online and talking badly about a creation of an artist, I'm sure put a lot of work into it? I'd say no.

I'm sure if someone did the same thing to him, it would be pretty gutting.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 3/28/2025, 11:19 AM
@RedFury - Because being entitled to his opinion cannot be both truthful and limited. If he doesn't like it, regardless of the reason, it's his opinion.

I believe hed be wrong if he challenged the artist for things outside the artwork. I'm glad he said he didn't like it. To me, honesty/ pseudo.
DTor91
DTor91 - 3/28/2025, 11:20 AM
@RedFury - Exactly this, especially with so much word getting out lately, and pretty much forever, about creator mistreatment and the rise of AI.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 11:24 AM
@KennKathleen - you're right; to have an opinion on things is part of who we are as free speaking humans.

But I stand with my thoughts that being reductive to another creators art does nothing but hurt that artist, and possibly even the community. Art is taking a massive blow these days, and I think artists should be doing more lifting eachother up, then pushing eachother down.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 11:26 AM
@DTor91 - a very good point! More now than ever are artists being attacked through industry, and lack of work due to the use of AI, and the dwindling respect for their contributions.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 3/28/2025, 2:35 PM
@RedFury - 🤔... Could it not also have a positive effect?

In tye 90s, the overexaggerated look of Kelly Jones Bane might have taken the same critiques. Perhaps the artist can take the opinion, and use it to make adjustments that he himself likes more than what he was doing without the input.

Sometimes the greatest path to uplifting someone begins with poentially bringing them down.

My question to you:

What is the alternative if he didn't like the art?

Be fake?

Remain silent?

His honesty has likely boosted sales. It surely has brought more attention to the subject matter. This conversation being another droplet of confirmation.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 3:05 PM
@KennKathleen - all good points, I see where you're coming from.

When I was in art school we learned the difference between a positive critique of someone's work, and a criticism of someone's work. I'm sure you know what the difference is but I'll explain it just so I can get my point across clearly.

A positive critique is to constructively help an artist understand where they went wrong, what they did right, and how they can push their idea further, helping them become a better artist within their skill set. This allows someone to see where they could improve, without demoralizing them.

While a criticism is obviously a completely negative reaction to what they've done, and often paints them as failing entirely. It's a very demoralizing thing to do to someone, especially as they've likely put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the piece. So to hear someone tell you what you've made is terrible, is an absolute gut punch and can completely derail their passion, or self confidence in their creations. And why do that to someone?

Now we of course all need to have a thick skin when showing the world our art, because not everyone is going to like it. But at the same time I think we need to respect each other enough to not drag someone's labour of love through the mud in a very public format just for the sake of it.

You're absolutely right that it's probably boosted sales, has certainly provided more eyes on it, and has created a buzz around the piece (whether good or bad, any press is good press as they say). But I just feel that had he given a critique of the work rather than criticize it, he could have had a positive reaction on the artist. Instead he chose to be negative, cast shade, and stir up a storm surrounding it. For what? His own self satisfaction that his Bane is better, or that he's a better artist? It just seems entirely unnecessary to me. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to. But he could have approached this in a positive way, rather than being negative. Especially as a veteran with standing in the industry. His words carry weight. And like uncle Ben said, with great power comes great responsibility. I feel like it would have been better if he either didn't say anything at all, or at least tried to approach it in a more constructive way.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 3/28/2025, 10:14 AM
If every one of you were buying comics instead of reacting to the opinion of one guy, this business would be in better shape.
User Comment Image
AnEye
AnEye - 3/28/2025, 10:16 AM
KurtCrawler
KurtCrawler - 3/28/2025, 10:32 AM
@AnEye - no way this movie actually comes to fruition
ARegularCrab
ARegularCrab - 3/28/2025, 10:37 AM
@AnEye - Avi Arad though....

Incredibly worrying when I see his name attached to anything
AnEye
AnEye - 3/28/2025, 10:38 AM
@KurtCrawler - I think it will.
AnEye
AnEye - 3/28/2025, 10:39 AM
@ARegularCrab - Or the studio behind it is also worrisome.
ARegularCrab
ARegularCrab - 3/28/2025, 10:54 AM
@AnEye - that too 😬
supermanrex
supermanrex - 3/28/2025, 10:23 AM
The anger over alternate universe versions of original characters befuddles the [frick] out of me. its an alternate universe it by its nature should be different than the OG. if you dont like the alternate universe design then guess what the original one is still there!!
soberchimera
soberchimera - 3/28/2025, 10:33 AM
@supermanrex - But it’s not a very imaginative reinterpretation though, it’s just a badly drawn version of the Bane from the main universe.
DTor91
DTor91 - 3/28/2025, 11:22 AM
@soberchimera - It’s not “badly drawn,” deliberate choices were made.

And you don’t even know the context of this Bane, nor does Graham, nor does any of us because the book hasn’t come out yet.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 3/28/2025, 11:57 AM
@soberchimera - well you still have the original universe then.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 3/28/2025, 3:14 PM
@supermanrex - Also you'd be hard-pressed to find an original universe these days anyway. Even 616 isn't technically the original Marvel universe.
Apophis71
Apophis71 - 3/28/2025, 10:27 AM
Erm, why is the main pic zoomed in on his pelvic region?

Anyway, throwing shade on others art is rarely a good look but art is always subjective and some styles always divisive thus if something you created and have attachment to is morphed into a style you find aesthetically jarring it is likely to illicit a reaction cos artists are not realy artists if they don't have passion for their work IMO.

I just tend to think taking a mallet to a coffee mug at home rather than tweet is healthier in this crazy world of social media if summut makes you mad.
RedFury
RedFury - 3/28/2025, 10:51 AM
@Apophis71 - I love that saying hahaha, that's amazing.

I totally agree.
MisterBones
MisterBones - 3/28/2025, 10:35 AM
But he said Arkham Bane was dope
M3T4LL0
M3T4LL0 - 3/28/2025, 11:01 AM
The story is good but the art is just... Leaves a lot to be desired for. And why does all his characters have tiny heads?? Bane looks like a goomba.
xKingLobox
xKingLobox - 3/28/2025, 11:11 AM
Reminds me of The MAXX - sort of

SATW42
SATW42 - 3/28/2025, 11:13 AM
@chandlermcneil - "BANE Creator Graham Nolan Walks Back ABSOLUTE BANE Comments, Sort Of"

Is the walk back in the room with us? At no point is there anything that would constitute even "sort of" a walk back
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 3/28/2025, 11:30 AM
I just want to know how he's going to operate that gun with his gigantic hands.
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