During this past July's San Diego Comic-Con, DC Comics announced plans for a new Absolute Universe of comic books launching this October, November, and beyond.
Essentially, this is meant to be DC Comics' Ultimate Universe and each of these characters has been drastically reinvented, as a result. Whether what we see in these titles will influence DC Studios' plans remains to be seen and likely hinges on how these comics are received by fans.
AIPT recently sat down with Absolute Batman writer - and the man overseeing DC Comics' "All In" relaunch - Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta to learn what to expect from this bold new take on the Caped Crusader.
"We drew upon bats for inspiration," the latter offered. "When you read the story, I think we’re gonna reinforce what I just said. The idea was this wouldn’t be a new Batman and look, but function. And what’s interesting is that everyone is now talking about how different he looks. It really informed giving him that new feel."
"It all goes back to story and who this Bruce Wayne is and every aspect of his costume," Dragotta continued. "It’s not just a utility belt anymore. It’s a utility cowl or a utility suit cape. Everything’s usable."
Snyder elaborated on that point by saying, "As an engineer, he’s a builder, and he built Batman. In the first issue, you see, like, one of the first things he did as a kid was an engineering project based on a bat’s wing."
"It’s about establishing the world and the relationships and seeing it all through the eyes of this Bruce," the writer said of putting a fresh spin on the iconic hero. "So we don’t want it to be like villain fest. We don’t want it to feel like it’s existed before. We want you to feel like everything is new and you’re being introduced to it in a way that feels organic and has oxygen, all of it."
A first look inside the debut issue has also been released which shows just how different this "Absolute Batman" really is. With a gun-toting Alfred Pennyworth watching on, Batman leaps into action and removes the emblem on his chest as an axe which he promptly uses to cut off a thug's arm!
Check out the first preview pages from Absolute Batman #1 below.
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta introduce fans to a new Batman with the release of Absolute Batman #1. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue, with colors by Frank Martin and letters by Clayton Cowles, arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers Wednesday, October 9.