John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.
Absolute Batman keeps crossing new milestones as 2025 comes to a close, and 2026 will mark the next celebration of them.
DC Comics is officially sending Absolute Batman #1 back to print for a whopping tenth printing. Set to go on sale in January, the tenth print edition of Absolute Batman #1 by writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta will feature a new cover re-presenting Dragotta and colorist Frank Martin's original main cover for the issue, this time with a recolored Absolute Batman logo. The issue will also be available in cardstock and foil variants by artist InHyuk Lee, which readers can see for themselves below.
Absolute Batman #1 originally arrived in stores on Oct. 9, 2024, and has since gone on to be one of the hottest titles in recent comic book history. Like the rest of DC Comics' Absolute line of titles, Absolute Batman reimagines the Dark Knight and the rest of Gotham City as a decidedly dour and overtly brutal affair. Throughout the series, classic characters ranging from Killer Croc to Black Mask to Harley Quinn have all received the Absolute treatment, much to the delight of fans.
Currently, two more major DC Comics characters are set to make their Absolute debuts, with Poison Ivy leading the charge. Readers can look forward to the Absolute Poison Ivy being introduced in the pages of Absolute Batman #17, which is slated for release sometime in February 2026.
Just two months after Poison Ivy makes her Absolute debut, the near-unstoppable assassin known as Deathstroke will be stepping into the Absolute Universe. In late November, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder confirmed that fans can look forward to meeting the Absolute Deathstroke in Absolute Batman #19.
Although the Absolute Batman will be crossing paths with some of the worst villains his world has to offer, he has already proven just how capable he is of overcoming just about anything it has to throw at him. With the release of Absolute Batman #14, the titular hero finally overcame the biggest version of one of his most infamous villains — Bane. This marked a major turning point for the series and will lead right into the emergence of an even more imposing threat in the form of the Absolute Joker, albeit not the version readers are used to.
While the Joker of the Absolute Universe has been portrayed as a coldly calculating billionaire rather than any sort of Clown Prince of Crime, writer Scott Snyder has already teased just how terrifying the character is outside a suit and tie. For the past few months, Snyder has been teasing the Joker's monstrous reintroduction set to take place in Absolute Batman #15, with various covers for the issue showcasing the character in a hulking, grotesque form unlike anything readers have seen before.
Snyder has also opened up about what the ultimate endgame for Absolute Batman looks like, noting that he and artist Nick Dragotta have plotted the series out to somewhere between 35 and 40 issues in total. "I hope it reminds people that these characters are meant to be renewed," Snyder said of the Absolute Universe's legacy as a whole. "They're meant to be burned down and put together. Batman weaponizes his trauma to make the world better, that's how he wins."
Created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane
First Film Batman: The Movie
English (US) · 