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Last week, DC Comics teased out some more details about its upcoming Absolute comics, which aim to reintroduce classic DC characters with new, updated origins and contexts. While it’s canonically got something to do with Darkseid, the big draw is the new looks for Batman (beefy!), Superman (long hair!), and Wonder Woman (sword!).
It was the Dark Knight that raised the most eyebrows since more often than not, Bruce has a slimmer build than the gargantuan mammoth of Absolute Batman. During today’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Snyder shared some new details on his and Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman comic due out in October. If you’re a size person, Snyder revealed that this version of Bruce is 6’2, 250-pound 20-something taking a stab at crimefighting. And instead of pretending to be a rich socialite, he’ll be a city engineer for Gotham. Also a French bulldog owner!
Snyder wasn’t kidding when he called this a “top to bottom reinvention” of the character. While light on plot details, he further revealed the book’s chief villain (at least for now) would be Black Mask, and Alfred Pennyworth will be the book’s POV character. While still old, this Alfred (or rather, “Penny”) is absolutely not, and never has been, a butler. Instead he’s a former MI-6 spy and “old guard of empire” who’s not so tired that he can’t partner with Batman out in the field.
After Snyder, Jason Aaron spoke about his and Rafa Sandoval’s Absolute Superman. After being approached by Snyder to jump over to DC from Marvel, Aaron decided that he “really wanted” to do the Man of Steel and cooked up a new take on the character. He assured that his goal wasn’t to change the hero’s core, but to “look at [his] original concepts and ask what he’d be like if created today.” This new Superman lacks his classic support system of the Kent family, the Fortress of Solitude, and he’s basically homeless. To Aaron, the Absolute universe’s big draw is the Trinity being so isolated from each other. “Things didn’t work out the way they were supposed to,” he said. “That’s left Superman a little bit isolated, a little bit angry…and kinda sexy, if you ask me.”
Finally, Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman’s Absolute Wonder Woman will see Diana as “the last Amazon and the first superhero,” said Sherman. Of the trio, she’s got the most interesting look with her arm tattoos and big-ass sword. In addition to being a warrior, she’s also a witch literally raised in hell who’s “armed to the teeth. […] She is fire underneath.” If that weren’t metal enough, her black skeletal horse with wings may seal the deal. The deal with this Diana and what conflicts she’ll be facing are still currently under wraps.
Along with the Trinity, there’s also a fourth Absolute book on the way. Come early 2025, Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles will introduce Absolute Flash into the world, though the panel didn’t offer any details beyond its existence:
Coming early next year! Flash fans, rise up!@thedcnation @DCOfficial #SDCC24 #SDCC #comicbooks #comics #TheFlash #Flash #AbsoluteFlash https://t.co/dKHOFMuzKT pic.twitter.com/VE4Rh2voXp
— AIPT@SDCC (@AIPTcomics) July 25, 2024
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