Absolute Batman could be the crown jewel of DC Comics’ Absolute Universe thanks to amazing storylines from Scott Snyder and monstrous (and sometimes disturbing) visuals from phenomenal artists. The combination of both has given comic book fans something to talk about all year. And just when you think the creative team can't do something bolder, they somehow manage to top it.
With that in mind, let's take a moment to highlight some of the most disturbing and horrifying moments from Absolute Batman, and why these scenes are used for more than shock value. They serve a purpose.
Absolute Batman creative team in 2025
- Writers: Scott Snyder and Daniel Warren Johnson (Absolute Batman Annual)
- Artists: Nick Dragotta, JOCK, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Daniel Warren Johnson, Clay Mann, and Marcos Martín
- Colors: Frank Martin, Muntsa Vicente, Clay Mann
Joker’s… vest
Comic book: Absolute Batman No. 6
After Bruce Wayne defeated Roman Sionis, The Joker had to be informed. This is where readers see him with white skin and a deteriorating body. The gruesome part is that he’s strapped to a chair and covered in what looks like small children. In the last panel, his skin goes from chalk white to a normal hue. From what we can gather from this page, Joker uses kids to stay alive.
When I started putting this list together, this was the first scene that came to mind. It was unhinged, but it worked. This page lets the readers know that this isn’t the Clown Prince of Crime we’re used to. This is a guy who uses his resources and diabolical means to survive. It also leads to questions about how children are involved and how long he's been doing this. Those questions are answered in Absolute Batman No. 15.
Absolute Bane’s massacre
Comic book: Absolute Batman No 12
Seeing Bane almost quadruple the size of Absolute Batman and systematically take him down (Absolute Batman No. 9) was shocking and terrifying. What he did to Bruce’s friends later proves that this Bane isn’t just a villain; he's twisted on another level.
Bane didn’t just decimate Eddie, Harvey, and Oz, he broke them in ways that reflected their personalities and turned them into versions of their Prime Universe counterparts. It gave fans more reasons to hate this new Monster of Santa Prisca. Plus, if he’s that ruthless, think about how horrifying his boss (The Joker) is.
Mr. Freeze Jr.
Comic book: Absolute Batman Nos. 6 and 7
Thanks to Batman: The Animated Series, Victor Fries is one of the few Gotham City antagonists who leave people sympathetic to their cause. In the Absolute Universe, however, Victor Fries’ son is the new Mr. Freeze, and he’s not an empathetic character. He admits he’s a monster, and it’s further proven by the people he’s kidnapped and experimented on. This is another example of how Darksied’s influence turns everything dark.
Trying to escape
Comic book: Absolute Batman No. 10
Batman’s creativity and the way he excels at planning are what put him among comic books’ greatest characters. That trait brutally comes into play in Absolute Batman when The Dark Knight tries to escape Ark M. Because, of course, the hero would have a lockpick lodged up in his gums, use his teeth as knuckle-dusters, and his stomach acid as a way to burn his captors. There’s no way this is the last time he does something this savage to survive.
Ark M Hallways
Comic book: Absolute Batman No. 10
Arkham Asylum is known for being a place for the most deranged criminals in Gotham City. In the Absolute Universe, Ark M (the thirteenth of the Ark projects) isn’t a place to rehabilitate the mentally insane. This is where The Joker and Arkham (this may not be their real name) experiment on people to create, well, monsters.
So far, there are hints that Clayface, the Langstrom Experiment (possibly Man-Bat), and Poison Ivy (the Isley Ecosystem) could be coming. This brilliantly preluded to what's coming in the Absolute Batman Ark M special and issue No. 17 that will introduce Absolute Poison Ivy.
Bane’s last stand
Comic book: Absolute Batman No. 14
This was a fight that people couldn’t wait to see. In the end, it took a lot to take down Bane, and that made sense. He was the size of a kaiju and had the genius of dozens of prominent military leaders. However, while his defeat was inevitable, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta did something more important. They showed that this version of Batman is more inclined to ask for help. Not being stubborn will be crucial in future battles.
Also, this issue shows that The Joker isn’t forgiving. When Bane is defeated, he doesn’t kill him. Instead, he has Arkham keep his former hitman alive in a tube with nothing but his eyes, brain, and other internal organs.
Remaining alive was only part of his punishment. Joker forces Bane to watch as Santa Prisca is bombed out of existence. Keeping his home thriving was his entire reason for working for The Joker. That means, being employed by a demon of a person and killing his father was all for nothing.
Absolute Origin
Comic book: Absolute Batman No. 15
There are plenty of disgusting beings in Darkseid’s Absolute Universe. But Scott Snyder wanted everyone to know that The Joker is worse than anything we’ve seen. Well, mission accomplished.
Joker (whose real name is, allegedly, Grimm) only cares about surviving. To do that, he’s worked on both sides of World War II (yes, that side too) and helped create the bomb that was dropped on Japan. And, all of the charitable things he’s done for children were for deplorable reasons, too. It appears that he uses these kids’ charities as a way to farm the bodies he needs to stay alive (yuck).
You want to know something uglier than everything just mentioned? We're just getting started.
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