Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta reimagine Bruce Wayne as a working-class bruiser in DC's brand-new Absolute Universe. Here's your complete guide from issue #1 through #18.
2024–2026 · ~20 issues · 18 essential · Updated Feb 28, 2026
Look, if someone told you "Batman, but he's not rich," you'd probably roll your eyes. But Absolute Batman, which launched in October 2024 as the flagship of DC's Absolute Universe, actually pulls it off. Bruce Wayne is an engineer and community organizer from a working-class Gotham — he builds his own gear, fights for his neighborhood, and is built like an absolute tank (pun intended). Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta have created something that feels genuinely fresh, which is hard to do with a character who's had about 10,000 comics written about him.
The good news? This reading order is dead simple. It's one ongoing series, no crossover homework required. Just start at #1 and read through #18.
Because there's literally only one way to read it right now — and that's a beautiful thing. No tie-ins, no crossover events, no "wait, do I need to read Absolute Superman #3 between issues #4 and #5?" situations. Just straight through, publication order, the way comics should be.
BATMAN LEGEND SCOTT SNYDER AND ICONIC ARTIST NICK DRAGOTTA TRANSFORM THE DARK KNIGHT'S TALE FOR THE MODERN AGE! Without the mansion... without the money... without the butler... what's left is the Absolute Dark Knight!
Batman was born out of violence – a horrible tragedy that shaped the trajectory of his future. But when a vigilant MI6 agent starts tracking the lonely life of Bruce Wayne, he discovers the interconnectivity between a hero’s shell life and the many layers of the Black Mask Gang. It’s Batman versus Alfred Pennyworth!
NEW FRIENDS, NEW ENEMIES! Batman and Alfred have formed a tentative alliance, but the Black Mask has some new friends too... and they're coming to Gotham to wreak absolute havoc. Plus, discover the dark secret that will rock Bruce to his core and make him question everything...
Absolute Batman has established himself as an extremely large force to be reckoned with. But how did he get to this point? How did he push himself? And how did the tragic events of his childhood, and the advice of his father, shape the man who he became... literally?Guest artist Gabriel Hernández Walta joins for this essential origin issue of Absolute Batman to explore Bruce Wayne's past, and his inevitable future to go BIGGER. Don't miss this pivotal issue!
WILL THE PARTY END HERE FOR ABSOLUTE BATMAN? With his friends lives at stake, will a broken, beaten, and ultimately defeated Bruce Wayne finally compromise and give up both himself and his morals to Black Mask? Or does he have something even BIGGER than himself to help? And what does this have to do with Mayor James Gordon and his relationship with a young Bruce Wayne? All this and more in the penultimate issue to the first arc of ABSOLUTE BATMAN!
Bruce Wayne, a young man who has built his entire life on leveling up, on becoming a bigger man than both his enemies and the obstacles that stand in his way, will have to break down the Black Mask and his gang of Party Animals. Will he be able to do this without the help of his unlikely new MI6 ally, Alfred Pennyworth? And how do his childhood friends — Edward Nygma, Waylon Jones, Harvey Dent, and Oswald Cobblepot (among others) — play a crucial role in Batman’s legacy as Gotham’s Vigilante?Absolute Batman’s first story arc, “The Zoo” concludes with this larger-than-life story, while introducing a few new elements to come in arc 2. You’d have to be Absolutely MAD to miss it!
THE JOKER AND MR. FREEZE MAKE THEIR ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE DEBUT — STARTING HERE! It’s about to get icy cold in Gotham City... as we reveal the connections between a young, up-and-coming scientist named Victor Fries, his history with the Ark M experiment, and what it all has to do with the mysterious Joker. A bombastic two-parter with a guest artist, the one and only super-star Marcos Martín, starts here!
GOTHAM IN THE GRASP OF MR. FREEZE! Batman is in the fight for his life against this icy new threat. But in the end, what terrifying truth will be unearthed about Ark M and... Joker?
AN ALL NEW ARK (M) STARTS HERE! The latest development in saving the derelict and despondent of our society is a facility known as Ark M — a fully operational institution that has played a rather sizeable part, on purpose or not, in the creation of evil. And it's active. So when Bruce tries infiltrate it and distill its secrets, a new villain from Gotham City arrives to deal with the problem... an old adversary of Alfred's... a man known only as Bane.
BRUCE WAYNE TRAPPED IN ARK M! Bruce Wayne is trapped within the horrors of Ark M as his best friend Waylon Jones endures unimaginable tortures... but what awaits Batman is far more terrifying than anything either has faced... the true form of Bane is revealed. But it's how Bane plans to break Batman that will have you, our dear readers, bending over backward.
Learn the origin of Bane! What drives the muscle-bound behemoth, and how did he arrive in Gotham?
BANE PRESSES THE ATTACK! Batman is at the mercy of the monstrous Bane. And though his body has seen better days, his mind and spirit are still strong. But how much longer can that withstand Bane's brutal onslaught?
Batman's final showdown with the monstrous Bane! Will he be able to overcome this unstoppable behemoth, or will he be trapped in Ark-M forever!
Batman and Catwoman face down Bane in a final battle! But once the dust settles, what will it all mean for the future of Batman?
SCOTT SNYDER REUNITES WITH LEGENDARY ARTIST JOCK! Alfred reveals to Bruce the story of the man he’s been chasing for years. Enter: Joker! Scott Snyder and Jock reunite for an epic tale in the Absolute Universe!
ABSOLUTE BATMAN IN HELL! Part two of our Absolute Batman/Absolute Wonder Woman story — Bruce Wayne is on a desperate hunt to help his friend Waylon, now transformed into a monstrous crocodile roaming the sewers, consumed with a deadly hunger. Batman's last option for a cure is to turn to a god for help... but will he have to descend into the depths of hell to get it?
ABSOLUTE POISON IVY SINKS HER TEETH INTO ARK-M! Dr. Pamela Isley has been unleashed from the Ark-M facility with an unending hate and burning fire for revenge on Gotham City, and those who put her in the belly of the beast. When Batman hunts her down, he must survive a labyrinth of leveled horrors, one more gruesome after the next, as he tries to save the city from a monster it created.
ABSOLUTE IVY'S TENDRILS CONTINUE TO INFECT GOTHAM CITY! After the explosive reveal ending last issue, and Batman continues to fight Poison Ivy's mutated monsters and winds up uncovering an even more gruesome horror that has embedded itself in the city's very foundations. All while the Joker's machinations start to coalesce in a partnership with a new ally.
Some of the biggest names in comics take a turn in the Absolute Universe! Daniel Warren Johnson and James Harren tell tales from Absolute Batman’s early days! How did Bruce acquire his batmobile? And what was it like for Black Mask’s party animals when Batman first hit the scene?
INTO ARK-M! The origins of the enigmatic Ark M are explored! What terrible secrets lie within its walls, and just who is assigned to protect it from discovery?!
Nope. Absolute Superman and Absolute Wonder Woman exist in the same universe, but they're doing their own thing. You can read them if you want the bigger picture, but Absolute Batman stands completely on its own.
Not at all. Think of the Absolute Universe as DC's answer to Marvel's Ultimate line — same characters, completely fresh start, no continuity baggage.