Each Of DC’s Absolute Debuts, Ranked

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DC’s Absolute Universe comics have dominated the scene since their official release in October 2024. Revealed to fans in last year’s San Diego Comic Con, and rumored for many months before that, readers were enthused for what could be a proper competition to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, especially as the House of Ideas recently revitalized that brand within the same year— and boy, did they get it. So far the universe has had six different series released in batches of three to not overwhelm readers, and there’s the promise of more books set in the universe on the way.

The first three books were Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Superman, all of which wrapped up their first arcs. In the past few weeks, the first issues of Absolute Flash, Absolute Martian Manhunter, and Absolute Green Lantern have been released. Each series came out to various levels of acclaim, though all sold incredibly well at hundreds of thousands of copies each. While the Absolute titles are performing at various levels of quality, each brings their own unique traits to the table, and hopefully have a bright future ahead.

Absolute Green Lantern’s First Issue Fell Flat

Expectations for Absolute Green Lantern were high, as it’d close out the initial crop of releases fans had been told about. Its star-studded writer, Al Ewing, also drew lots of eyes to the comic, and fans were looking forward to newcomer artist Jahnoy Lindsay tackling an ongoing title. Elements of the pitch were fairly bare-bones. All anyone knew were that the book’s leads would be Jo Mullein, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner— with the hint of more Lanterns to come— and that it’d delve into cosmic horror and the terror of new discovery.

Every element of the series’ first issue was unremarkable. Ewing’s writing suffered from almost breezy levels of decompression, not taking advantage of the issue’s larger page count in any way. Half of it is spent establishing a mystery around Hal Jordan and a new DC villain that anyone vaguely familiar with the Green Lantern mythos could see coming. The other half is a weak attempt at introducing us to the book’s leads, and it’s disheartening to see Jo Mullein get very little to do in the first issue. She’s been softly advertised as the lead of the ensemble cast due to her prominence on covers and concept art, yet half of her lines in this first issue centered around Guy Gardner.

The book’s art is also unremarkable. Jahnoy Lindsay is a phenomenal artist for covers, let that be said, but his interiors (occasionally barring splash pages) leave a lot to be desired. It’s tricky to embrace any horror elements in Absolute Green Lantern with his style— anything macabre looks goofy. There’s still room for Absolute Green Lantern to improve, but its first impression wasn’t great.

Absolute Superman’s Flashbacks Were More Interesting Than Its Main Story

Expectations for Absolute Superman were middling, to say the least. Very little about the book was known until a few weeks leading up to its release, though despite this, it sold the second-best out of any of the Absolute titles at the time due to the power of Superman and Superman alone as a draw. Readers waited with baited breath for the results, and? A fairly fine title was delivered.

The initial Absolute titles have had flashbacks interspersed with the main story in flashes, but Absolute Superman was ambitious in its efforts to tell two separate narratives at once. Readers were shown the arrival of Kal-El to Earth and how he was a hero to various third-world countries, assisting and liberating their peoples from the regimes of cruel leaders and the shadowy Lazarus Corps. This wonderful return to Superman’s roots as the Champion of the Oppressed was outshone by its flashbacks to Krypton. A fascinating society was painstakingly shaded in and showed lots of promise as a narrative in its own right, separate from the present-day adventures of a younger Superman.

Some fans also found Absolute Superman‘s art disappointing. None of it is bad per se, but it felt like a standard “house” style compared to the other, more experimental styles found in Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman. It all adds up to a title that is average at best.

The Art Of Absolute Wonder Woman Is Its Strongest Attribute

Fans were looking forward to Kelly Thompson’s Absolute Wonder Woman since it was announced. Many found Tom King’s run on the heroine divisive, and as such, were looking for some sort of alternative because it’s not as if Wonder Woman had a secondary title akin to Detective Comics or Action Comics. There was some hesitation when the comic was initially announced, but almost all of it dissipated with the debut of an all-new Wonder Woman near the end of October.

The first issue of the series was a promising action-adventure story, with a very simple premise for a debut arc: Wonder Woman is pitted against a series of monsters out to destroy Gateway City, as flashes to her origins are interspersed between. The script for the first issue is ultimately fine. It does a good job of pulling the reader into the mystery of what happened to the Amazons while endearing them to Diana, though she has very little that separates her personality-wise from the main universe version of the character. Circe’s narration is also just alright, though tonally inconsistent. There’s a voice that Thompson is still struggling to nail down for the book six issues deep, and it makes the first issue all the more disappointing in hindsight.

However, the art of Absolute Wonder Woman is heads and shoulders above anything else in the Absolute line right now, barring Javier Rodriguez’s work on Absolute Martian Manhunter. Hayden Sherman’s work feels unique, unlike anything else being put out by the Big Two right now. Personality oozes from every panel they illustrate. Jordie Bellaire’s colors also really elevate things, making every page feel like an excerpt from a mythical fairy tale.

Absolute Flash Was A Welcome Surprise

Jeff Lemire is making big waves with his return to DC. It began with taking over the JSA title for the start of DC’s All-In initiative. He then teased a follow-up to his hit miniseries Robin & Batman (which just recently appeared in solicitations), and now, he’s spearheading the Absolute Flash title. Lemire is a fan-favorite for a reason, known for his mind-bending stories and excellent focus on younger characters as they come of age. These two factors seem to be the backbone of Absolute Flash, a rather simple debut issue that packs a mighty punch.

At a glance, Nick Robles’ artwork feels like a standard house style, and in a few panels, that’s true. But he shines when he’s allowed to push forward with no breaks, treating readers to some electrifying compositions that make them feel the absolute power of this new Speed Force. Lemire also takes a rather smooth, slick approach to revamping aspects of the Flash character for this new universe. Changes feel smoothly integrated, there’s never a point in which it feels any of them come off as ham-fisted. The way the lack Flash legacy is handled in the first issue feels like an obvious approach, but it still wallops the reader, especially in how a twist at the end of the issue between Wally West and a mentor figure is handled.

However, Absolute Flash‘s structure seems to be the most promising angle of the book. A new spin on Flash’s powers manifests in the recounting of an origin that’s not at all straightforward yet still easy to follow. It’s an angle bound to excite readers for whatever may come next in the Absolute Flash story.

Absolute Batman’s Debut Was Tightly Executed

Scott Snyder is a veteran Batman writer. Fans were expecting a solid run from him no matter what, and maybe this was what led to the rather smart move of having Absolute Batman be the first-ever title in the Absolute Universe, something that snowballed into the issue being the best-selling comic issue of 2024. But was it any good?

In short, the answer is yes. It’s clear Snyder still loves the Batman character dearly, and it shows in every panel of the comic— and there are lots of those, courtesy of powerhouse Nick Dragotta’s layouts. Some put his style down after seeing the initial teasers for Absolute Batman before 2024’s SDCC, but his work is a masterclass for handling the comic medium. Pages are packed with panels that go into the double digits, with unique approaches to their readability that keep the action-based comic flowing at a great pace.

The first issue of Absolute Batman felt like a carefully plotted pilot, something more starter issues in comics should take into account. Every important character or plot thread is introduced effortlessly, as well as a unique spin on the Dark Knight’s origin that explains his overly violent tendencies. Some may find the overuse of gothic action a bit dull— at times, it does get a bit lost in its own hype— but the first issue of Absolute Batman, on a structural level, is one of the best launches from the Absolute line.

Absolute Martian Manhunter Blew Everyone’s Minds

Martian Manhunter is, sadly, not a character that gets a lot of mainstream attention. He doesn’t get lots of runs, adaptations, or general praise, and it’s a shame. He’s a character with lots of rich potential, he’s just not a sales draw for whatever reason. Absolute Martian Manhunter was even the lowest-selling of the Absolute line— still sold more than enough to get upgraded to something longer than six issues, mind— which is a wild fact in hindsight, considering it’s the best the line has given readers so far.

Rising superstar Deniz Camp and established veteran Javier Rodriguez left readers with their jaws on the floor after this first issue. Rodriguez’s style is simple at a glance— lines that are both ergonomic and economic, flat colors— but hides lots of subtle details that make this single issue worth a reread or six. It all serves to ease readers into a psychedelic adventure that takes full advantage of the comic medium, carefully plotted by Camp.

He and Rodriguez depict one of the most unique versions of telepathy in any kind of media, let alone comics, with a total reinvention of the Martian Manhunter character. While many of the other Absolute books are solid, more could have been done with the promise of an alternate world when looking at how many risks Absolute Martian Manhunter took.

“}]] While DC’s Absolute Universe has been a hit, each series captivated readers in exciting new ways while not always executing the debut in the best way.  Read More