[[{“value”:”
DC is going big for its new “Absolute” series of comics—a blockbuster take on versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman from an alternate universe where they rose to heroism despite lacking the support structures that helped pave the way for their prime counterparts to become the legendary trinity. In Batman’s case, going big is rather literal, in the sense that this Bruce Wayne is a six-foot-six, 250-pound absolute unit of a man. If you thought that was going to be enough for him to intimidate the villains of his Gotham, well, apparently it’s not, because this big boy apparently also needs an incredible big axe, too.
While Absolute Batman creators Scott Snyder (returning to DC after some independent time away to help shepherd the Absolute line and its creative teams) and Nick Dragotta have previously teased this new Batman’s weaponry, fans got to actually see it in action for the first time this week in AIPT’s preview of Absolute Batman #1. In the preview, Bruce descends on a group of masked thugs, only to pull out a haft, and lock it into the base of the similarly-absolute-unit-sized bat emblem on his suit’s torso, and remove it to reveal that it is in fact a giant axe head.
It is, honestly, perhaps peak superhero comics: something that is incredibly silly while also being cool as goddamn hell. There had previously been murmurs online complaining about the thicc bat logo, that it was going too far—that it traded girth for being recognizable as a Bat emblem, pushing too far on a Batman design that was, in spite of the wearer’s size and stature, still relatively traditional. But giving it a utility in that it’s also just a giant weapon accessory for Bruce to use in combat is a delightful twist. It’s not the first time we’ve seen a Batsuit design do this—Robert Pattison’s suit in The Batman featured a bat-shaped emblem that housed a knife. But it’s such a fun, heightened twist that sits with this heightened version of Batman.
© Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin/DC Comics via AIPT
It’s also especially interesting given how purely violent it is. Batman’s waxing-and-waning relationship with the idea that he doesn’t take lives has long been a hot topic of discussion in comics and other adaptations of the character; even ones that stick close to that ideology still see him regularly beat and break people within an inch of their lives. But in the Absolute Batman #1 preview, we see Bruce casually unsheath his weapon and lop the forearm of a goon clean off, and while that’s not, say, burying a chunk of bat-logo into their brain, it’s pretty wild to see a version of Batman do. If he bleeds out that still kinda counts as a Bat-kill!
“I really want to push the horror element and like lean into some of Scott’s chops. Bring that scary Batman back. And I think that’s what you’ll see in scenes,” Dragotta told AIPT of Absolute Batman’s menacing, more brutal approach to crimefighting. “I can say he’s definitely a more violent Batman, and he’s going to use that violence as a tool. Everything is a tool to him to be used and manipulated in order to do what he has to do.”
What he has to do is slice people apart with his own emblem, apparently. So, Absolute Batman has an axe as wide as his chest, Absolute Wonder Woman has a ginormous buster sword… will Absolute Superman complete the trifecta and get some kind of thematic weapon? Some kind of spear could be fun. Maybe just don’t tip it with Kryptonite.
Absolute Batman #1 is set to hit shelves October 9.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
“}]] DC’s new, very large Batman has a new, very large Bat-axe—and maybe a laissez-faire approach to the Dark Knight’s traditional “no killing” rule. Read More