Gotham’s Dark Knight returns with a fresh perspective in DC Comics’ Absolute Batman. Here, Bruce Wayne isn’t the billionaire playboy we know. He’s a 24-year-old blue-collar worker, earning his paycheck just like any other citizen. But this new take on Batman changes everything about how he fights, survives, and strikes fear into Gotham’s underworld.

Differences

Absolute Batman focuses on less about control and more on survival. Traditional portrayals of Batman in older comics and media show him as a calculated, controlled, and disciplined hero, keeping things somewhat polished. Absolute Batman strips him of all the fancy gadgets and bat caves that make him this mysterious figure and instead, coats him with a veil of raw, emotional, and brutality. In a sense, Absolute Batman is a more human approach, revealing human characteristics and lifestyle such as friends and family. While reading, I found myself drawn to Absolute Batman because of the portrayal his youth and abundance of fear. It shows a side of him that I haven’t seen before. He feels almost tangible and more like a man living to survive.

Similarities

What these two do have in common is their projection of fear into the minds of their opponents. No matter who is up against Batman, that same fear riddles through their bones, a vibration of anxiety and terror shakes violently throughout their skin. Fear is the ultimate weapon for both versions of Batman, that part will never change. Batman is a symbol of justice – this much is true in over the past 80 or so years. Villains and goons tremble in fear when their eyes gawk upon his tenebrous silhouette. Batman stops at nothing to serve justice to those deserving of it, never killing (for the most part). Both versions share the emotional trauma and detachment of losing parents in their youth, creating the foreboding framework that is the mask – Bruce Wayne. Injustice. It’s a blessing and a curse. A lock and a key. It is the very reason he becomes the hero, and it is also the reason he struggles internally with himself.

My Thoughts

Absolute Batman withers away from the myth and shines light on the man turned hero, surviving instead of living, acting as if every day could be his last. This is what separates him from traditional Batman: fear within himself. I’m drawn to Absolute Batman because of this exact aspect. We expect heroes to show no fear, always be resilient. For some of them, they are human too, with hearts, dreams, and fears. Absolute Batman sets down the mask of Bruce Wayne and Batman, and we see him for exactly what he is- human.

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Featured Image: DC Comics

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