Darker Dark Knight

Batman’s origin—in which a young Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents’ murder—has stayed consistent for 86 years. But what if only Batman’s father died in the shooting? And what if Bruce’s mother later ran for deputy mayor alongside mayoral candidate Jim Gordon? And what if Batman’s normal villains—Two-Face, Killer Croc, the Penguin, the Riddler—were Bruce’s childhood friends before the events that transformed them?

This reimagining is the premise of the comic book series Absolute Batman, the anchor title in DC Comics’ new parallel Absolute Universe. With this line that retools many heroes and villains, DC Comics challenged premiere writers and artists to stretch their imaginations with each monthly issue. DC republished Absolute Batman’s first six-issue story arc in a trade paperback last summer, and now it’s releasing issues #7–14 in Absolute Batman Vol. 2: Abomination (DC Comics, 240 pp.).

In this arc, Batman investigates a series of off-the-books buildings referred to as “Ark M,” where a mysterious financier experiments on human subjects to enhance their abilities. The only surviving subject, a villain known as Bane uses a serum that grossly enlarges his physique. He captures Batman, and Ark M scientists attempt to break and enhance Bruce Wayne. Secret agent Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce’s love interest Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) must rescue Bruce and turn the tide against Bane and his shadowy master.

This Batman is bigger than anything we’ve seen before, from the symbol on his chest, to his physical stature, to his tanklike Batmobile. The proportions are absurd, deliberately so, but rather than off-putting, the effect comes across as new and refreshing.

But new and refreshing doesn’t mean it’s not dark and disturbing. This comic isn’t for kids (DC rates it as 13+). Reading this comic, we see Gotham as surrogate for a world surrounded by darkness. Then a light with the image of a bat pierces the night, dispelling the darkness, and we feel hope. As Alfred Pennyworth explains in Absolute Batman, “Maybe that’s what he is. All he is … one long advance forward.”

The Absolute line has revitalized a stagnant DC Comics, and Absolute Batman is the best of the bunch. It shows what happens when a company tells creators to let loose and scare us a little. This is the craziest version we’ve seen, and its mixed-up storylines and characters give us something not seen in 86 years—a new take on a very old character.