DC Comics has been using the Absolute monicker for a while now. Usually, it’s in reference to large, hardcover, deluxe editions of its comic book stories. Ever since October of last year, though, Scott Snyder has overseen a new part of the DC Comics multiverse: DC Comics’ Absolute Universe.
 Image courtesy of DC Comics |
Absolute Beginnings
DC Comics’ Absolute Universe was birthed in the DC All-In Special one-shot. It starts 52 days after the Absolute Power miniseries finished. It’s all bright and happy with a new Watchtower being built in orbit and a new Justice League being recruited. Then came the strange curveball, in which Darkseid suddenly appeared, having harnessed the powers of The Spectre.
 Image courtesy of DC Comics |
A god-like villain who has taken the powers of the divine embodiment of vengeance? That’s a big problem for any and all heroes, including the newly gathered Justice League.
However, it’s not an ending of the heroes he wants, but something else. I won’t spoil things too much, but let’s just say that the end result is so powerful that a new dimension is formed. In this dimension, the universe has been created in Darkseid’s image. It is his universe.
Absolute Ethos
According to Scott Snyder and the pages of the comics themselves, the prime DC Universe is “influenced by Superman energy,” while the Absolute Universe is “influenced by Darkseid energy.” What does that mean? In the traditional DCU, the heroes are revered. The symbol on Superman’s costume is the Kryptonian word for “hope,” after all. The general public loves The Justice League, the Teen Titans, and all the rest of the heroes. Okay, maybe they just think Batman is a myth, but you get the idea.
In the Absolute Universe, however, these heroes are painted with darker strokes. They exist in the shadows, feared by regular people if they are known about at all. Batman is an unknown with a literal battleaxe on his costume and little regard for collateral damage. Wonder Woman was raised in hell, employing dark powers while trying to be a hero. Superman is more El than Kent, seen very much as an alien rather than a savior.
In many ways, this makes DC Comics’ Absolute Universe feel more like Marvel than DC. The X-Men have always been outsiders, seen as others and feared by regular people. This dark/light contrast has always been part of the Marvel/DC comparison, and the Absolute Universe is undercutting that. More than that, even, the Absolute Universe feels like it’s harkening back to the darkness and brutality of the early days of Image Comics.
Absolute Reading List
If you want to read all things Absolute Universe for yourself, I’d recommend you begin reading the Absolute Power miniseries in full, followed by the DC All-In Special. Keep in mind that the latter is a flip book, meant to be read forward for the first half and then backward in the second half. This can be confusing if you’re reading digitally.
 Image courtesy of DC Comics |
The DC Comics’ Absolute Universe fully kicked off with three titles: Absolute Batman (Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta), Absolute Superman (Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval), and Absolute Wonder Woman (Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman). Thus far, these titles have been pretty self-contained, focused on exploring these characters and their immediate surroundings. Particular focus has been given to making sure that readers understand how this universe and these characters are different from their DCU counterparts.
Absolute Flash (Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles) and Absolute Martian Manhunter (Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez) are launching next month, followed by Absolute Green Lantern (Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay) in April, rounding out six of the classic big seven of The Justice League.
Where is DC Comics’ Absolute Universe going? Hard to say, though I’m sure Darkseid will play a large role since he created it. It’s fascinating to have such a big bad persistently looming over a universe like this. Snyder has said that he has at least a couple of years contracted to write Absolute Batman, so they have a while longer to really hook us. Have you read any Absolute Universe comics yet? What do you think?
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