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I think there is something in the human psyche that is unlocked when the quotidian suddenly becomes large. We become giddy at the sight of massive D20 dice, Guts’s Dragonslayer sword from Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, Michelangelo’s David, Alaskan grizzly bears during Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park. Okay, maybe all of these things are extremely specific to me, but you catch my drift. It’s just cool to see things that are pushed to their extremes. 

It’s this sentiment that the character design of Absolute Batman seems to tap into among some of the industry’s best artists. Artist Nick Dragotta has been killing it on Absolute Batman, which is written by Scott Snyder. Together, Dragotta and Snyder have produced the top selling comic book series of the past year. Absolute Batman is instantly recognizable because of the oversized bat symbol on his chest (that he can take off and use as an axe, because this series is the coolest f***ing thing in the world), his massive muscles, and the long, skinny ears on his cowl. This Bruce is huge, as revealed last year at San Diego Comic-Con, he’s 6’6” and 250 lbs. He’s described in concept artwork by Nick Dragotta as “thick!! boi.” With the boots and cowl on, Absolute Batman stands at 7”. In case he’s reading this, I’m free on Thursday night and am 5’3” and need help getting this book off my top shelf- sorry, Mom, I’ll stop embarrassing you now. 

Since we’re now a year beyond the announcement of Absolute Batman, the Gotham City panel from DC Comics at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 featured the likes of Dragotta, Snyder, and Daniel Warren Johnson, the latter of whom is writing and drawing a story for the Absolute Batman Annual out later this year. Daniel Warren Johnson is a singular creative voice whose artwork on books like Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, Beta Ray Bill, and Do A Powerbomb! makes me feel like I could douse myself in gasoline, set myself on fire, and evolve like a Pokémon (in other words, survive anything). The mutual admiration between Johnson and Dragotta at the panel was palpable. At one point, Dragotta turned to Johnson and said, “You see Daniel Warren Johnson drawing a comic and you say, ‘I gotta up my game.’” Later, Dragotta said to Johnson, “Wow, you went big [on the Absolute Batman Annual], I’m going bigger,” in the next arc on Absolute Batman. 

Things really heated up when Johnson shared just how much enthusiasm he has for giant Absolute Batman.

“Absolute Batman has gotten me really excited,” Johnson began. “I can see Nick [Dragotta] over here flexing with his art, and I’m like, ‘Hmm, I see what you’re doing. And I’m going to flex back.”

Absolute Batman’s body is truly a work of art (I mean, there’s just a lot of it to begin with), and Dragotta offered a helpful piece of advice to Johnson before the latter started working on the annual: “Just go big. He’s a Big Batman… You gotta start with Hulk proportions.”

Though Dragotta and Johnson are still producing a comic book that’s the same dimensions as most Batman comics you see on stands, the chance to draw a version of Batman whose relates to space and his environment unlike anything we’ve seen before is a joy.

As writer Scott Snyder iterated earlier in the panel, the creative freedom of the Absolute Universe has made creators like him, Dragotta, and more energized to work on bold takes of classic characters. Snyder said that there was a sense of enjoyment to working on Absolute Batman that he hopes shines through in each of the issues (it does, Scott, it absolutely does). Dragotta and Johnson’s excitement about drawing Absolute Batman was infectious at DC’s Gotham City panel, and I suspect that we’ll be seeing lots of Absolute Batman cosplayers at San Diego Comic-Con in the years to come. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.