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There is a lot of love going around for Absolute Batman - for good reason. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta have come up with a unique interpretation of the character that not only appeals to our intellectual understanding of Batman, but also our primal desire to cheer for a giant dude with an axe. We can revel in both the thematic material behind Absolute Batman as well as the spectacle that we see on the page. Now, writer-artist Daniel Warren Johnson is poised to take these elements of Absolute Batman to its next logical point in the upcoming Absolute Batman Annual #1. 

At DC Comics' Gotham City panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Daniel Warren Johnson shed light on what lies ahead for Absolute Batman. When asked to explain what the story is, Johnson said, "I don't know, man, it's just Batman beating up white nationalists," a response that had the audience exploding in applause. Elsewhere in the panel, Johnson explained his choice behind exploring this subject matter: "I'm not exactly a subtle storyteller... But I'm angry and it's coming out in these next 30 pages." Take a look below at Johnson's cover for the Absolute Batman Annual #1. 

The Absolute Batman Annual will take place in the "raw, formative chaos from Absolute Batman's earliest days," according to DC, and we're very here for it at Popverse. It's also worth noting that Absolute Batman's axe has blood on it. Given the composition of Absolute Batman on the cover, versus the hooded white nationalists in front of him, Johnson's art calls to mind the moment in Kentaro Miura's manga, Berserk, where Guts fights off 100 men at once with nothing but his sword. Guts and Absolute Batman, two dudes with giant weapons trying to do their best in a world of darkness, what's there not to love about them?

Absolute Batman Annual #1 will be out from DC Comics on October 29, 2025. 

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.