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DC's Absolute line has been a massive boon for the comics industry at large. But beyond the Absolute Universe's critical and commercial success, it has also elevated the profiles of the creators working on each series. In other words, the Absolute Universe feels auteur-driven, with its most tantalizing aspects rooted in the specific artistic alchemy of the books' creative teams. Whether you're reading Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Manhunter, Absolute Catwoman, Absolute Green Arrow, what have you, you get the sense that the writers and artists are pushing themselves as storytellers to go someplace where they never have before in a Big Two title. 

As it turns out, that ethos is by design. In an interview with ComicPop Returns, Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder said, "It seems like [fans] are up for things that are different and risky in their own ways. What we're trying to do hard is not just create anything uniform, but instead let creators do the books that they feel really passionate about, with some guidance within the parameters of what we're building overall in the meta structure." 

This certainly resonates with books like Absolute Green Arrow by Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque, which was first pitched to fans as a slasher-inspired horror story where billionaires are hunted down. Orders placed by comic book shops for Green Arrow #1 were even higher than the orders for Absolute Batman #1, which is amazing. Look, I know for a fact that anything written by Pichetshote is right up my alley, which is then multiplied by the Green Arrow of it all, and then further multiplied by the hunting billionaires bit (I don't know how math works). But for Pichetshote, the big swings that Absolute Green Arrow takes are still nerve-wracking to consider the fan reception of. 

I don't know about you, but when I'm at a restaurant (especially a hibachi restaurant), I don't tell the chef what to do. I let them cook because I have utmost faith in them. And I think we could certainly apply the same idea to DC's Absolute line. 

Here's an update to date guide on the Absolute Batman release schedule.