The Absolute Universe has brought new excitement and relevancy to some of DC’s most popular heroes. In this monthly column, Sami DeMonster unpacks the ways this growing line of books continues to shake things up.
Welcome to the first installment of Thinking in Absolutes, a new DC column focusing on the incredible titles of the Absolute Universe. Here, I’ll be discussing my thoughts, opinions and perspectives on what's going on in the Absolute Universe—from forbidden romances to the monsters of Gotham City, and everything in between. I thought we’d start by ushering in the Halloween season with a spotlight on the body horror of Absolute Batman and the disturbing redesign of Batman’s rogues gallery.
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, creators of Absolute Batman, have reimagined Batman’s origin to create a more relevant take on the famous hero. Born into a humble working-class family in Crime Alley, this Bruce Wayne is a Batman that represents the people—one that lives among the citizens of Gotham, not as an eccentric billionaire in a secluded mansion. His environment and past make him, in many ways, scarcely different from the criminals he once fought in the mainline DC Universe. His biggest enemy, as of right now at least, is the Joker (Jack Grimm), a corrupt businessman on his way to becoming the first trillionaire, who uses his wealth and power to control and hurt people.
Another way that Snyder and the artists of Absolute Batman communicate the terrors of our world is through body horror and its use of twisted imagery and concepts to represent the fears of modern audiences. We see this particularly in the redesign of Batman’s rogues gallery. These villains have never been more dangerous, grotesque and…well, heartbreaking. Killer Croc, Two-Face, the Penguin and the Riddler have been made into literal monsters by the Joker. These young men grew up with Bruce Wayne in Crime Alley, and while they may have dabbled in petty crimes, they didn't do so out of mal intent, but out of survival, representing the impossible decisions so many people face who are born without financial stability.
As far as modern-day anxieties go, it feels fitting that a prominent figure of Gotham, one who rules through influence and power, created this universe’s take on these famous villains from kids trying to survive and find their place in the world. They were created out of the violence of their existence and were physically maimed, permanently changing their bodies and altering their minds.
Killer Croc (Waylon Jones) was an MMA fighter and owner of a gym in Gotham who was taken and experimented on by Ark M, a government-sponsored facility run by the Joker. Waylon was surveyed illegally by this world’s Mr. Freeze and was brutally turned into a creature that’s more reptilian than humanoid. His origin reimagines him as a victim of corruption who was failed by the government system meant to protect him. His innocence paints an even more tragic version of his character.
The Penguin’s (Oswalt Cobblepot) body was broken to the point of disfiguration, and his mind poisoned with hatred as a result. When you see his body healing in the hospital back in Absolute Batman #12, it’s a body horror monstrosity—a ghastly image of a swollen man covered in stitches and full of tubes. It makes his story more tragic than his mainline counterpart as he’ll have to adjust to the limitations of his new body and how society will react to his new form. Anyone could have been turned into the Penguin, and you can’t help but put yourself in his shoes. And those like me with medical anxiety, be warned!
The Riddler (Edward Nygma), whose attack left him with a head injury, has found himself fusing with technology in an attempt to survive his new mind. When we meet him in his new form, his brain is exposed and his eyes—or rather their sockets—are bleeding as he stabs himself with a screwdriver. His mind is connected via tubes to his computer. This version of the Riddler taps into the fear of how we are becoming reliant on technology, and his jarring imagery is a shock compared to the original depiction of the character. He is straight out of a science-fiction horror movie.
In addition to Bruce’s childhood friends, we have Bane. Absolute Bane is a beast—he is larger, smarter and more brutal. From his bulging veins, to the intensity of his muscles, his mere existence looks painful. This Bane lacks autonomy, his actions and his body forged from experimentation, belong to the Joker. He is a soldier turned science experiment who does the bidding of an evil billionaire. His physical appearance matches the tragedy of this circumstance with both his body and freedom out of his control.
The Joker has one of the most disturbing redesigns of the entire series. While his villainy stems from his corruption and billionaire status, Jack Grimm is also physically a monster. Junji Ito would be proud of Snyder and Dragotta’s take on Batman’s most famous villain. When in his monstrous form, there isn't an ounce of humanity to be seen. His long claws, dozens of sharp teeth, glowing red eyes and spiny back will fuel your nightmares. He looks alien, he looks vampiric and he looks like a creature from hell—a perfect reflection of his soul.
As if all this wasn’t nightmarish enough, the Joker feeds off babies to fuel himself and halt his aging. This is all revealed to us when we see the Joker wearing a suit made of living infants. These babies, seen in Absolute Batman #20, are fused together in a grotesque way straight out of John Carpenter’s The Thing. The Joker has never been this evil, both inside and out. The billionaire in this story is literally a monster…
Finally, we need to talk about Mr. Freeze (Victor Fries Jr.), as he’s one of my favorite examples of how the series uses body horror to communicate modern fears. Victor Fries Jr., owner of a cryogenics company meant to freeze the sick until cures can be found, preys on dying people and collects a paycheck while doing so. His own experiences with being cryogenically frozen have altered him—he suffered incomprehensible pain as he was put on ice for years. Now fully awake and conscious, Freeze subjects countless people to the same fate, while creating monsters from their suffering. His elongated body and veiny blue appearance is pure nightmare fuel, but it’s his utilization of unethical science that sets him apart as the true monster he is and taps into real life fears that linger within our post-Covid world.
On that note, Freeze has also discovered diseases and bacteria deep in the ice that are unseen by humans for millions of years and uses them to create deadly biological weapons. Bruce’s friend Matches Malone is grotesquely killed using one of these strains. Additionally, Mr. Freeze works with Gotham’s government to survey Gotham City residents and collect their DNA to find candidates for Ark M. His disgusting use of biological weapons and mass surveillance just add to his sadly very relatable crimes against humanity.
These are a few examples of how members of Batman’s rogues gallery have been redesigned to fit the fears of modern readers. From those who were unwillingly transformed to those who hurt the innocent to feed their power, there is a lot for horror fans to love…and hate, about these effectively disturbing characters.
Snyder and Dragotta have led the way as the Absolute Universe embraces the darker and more horrific aspects of the DC Universe. However, the scariest aspect of this universe is that it's much closer to our own world than DC’s mainline continuity is—with the ruling class and wealthy holding most of the power and choosing villainy. Body horror can be an avenue to amplify our own anxieties and feed them back to us to reflect what is going on in the world. Absolute Batman reveals just how effective—and terrifying—a technique it can be.
Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and reviews comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and Substack.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
