Absolute Batman #1

Scott Snyder's Absolute Batman reimagines Bruce Wayne as an ordinary man — no wealth, no manor, no fortune — who nonetheless builds himself into Gotham's dark protector through sheer will and ingenuity. This first volume, collecting the opening arc of the 2025 DC Absolute Universe launch, plunges that stripped-down Batman into a brutal conflict with a Gotham ruled by corrupt power and familiar yet freshly recast villains, from the Joker to Black Mask to a rogue's gallery that includes figures like Waylon Jones and Ozzie Cobblepot. The reimagined supporting cast — including Mayor James Gordon and a reconceived Alfred — signals just how thoroughly Snyder and his collaborators have rebuilt the myth from the ground up.