Absolute Batman #9

Aug 2025 · DC · 4.99 USD

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“Abomination, Part One”

About this Issue

Absolute Batman #9 is the opening chapter of the 'Abomination' arc and serves as the first appearance of Absolute Bane in DC's Absolute Universe — a radical reimagining of the villain who is positioned, from his very first panel, as a credible physical and intellectual superior to this already-oversized Batman. The issue simultaneously delivers the Absolute Universe debut of Dick Grayson (recast as a Gotham EMT rather than a circus acrobat or vigilante) and seeds early appearances of Absolute Slade Wilson and a frozen creature strongly implied to be a version of Barbatos, planting threads that the broader Absolute line continued to pull for months. The story's arc title, 'Abomination,' carries an extra layer of meta-commentary: Bleeding Cool reported that Snyder named it as a pointed reference to the word publicly used by Bane co-creator Chuck Dixon to disparage Dragotta's redesign, turning a real-world controversy into an in-story declaration of intent. As the issue that launched the series' second major story arc on a critically acclaimed, Eisner-nominated title, it marks the moment Absolute Batman's rogues gallery expansion shifted into high gear.

writer Scott Snyder · artist, inker Nick Dragotta · colorist Frank Martin · letterer Clayton Cowles · cover Nick Dragotta

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $24

CGC 9.8 · 821 in census $111

CGC 9.6 · 34 in census $60*

CGC 9.4 · 7 in census $52*

CGC 9.2 · 1 in census $45*

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $42*

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $34*

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CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 ▾ $80–$180 5 listings

CGC 9.8 · Variant $80 CGC 9.8 · 1:25 variant $97 CGC 9.8 · 1:25 variant $100 CGC 9.8 $167 CGC 9.8 $179.95

CGC 8.5 $68 1 listing

Raw — NM+ ▾ $24.99–$90 2 listings

NM+ · Variant $24.99 NM+ · Signed · Virgin $90

Raw — NM ▾ $29.99–$80 9 listings

NM · Variant $29.99 NM $44.99 NM $45 NM $45 NM $46 NM $49.99 NM $50 NM · Signed $75 NM · Signed · Variant $80

Raw — NM- $44.99 1 listing Raw — VF $19.99 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $5.99–$2,000 22 listings

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NM · Variant · 3rd print $4.95 3rd print $4.99 Variant · 3rd print $7.79 NM · 2nd print $9.99 2nd print $14.95 Signed · Variant · 3rd print $25 Signed · 3rd print $29.99

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History

Absolute Batman launched in October 2024 as the flagship title of DC's new Absolute Universe imprint — the first in the line — written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Nick Dragotta (known for East of West at Image Comics), with colors by Frank Martin and letters by Clayton Cowles. Snyder had originally planned only a consulting role on the imprint; writer James Tynion IV persuaded him to take the book himself, and Snyder agreed on the condition that Dragotta be his artist. By issue #9, the series had already completed its first arc ('The Zoo') and a two-issue interlude drawn by Marcos Martín; issue #9 was DC's formal launch of 'Abomination,' the title's second full arc, which the publisher later collected in Absolute Batman Vol. 2: Abomination (February 2026). The series had received an Eisner Award nomination for Best New Series in 2025 heading into this issue, underscoring the creative and institutional momentum behind the run at the time of publication.

Trivia · 10 facts

First appearance of Absolute Bane in the DC Absolute Universe; written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta, colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Clayton Cowles.
First appearance of Absolute Dick Grayson — depicted not as an acrobat or vigilante but as a Gotham City Emergency Medical Technician riding a pedicab.
First (partial, photographic) appearance of Absolute Slade Wilson (Deathstroke), seen unnamed in a photograph alongside the Absolute Joker.
Opening chapter of the 'Abomination' story arc, which DC later collected in Absolute Batman Vol. 2: Abomination (on sale February 3, 2026), a New York Times Best Seller.
The issue formally introduces the Ark M facility — a maximum-security institution linked to the creation of Gotham's villains and controlled by the Absolute Joker — as the central setting of the new arc.
Batman discovers what appears to be the frozen skeletal remains of a creature identified in context as a 'barbatos' (a demonic bat-entity), foreshadowing a larger cosmic storyline tied to the Absolute Universe's Darkseid origin.
The arc title 'Abomination' was reported by Bleeding Cool to be a deliberate response to Bane co-creator Chuck Dixon's use of that word to criticize Nick Dragotta's Bane redesign.
The issue shipped June 11, 2025, with a standard cover by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin, plus variants by Gerardo Zaffino, Tirso Cons, Brian Bolland (1:50), Dustin Nguyen (1:25), and others; it reached multiple printings alongside the broader series' reprint activity.
The parent series, Absolute Batman, had received an Eisner Award nomination for Best New Series in 2025 (losing to Absolute Wonder Woman) in the lead-up to this issue's release.
An animated adaptation of Absolute Batman — with Snyder attached as executive producer and showrunner — was announced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation in June 2026, making this arc's characters part of the adaptation's foundational cast.