Absolute Batman also stands out because of Snyder and Dragotta’s fearless approach to the material. It’s not just beefy Batman who gets bigger; Joker is a dapper, sullen man who can transform into a cackling dragon, Poison Ivy is a plant creature who envelops the city, Bane grows to the size of a building and literally beats Harvey Dent and Oswald Cobblepot into becoming Two-Face and the Penguin. It feels like Snyder and Dragotta challenge themselves to push the concept to increasingly absurd lengths with every issue.
That very audacity gives us reason to doubt the animated adaptation. DC has been making animated adaptations of landmark comic stories and, with few exceptions (2010’s Batman: Under the Red Hood, for example), the cartoons have fallen far short of the source material. All-Star Superman hits the story beats, but lacks the wonder of the Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely series, 2011’s Batman: Year One shined off the grit and immediacy of the Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli original, and Batman: The Killing Joke inserted an unsavory romance between Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon into Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s already unpleasant story.
Whether making changes that don’t serve the story or rendering the artwork bland and smooth, these adaptations play as bland, unnecessary remakes. And if DC Animation diminished even straightforward superhero stories, how much more damage will they do to a series defined by its over-the-top visuals and plotting?
If there’s one bit of hope for Absolute Batman, it’s that Snyder and Dragotta are both on board as producers, and Snyder will serve showrunner. But how much time can they devote to the show when they’re busy making some of the best and most popular superhero comics of all time? That’s a big ask, even for people who made the biggest Batman.
Absolute Batman is now on comic book shelves.
