Scott Snyder on the success of Absolute Batman and what comes next

Ill. (WMBD) — Absolute Batman is not just another Batman comic

For writer Scott Snyder, the series started as an experiment. Strip Bruce Wayne of the wealth, reen see what remains

The result has become one of DC Comics’ biggest recent successes, drawing in longtime readers, younger fans and new customers at comic shops.

Snyder said he never expected the response to be as strong as it has been.

“We were really hoping it would just be a sustainable book somewhere in the middle of DC Comics,” Snyder said. “I was hoping that people would connect with it, but we never expected at all, like, the response we got.”

Snyder spoke about the series during an interview at FAN EXPO Chicago.

He said the idea behind Absolute Batman came in part from conversations with his children about what did and did not feel exciting to them about the traditional version of Batman.

In this universe, Bruce Wayne is not a billionaire. He is working class, connected to his community and forced to confront people with far more money and institutional power than he has.

Snyder also flipped the traditional Batman and Joker dynamic. Instead of Bruce representing order through wealth and rethy and entrenched system that Batman is trying to challenge

For Snyder, taking away Bruce Wayne’s familiar advantages also helped clarify what he believes is essential to the character.

“At the end of the day, all he is is a boy who suffered a terrible trauma, like the worst thing that can happen to a kid,” Snyder said. “And he uses that as fuel to make the world better and be a hero rather than let it turn him into a villain.”

Once that core remained intact, Snyder said almost everything else could change, including the cave, vehicles, suit, butler and Bruce’s overall place in Gotham.

That reinvention appears to be connecting especially well with younger readers.

Bob Gordon, owner of Acme Comics in Peoria, said Absolute Batman has become one of the hottest titles at his store.

“If I see someone under 30 coming in the store that I haven’t seen before, they always pick Absolute Batman or an Absolute title,” Gordon said.

He said some older readers still prefer more traditional interpretations of Batman, but younger customers have embraced this version as something that feels more like their own.

“I call them kids, but, you know, the kids under 30, it’s their Batman,” Gordon said. “It’s not your grandfather’s Batman. So it’s a whole new take.”

Gordon said interest built quickly after the first few issues.

He initially ordered heavily, but by around issue three, demand accelerated. He said rising resale prices for early issues also drew attention from readers who had not initially picked up the series.

The trade paperback editions have been especially difficult to keep on the shelves.

Gordon said he ordered about 20 copies of the first trade paperback when it came out. Those sold out in roughly a week. He ordered another 20, and those also disappeared in about a week.

He then planned to stock around 50 copies for the Christmas season, but demand outpaced supply.

“The last time I’ve seen this hysteria for a graphic novel or book was when The Walking Dead got hot,” Gordon said. “This is right on track to be another Walking Dead phenomenon.”

Gordon said that kind of popularity matters beyond the sales of a single title.

Casual readers who may only visit the store every few months have been coming in specifically to check out Absolute Batman. Even if they do not buy it right away, Gordon said the book is helping generate foot traffic and interest in other titles.

Some readers who catch up on Absolute Batman are also moving into other books in DC’s Absolute line, including Absolute Superman, Absolute Wonder Woman, and Absolute Martian Manhunter, Gordon said.

The next major expansion of the franchise will come outside comic shops.

An Absolute Batman animated series is in development, and Snyder said the adaptation will not simply recreate the comic panel for panel.

“There’s a lot of surprises coming, I think, in terms of moments you haven’t seen, backstory we haven’t heard, all kinds of stuff like that,” Snyder said.

He said the goal is to remain faithful to the spirit, story, look and feel of the comic while also taking advantage of what animation can do differently.

Snyder said the project is still in the early stages, but he has already seen some test animation.

“Some of the early test animation we’ve seen though is really phenomenal,” Snyder said.

There is not yet a release window for the series. When asked when fans could expect to see the show, Snyder said it was simply too early to say.

Gordon believes the animated series could create another major wave of interest.

He said many people outside regular comic book circles still have no idea what Absolute Batman is, and a television adaptation could introduce the character to viewers who either have never read comics or have not picked one up in decades.

He has seen similar effects with properties such as Invincible and The Walking Dead, where television adaptations created renewed demand for collected editions and back issues.

“If it’s good,” Gordon said, “the effect can be significant.”

While the animated series could broaden the audience, Snyder said current comic readers still have plenty to watch for on the page.

When asked about fan theories, Snyder said he has seen some that are “right on point” about where the story is heading, along with others that are far off.

He said he does not change his plans based on fan predictions, but he appreciates the level of attention and engagement surrounding the series.

Snyder also said the Robins will play a major role in the series over the next two years.

He specifically mentioned Jason Todd, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake, saying their stories and conflicts will remain “front and center.”

For Gordon, the success of the book is evidence that even a character as established as Batman can still find new readers when creators are willing to rethink the formula.

For Snyder, the appeal of Absolute Batman ultimately comes back to the same core idea that has defined the character for generations, even if almost everything around him looks different.

Take away the money, the mansion and the gadgets, and Snyder believes Batman still works as long as Bruce Wayne remains someone who chooses to turn tragedy into something heroic.

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