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Absolute Batman makes the original Batman irrelevant says Image Comics CCO Robert Kirkman
Robert Kirkman has an unconventional pitch for DC – replace the mainline Batman with Absolute Batman
NewsbyJoshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer
Published on Wed Jul 15 2026
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DC Comics publishes a lot of Batman. Depending on how you classify it, DC is releasing 17 different Batman books in July 2026, which is roughly 35% of their line. For Robert Kirkman, co-creator of Invincible and The Walking Dead, it’s a bit much.
“I don’t like Batman as much as everyone does though,” Robert Kirkman says during an appearance on The Empire Escape Pod Podcast. “It’s just ridiculous. This character is just the bane of the comic book industry. It’s too much. DC publishes like 50 different Batman. It’s like 90% of their line. Every creator I talk to is like, ‘I just want to do Batman. I just can’t wait to do Batman.’ And it’s like, oh my gosh, why is this character so popular? It just takes up so much oxygen.”
When asked about Absolute Batman, which is one of the biggest hits DC has had in years, Kirkman admits that he can see the appeal. In fact, Kirkman says you might as well get rid of the mainline Batman and replace him with the Absolute version
“I mean, you put spikes on Batman, he’s got an axe, like yeah, I can’t argue with that. That’s cool, but do we need two Batmen? Get rid of the other Batman. We just need one Batman. This is too much Batman.”
Absolute Batman is big, but is he big enough to fully replace the mainline Batman? Robert Kirkman may think so, but I’m not sure if readers and retailers would agree.
Here’s an update to date guide on the Absolute Batman release schedule
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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear
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