DC's Absolute Batman Pays Homage to an Anime Classic
The new beefy take on the Dark Knight pays homage to one of anime's greatest movies.
Absolute Batman is giving Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta the chance to envision a brand-new take on the Dark Knight. Not only will Bruce Wayne's origin story receive a fresh coat of paint with this upcoming re-imagining but the Batman has put on some pounds from what we typically see of Gotham's Caped Crusader. The "Absolute Batman" is so physically intimidating that he is able to transform the bat-symbol on his chest into an ax and DC is hoping that new comic series will make the new Dark Knight's popularity just as big. Prior to the first issue's release, a new cover sees the re-imagined Batman paying homage to one of the most beloved anime of all time.
If you want to learn more about this fresh take on the Bat, we here at ComicBook.com recently had the opportunity to chat with creators Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta regarding why they made the decision to refresh Bruce Wayne's origin, "The idea is to do a new Batman for today, and the challenge is when, like, I'm a fan and I'm so beholden to the nostalgia and the 80-plus years of comics behind it that I didn't want to, I wanted it to still be Batman, in a sense. So, like, you don't mess with the silhouette. You don't mess with the core of who Batman is. The ears, the cowl, the symbol on the chest, and then within that, then you mess with it," Dragotta said. "So that was kind of my thinking. And then also just looking at what inspired him in the past, and I remember seeing Bob Kane's original drawings and him being influenced by Da Vinci's flying man that, he drew a guy with kind of like, bat wings."
The Akira Batman
The classic motor cycle segment from Akira is routinely recreated in pop culture media. Jordan Peele's Nope, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' animated series, Batman The Animated Series, Steven Universe, and many other franchises have paid tribute to the recognizable scene. Now, Absolute Batman is getting in on the action thanks to a variant cover produced by comic book artist Javier Fernandez, as the beefy Dark Knight recreates one of Akira's posters.
Absolute Batman variant by the great @javierfdezart – Akira homage. pic.twitter.com/iLtFGep7Dy
— Scott Snyder (@Ssnyder1835) September 28, 2024
The Sad State of Akira
There have been quite a few attempts at creating a Western, live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. The most prevalent was the feature-length film set to be directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do In The Shadows) which received an update last year from Waititi himself. While the project was initially confirmed to be moving forward, there has yet to be an update as to the progression of the live-action anime adaptation. With the success of the live-action One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender, it makes sense that Hollywood is looking to jump on the live-action anime train.
In 2019, Akira creator Katsuhrio Otomo stated that he was planning to continue the franchise with a new anime project. Much like the Warner Bros' live-action film, little has been released regarding the project's status. While the anime movie will always be a classic, there was plenty of material from the manga that had not been adapted to the screen, meaning that a new television series might have quite a bit of story to cover.
Want to stay afloat on how the worlds of anime and North American comic books continue to intersect? Want to see if Akira does make a return? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
