The Biggest Problem With Every Absolute Book (Except Green Arrow)

The Absolute Universe is a brand-new take on classic DC characters. It’s a world that’s much darker than the original and leans towards the evil of Darkseid instead of Superman’s hope. Its heroes are small rebellions instead of defenders of the status quo. In fact, to match their grittier world, the heroes themselves have changed. Each hero has at least one major aspect of their character stripped from them and is boiled down to their rawest essentials. Batman lost his fortune and training, Superman wasn’t raised by the Kents, and Wonder Woman lived in Hell. These comics tackled new threats in all-new ways, and because of that, they’ve become massive successes.

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The Absolute Universe is DC’s biggest hit in years. Every month, the Absolute line tops the sales charts, and they don’t show any sign of slowing down now. The Absolute books aren’t just popular. The entire line is filled with some of the greatest quality DC has ever put out. Every Absoltue book has something to love about it, and the best of them are generation-defining works. Of course, as much as I love these books, even I have to admit that they’re not perfect. Today, we’re taking a look at every Absolute comic and exploring their greatest weakness. Every book sans Absolute Green Arrow, at least, since only one issue of that is out at time of writing. With that said, let’s jump right into it.

6) Absolute Martian Manhunter Is Too Esoteric

Absolute Martian Manhunter is easily the most creative book of the line. It set the comic world on fire with its insane art and wonderfully weird reimagining. The titular Martian has been reimagined as a thought-being who guides John Jones on a psychedelic quest that blurs the line between reality and fiction. There’s a constant push and pull in John’s mind where he wonders if any of this is even real. That’s its greatest strength, but also its greatest weakness. The first six issues were a perfect mix of wacky and grounded, to the point where you could remove every supernatural element and still have a cohesive, easy-to-follow story.

The supernatural and ordinary worked hand in hand, but in the second half, that balance has been thrown off. Now, things can get so abstract and esoteric that it’s easy to lose the plot. It makes sense, reflecting John’s ongoing mental breakdown, but still, that can make it hard to understand at points. The second arc is a heck of a lot weirder, and sometimes, it’s to the story’s detriment, while the first arc had a perfect accompanying normalcy that helped ground everything. Without that ground, drowning in things we can’t understand gets way easier.

5) Absolute Flash Has Hurricane Pacing

The Flash is the fastest character in comics, but his best stories are the ones that slow down and let the audience sit in it. Absolute Flash likes to rush through its story at speeds that could make the Flash blush. Its first twelve issues set about being a year one, developing the status quo that Wally and the countless other characters would be playing in. That being said, while the world it built is very interesting, it never gives the reader the chance to digest what is happening before introducing a new plot point and running headfirst into it. Characterization has taken a massive hit because of this. The recent issues have definitely improved in this regard, but the issue is still present, if lessened.

4) Absolute Green Lantern Is Written For Trade Paperbacks

Absolute Green Lantern has spent its run building a deep, layered lore that totally reimagines the emotional spectrum, redesigning it for this new universe. The mythos established is truly legendary, but the biggest issue is how they often drag down the story. Just look back at the first arc, which was split between flashbacks and the present fight between Jo and Hal. That arc is awesome, but reading it month to month was endlessly aggravating because neither plot point had enough time to sate your appetite. The same’s true for issues like #14, which interrupt the action to take us to a distant planet. The worldbuilding is fantastic, but when you wait a whole month, you want to see the book explore what you’re interested in.

3) Absolute Wonder Woman’s Side Characters Need Developing

This is already one of the greatest Wonder Woman stories of all time. Diana has never been better, but her immaculate characterization and panel time come at the expense of her underdeveloped expanded cast. Wonder Woman has lots of friends, from Steve Trevor to Ferdinand the Minotaur, but none of them get the focus they need to develop past basic character traits. We need more focus on the potentially great characters like Gia. I’d love to learn more about an Earth-based witch! Barbara will likely become the Cheetah very soon, but we still haven’t even seen their friendship in action. Without a base in trust and friendship, the betrayal will feel hollow and shallow.

2) Absolute Superman Needs More Superman Villains

The biggest complaint people level at this slow-burn masterpiece is that Superman doesn’t fight enough Superman villains. Ra’s al Ghul was the main bad guy of the first major arc, followed by Hawkman and Black Adam. Superman has a very strong rogues’ gallery, so people want to see new versions of his classic villains. There are some caveats to this. Brainiac has been the underlying mastermind behind most of the series, and Superman has thrown down with Parasite. The upcoming arc promises Metallo, as well, so Superman will face his own villains in due time. Still, the people have been chomping at the bit for more Super-villains for over a year.

1) Absolute Batman Never Shows Us Batman’s Thoughts

One of the biggest creative swings this comic took was entirely operating outside Batman’s head. Other characters, like Alfred, always narrate, and they often misunderstand Bruce, so the audience is left to interpret Bruce’s thoughts through his actions and flashbacks. This has led many fans to miss the more subtle character work for Batman, which reinforces the misconception that this comic is all flash and no nuance. This comic has a whole lot to say about Batman’s mental state and his journey to become the hero that Gotham needs him to be, but it’s easy for that to go unnoticed when the presentation is so loud and the actual characterization is so quiet. This is a fantastic exploration of a different Batman, but you need to pay attention to find everything.

What do you think is the Absolute line’s biggest weakness? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!