Absolute Batman hasn’t taken its foot off the gas since its immense debut, and continues to be one of the most thrilling and unpredictable comics on shelves. That’s why it’s actually rather surprising that with everything the series’ main creative team has done on the series to date, Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 somehow manages to shake up that team and continue to meet that impressively high bar, while also delivering one of the most poignant moments in the series to date.
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Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 is made up of three separate stories, though the third one is more of a fun companion piece to the other two. The first story is from the ever-talented team of Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, and Clayton Cowles, and while I was incredibly hyped for what this team could do on something like Absolute Batman, they surpassed every expectation and left me with a final few pages that I won’t forget anytime soon.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Truly Stunning Visuals | Batman’s Stature Breaks Reality At Times |
| Powerful Poignant Moments | Final Story Felt Cut Short |
As Bruce finds himself immersed in unexpected chaos that he simply cannot turn away from, Johnson finds ways to tie the present to the past in a compelling way that also builds to a meaningful and well-earned questioning of Bruce’s methods by the man himself. Your heart races at the insane action sequences, and Johnson fully embraces the brutal efficiency that Absolute Batman is known for, but all of that is purposeful to ultimately land a gut-punch sequence later that will have you looking back at how you reacted to everything Bruce did to get here just as much as he is analyzing himself.
It’s an effective and impressive trick that Johnson pulls off here, and that’s also contrasted to the reveal of who Batman is fighting, which can’t help but elicit a genuine reaction and affect how you look at Bruce’s methods as well. All of it’s complicated, and yet comes down to a fundamental battle between wrath and compassion, and showcases how truly difficult it is to walk that line for anyone, let alone someone born from that chaos in Batman.
That’s carried into the second-story Sanctuary, which is brought to life by James Harden, Dave Stewart, Clayton Cowles, and Andrew Marino. At first, this story feels more like a straightforward Batman hunting his prey sort of tale, but you quickly realize there is once again an emotional thread at the center of this story as well, albeit one that isn’t centered on Batman.
Warren and Stewart bring a completely different visual style to this adventure, but what remains constant is the small moments of emotional weight that take place in the midst of a group of Black Masks getting wrecked by the Dark Knight. The way this story plays with bold pops of color helps it stand out from Johnson’s story but still feel as if it were part of the same universe, and the artwork is a huge reason why that final reconciliation hits home, proving that light can be discovered even in the darkest of shadows.
The final story is titled Let’s Learn About Bats by Meredith McClaren and Andrew Marino, and right up front, McClaren’s artwork and colors are simply gorgeous. I adore the more stylized characters and vivid expressions, and I also enjoyed the premise of highlighting Batman’s day-to-day life and how the world reacts to him through the real-world habits of bats. It just felt like this could have used more room to tell an actual story, as it ends right when you’re really getting into the core concept.
Overall, while this issue doesn’t feel like you have to read it to keep up with the mainline story, it ultimately still feels like a must-read in terms of content and impact, and I thoroughly recommend picking it up if you can.
Published By: DC Comics
Written By: Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren
Art By: Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, and Meredith McClaren
Colors By: Mike Spicer, Dave Stewart, and Meredith McClaren
Lettering By: Clayton Cowles
Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1 is in comic stores now.
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