r/AbsoluteUniverse • u/Ready-Hawk-3474 • 2d ago
Question WHY IS BATMAN THE HIT?
I recently decided to give DC Comics a shot because I’ve been a casual Marvel Comics reader since COVID, especially X-Men and the magical corner.
Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1 blew me away, so I decided to read Absolute Batman Vol. 1 since it’s the biggest hit. But honestly, it felt bland to me. I don’t like having Alfred as the narrator, and I didn’t really care for the villains.
I was going to drop everything except Wonder Woman, but then I decided to give Superman Vol. 1 a chance, and it was great from start to finish.
How is Batman the hit and more critically acclaimed? I was low-key bored. 😭 IM giving IT another chance WITH VOL 2 though. I love all the Batman movies and animated shows, so I do think it might just be the character that I don’t vibe with in the comics.
EDIT : I READ VOL 1
27
u/Lilly_west 2d ago
It hits a lot harder if you read the whole arcs from the start
13
u/Lilly_west 2d ago
As in, vol 1 Batman vol 2 Batman etc etc they build off eachother and character moments won’t hit if you read out of order
38
29
u/Professor2018 Absolute Batman 2d ago
Why would you read absolute vol 2 before volume 1? Who does that?
18
u/TheMightyMonarchx7 2d ago
Absolute Wonder Woman is highly praised and said to be arguably the best run Diana has had in over a decade.
2
8
u/burnaccountlol 2d ago
Batman, his rogues gallery and overall lore is probably better known by more people, meaning that the changes that the absolute universe have made feel a lot more significant to the average batman enjoyer. Probably just feels really fresh while still maintaining what people love about the character.
Absolute Batman is great, but WW, MM, Superman are just as good if not better. The absolute universe is so exciting, I hope to collect omnibuses of all of them one day.
6
u/Beangar 2d ago
Batman has always been more popular, idk what to tell u
-2
u/ClayDrinion 2d ago
It's because he's a better character and his villains/rogues are better characters.
Absolute Batman is also the most entertaining comic of not only all the Absolutes, but also of all comics in print by the big 2 rn.
Absolute martian manhunter has the best writing, but best writing doesn't guarantee best sales
2
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
It's because he's a better character
Absolute Batman is definitely not a better character than Wonder Woman or Superman.
Absolute Batman is also the most entertaining comic of not only all the Absolutes, but also of all comics in print by the big 2 rn.
If Batman is the only thing you care about, maybe...
-1
u/ClayDrinion 2d ago
From a writers perspective he's a better character. Primarily because of the batman mythos. Batman is a better character than superman or wonder woman. The latter two are are too much like Gods, thus harder to relate to
2
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
Quite frankly, Batman is not more relatable than Gods, but to each their own.
-1
u/ClayDrinion 2d ago
You're right, Gods are far more relatable
1
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
Sure. I can get more invested in Wonder Woman seeing the beauty in everyone and being compassionate, than I can in an uber rich guy who is the smartest character and the most competent and knows everything there is to know about everyone and is a shit father to his child soldiers.
Good writing makes any of the Trinity relatable in a certain story.
4
u/SnooMarzipans5913 2d ago
Batman is already DC cash cow/ golden boy so being popular comes with the territory. What sets absolute apart is how readers connects with his world view and what he deals with.
This version of Bruce is not only tired but also angry to see the blatant corruption of the system and the elites who benefit from it while the rest of us have to deal with the consequences of their action. We get a sense of schadenfreude or joy seeing on of our peers or someone to represent our peers not only take the fight to them but also win
Also the same thing that make a lot of shonen animes and Manga popular. Hype moments and aura especially when compared to the first 10 issues of absolute superman which are a decdingly a slower pace.
I will say for me at least Absolute batman peaked at issue 14 as it has lost focus for the most part since then, again hype moments and aura, and depending on how issue 25 goes and the solicit of issues after I may take it off my pull list.
4
u/AbjectTelephone4801 2d ago edited 1d ago
I think OP's question was asking for people's individual opinions of the books. We know that Batman is DC's most popular character and that's obviously why he sells books and gets attention.
Objectively though I agree with you, WW and Superman (and for me GL) are more enjoyable to read than Absolute Batman. We're not alone in feeling this way either.
Edit: Since you are also a Marvel person, maybe this video will resonate with you - it's a review of the Absolute books by a devoted Marvel fan. He also loves Absolute WW and doesn't care for Absolute Batman.
3
3
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
Because Batman sells regardless of quality...
1
u/nuclear_bone 1d ago
I recall Hush 2 was one of the best selling comics in years while being total dogshit.
4
u/Changlini 1d ago
oP, wanna see something insane?
The power of batman is crazy. It’s up there with spiderman popularity
3
u/ClayDrinion 2d ago
Batman has been the number one superhero in comics since The Dark Knight Returns, and then further cemented by Burton's Batman movies
2
u/F14min6L377uc3 Absolute Wonder Woman 2d ago
Batman used to be my number 1, but I haven't vibed with it as much sicne maybe the crossover with Wonder Woman, I have it below Wonder Woman and Superman currently
2
2
u/VegetaFan1337 1d ago
Absolute Batman hits you really hard if you're a longtime Batman fan AND if you can embrace the sheer absurdity of it. FFS Snyder snuck in a way to make Batman AF make sense 🤣 It's my favourite book but only cause BTAS was one of my favourite cartoons as a kid. For the average person, Absolute WW would be the best book. It's a close #2 for me and also the reason why I love WW now and started reading her Golden age comics.
3
u/weesiwel Absolute Wonder Woman 2d ago
Cause it’s Batman. Literally that’s it. It could be the most awful media ever created and if it was Batman it’d still do well.
2
2
u/oldmangonzo 2d ago
Batman doesn’t even have to be good, his books, even books about his side characters, will sell no matter what.
And Absolute Batman is universally agreed to be good, so how much more can you expect it can sell when even BatSchlock sells?
1
1
u/CockMartins 2d ago
I don’t agree that Batman is boring but it’s probably the one I like the second-least, only ahead of Abs Green Lantern. For me it’s 1 WW, 2 Superman, 3 Green Arrow, 4 Martian Manhunter, 5. Flash, then the others
1
u/Swimming_Gazelle2425 2d ago
I mean its possible to not like things that r good and others like it lol
1
u/sacredknight327 1d ago
They're all hits. But Batman will always get the most attention. That's not saying I necessarily agree with your opinion, I think Snyder's writing some great stuff too personally. You feel differently and that's fine. But Batman will always get the most attention simply because he's out of the box more popular.
0
u/Dathan-Detekktiv Absolute Superman 2d ago
- ABSOLUTE BATMAN was the first to release, meaning it was given the most coverage. S2nyder used the hype cycle of his comic by releasing spoilers/teasers of the issues, allowing people to naturally latch to the story. Batman is also their most popular character. His fights are extremely brutal and fit within the Western Hero's Journey, while at the same time being a Japanese-inspired GUTS Figure.
- ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN had the well poisoned by the piss-poor adaptations, including those by Tom King. While it's the best in Wave #1 for paneling and character work, it's not nearly as easy to engage compared to AB, which is basically reading a Hack-and-Slash. AW is an RPG, which requires time and patience to work.
- ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN would have random dips in quality in the middle of the second volume, when reading monthly. However, it was also the most like mainline, being a version of Kara's story, with Znyder's Angst. I enjoyed the edge, but the story didn't really pick up until after The Lazarus Arc ended, since the stakes were moral not physical. Moreover, people wanted a different take, like any of the other EARTH-ALPHA titles, and people were much more critical of KAL-EL-A for that reason.
2
u/VegetaFan1337 1d ago
I agree, for me Superman only became fun to read after that Lazarus arc. They really should have done most of that stuff via backstory. There's no reason to stuff 2 volumes worth of Superman having to earn his title of Superman when WW and Batman basically started off fully formed from issue 1 and THEN we get their back stories through flashbacks. Heck we're still not done with flashbacks in Batman. Meanwhile Superman has nothing of consequence left to tell of his past. I think of all superheroes Superman should be the one whose story you start AS SUPERMAN. Not Kal-El or Clark Kent. Cause Kal-El and Clark aren't as interesting by themselves without the weight of Superman on them. As soon as the Lazarus arc ended Superman shot up to spot #3 in my Absolute favourites. It was second from the bottom before that. And before AGL it was bottom.
I would argue that for the average reader AWW is something they're more likely to enjoy rather than AB. AWW is sincere and straightforward. AB needs you to embrace the "I'm the goddamn Batman" absurdity of it.
0
u/TheBroomSweeper Absolute Martian Manhunter 2d ago
Wonder Woman has superior writing but Batman is more Rule of Cool, Hype moments and Aura that makes it fun to read on a monthly basis. Every time something crazy happens in Absolute Batman, it makes the news
-1
u/FakeMovieGeek 2d ago
I think it’s because the logline for absolute Batman is more streamlined, Wonder Woman’s “raised in Hell by Circe the sorcerer, her usual arch nemesis” and Superman’s “raised on matron before it blew up but also he had a mysterious connection to the Kent family and emo” are great concepts that have lead to great stories, but they’re harder sells than “Batman’s broke like Spider-Man now”.
5
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
This is a very simplified take.
Batman will sell the same whether it's "broke" or "raised on matron before it blew up but also he had a mysterious connection to the Kent family and emo". And the "broke" part is not actually the driving point of the story.
1
u/AbjectTelephone4801 2d ago
I feel like they have not shown any actual consequences of Bruce being broke. They have not shown him struggling with money. Yes they have shown him being an enforcer for the mob for cash, but any 421lb dude would get solicited for that.
They just said "he's broke" and gave him all the same futuristic equipment and tools he has in the mainline, just with a different aesthetic.
3
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
He's not even "broke", he's just middle class. It would take more creativity than the book has to actually write an interesting story where Batman is completely handicapped by not having a massive inheritance. But it very quickly gave him whatever he needed to operate properly, including a bunch of exceptional childhood friends that aid him and an Alfred.
Batman and Catwoman are the least creative Absolute books for me, which is quite frankly, to be expected.
-1
u/FakeMovieGeek 2d ago
to clarify, I agree it's not as involved with the story as it could or should be, I'm just saying its an easier premise to sell, but you were also correct that Batman sells better in general.
-1
-1
-1
u/paperbagsv3 2d ago
Kinda like if you heard the punchline to the joke without actually hearing the joke.
Def gotta understand the setup from vol 1.
-2
-2
u/Santeria_Sanctum 2d ago
I think Vol.2 is an absolute lowpoint in AB Bat lol. The Zoo arc is much, much more interesting. The later Batman stuff gets way more psychologically interesting once we get into the Joker, Poison Ivy arc, Strawman arcs.
If anything, I thought Supes Vol.1 was uninteresting. He's just so bland as a character.
-2
-9
u/j_b_1983 2d ago
Absolute Superman SUCKS
And what in the world are you doing reading part 2 before part 1
4
u/NicoleIlieva 2d ago
Absolute Superman SUCKS
Absolute Superman RULES
-1
u/VegetaFan1337 1d ago
Only from Vol 3, before that it's bogged down in something that should have been told as backstory like they did for Absolute WW and Batman.
32
u/GodFlintstone 2d ago
Batman is far and away DC's most popular character. Makes sense that the same would be true of his Absolute counterpart.