Yesterday we told you about Absolute Comics, a new line of interconnected titles that feature rethought or “Ultimized” versions of classic DC characters, headed up by Scott Snyder. Although word of this new initiative, planned for a fall launch, has been bubbling around the comics industry for months, an ashcan announcing the line with a preview of Absolute Batman was mistakenly sent out to some comics retailers…and the contents have been leaked, making it internet official. 

I’ve seen screenshots of the cover, inside front cover and back cover. So anything that’s confirmed about this line is because…..it’s right there in the ashcan. Including the logline “Two distinct but inextricably linked narratives building a dynamic and essential future for the world’s greatest superheroes.”

The big question: who will be the creative teams on this dynamic and essential future? Once again, it was right there on the ashcan.  But someone on Twixxer posted a shot of the lineup:

GSBMRvTaoAAedzY.jpeg

This actually cuts off a line that says “And more to come.” So there are more coming but the launch team consists of

Jason Aaron
Deniz Camp
Wes Craig
Nick Dragotta
Al Ewing
Che Grayson
Jeff Lemire
Jahnoy Lindsay
Pornsak Pichetshote
Nick Robles
Rafa Sandoval
Hayden Sherman
Scott Snyder
Kelly Thompson

A few of these need no introduction – among the writers, Aaron, Snyder, Lemire, Ewing and Thompson. Deniz Camp is a rising star  known for 20th Century Men, The Ultimates, Magus Minor, Children of the Vault but he really broke out with the revamp of The Ultimates at Marvel. Pornsak Pichetshote is a writer best known for his award winning The Good Asian,  and his recent The Horizon Experiment at Image. Che Grayson is a writer and filmmaker, who has written for DC, Image and IDW and self-publisher her own comic, Rigamo.

As for the artists, they present a varied and modern background. Wes Craig co-created The Deadly Class and wrote and drew Kaya for Image. Jahnoy Lindsey has work for DC and a Spider-Man book for Disney. Nick Robles has worked on everything from Superman to Kong of Skull Island. Rafa Sandoval is an industry stalwart whose worked on everything. And Hayden Sherman is another hard working pro who is currently on Dark Spaces: Dungeon from IDW and written by Snyder. Dragotta, as mentioned, will be drawing Absolute Batman.

It’s hard to compare this line-up to the folks who launched the Ultimate line 24 years ago. Because everything has changed in 24 years. No one is truly “unknown” genius the way Brian Michael Bendis was when he got tapped to work with Marvel Knights. Ed Brubaker was an autobio comics artist for Fantagraphics when he started working for Wildstorm. The divide between indie and mainstream was a lot sharper then. Now….everyone jumps around with so many more channels available.

Also, could you really relaunch the DC Universe with “unknowns” these days? Would retailers stand for it? And as I mentioned it’s not a “radical” line-up – if you wanted to do that hire Olivia Jaimes and Matt Lesniewski to rethink the Legion of Superheroes.

At any rate, Snyder is well known as a mentor and has an eye for talent, so…..file under promising! A solid line-up of talents known and rising. More excitement to come when the big reveal is actually revealed.

This line-up generally met with positive reactions that I saw online. But what do you think? Are you ready to go Absolute? Let us know in the comments.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

6 COMMENTS

  1. Names don’t guarantee anything, but it looks like at least some effort has been made to get some talent that has produced some of the more noteworthy corporate comics of the last couple of years, and not all of them are DC stallwarts. Let’s just hope they are allowed to make some good comics, whoever they are or where they’re from. The note in my memory file says that DC is always to stodgy in the long run to really let their creators make a difference.
    But, boy do we need some good comics from DC. Their performance has been slipping since before-Covid, and there is barely anything they’ve published since that has any kind of life on the shelves beyond the first two months. DC used to be great at selling perennials and creating a new one every now and then. One can grouch about New52, but the series that survived the first year were also doing great as TPB collections. It was worth it to stock Batman, Detective Comics, Flash, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Justice League and Suicide Squad TPBs in multiple copies as backstock for years after 2012. These days, NOT ONE of the new DC TPB being published I would consider indispensable (meaning that you would really leave money lying on the table if you were not to re-stock.)

  2. I just hope for some focus with this new line.
    DC likes to squash its own momentum lately. We had something good with Dawn of DC. Lots of self-contained events and relaunches that were going pretty well.
    Then Knight Terrors threw everything off kilter. Green Lantern, which had such a promising start, barely got off the blocks before it was knocked aside.

  4. While there’s something laudable in trying to refresh the line, this isn’t going to be it. I give it no more than 13 months before it all crashes and burns.

Comments are closed.