It begins.
Next month, DC Comics will split in two. When "Absolute Power" comes to an end -- and we have a thread on that HERE -- something happens that creates, for lack of a better term, a new Earth-2. This new parallel universe will be published in DC's new "Absolute" line (not to be confused with their upscale reprints of the same name). Meanwhile, the "regular" universe is being described as having a, cough, rebirth of sorts, titled "All In." DC describes this as "a line-wide initiative combining an exciting, reimagined universe of DC's Super Heroes and an ongoing line of core titles, featuring bold new directions for DC's mainstay Super Heroes."
I am getting lots of info. Too much to just hang onto until October! It seems a shame not to share it. And then: Discussion! We bring to bear the Legion of Superfluous Heroes joint super-power of talking something to death! It will be awesome!
First, here's the information I have so far on the Absolute titles:
DC ALL IN SPECIAL #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER and JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by DANIEL SAMPERE and WES CRAIG
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
Variant covers by WES CRAIG and RAFA SANDOVAL
1:25 variant cover by JOHN GIANG
Foil variant cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
$4.99 US | 64 pages | Variants $5.99 US (card stock) | Foil variant $7.99
ON SALE 10/2/24
As Absolute Power ends (issue #4 on sale Oct. 2), DC’s All In initiative begins with a single-issue mega-event, presented as a startling, symmetrical flipbook!
Following the events of DC’s blockbuster storyline Absolute Power, the heroes of the core DC Universe have fought against the deep divisions in the world around them to usher in a new era of unity. And it’s just in time, too—because Darkseid has returned. Superman must gather every hero on Earth to hold the line against a very different version of the Lord of Apokolips, as they raise our cosmic defenses and prepare for war…and when the first blows land, the shock waves will ripple into every series in the DCU and shake the nature of their reality to its core!
But little do they know…the greater threat is still to come. For there is another Earth: the Absolute Universe. Here, DC’s biggest icons are coming of age with fewer advantages and facing greater opposition than ever before…while miraculously retaining the immutable heroism that has inspired fans for decades. But can they really protect the light that shines inside them when the world in which they live is hurtling toward a terrible destiny?
Co-written by Scott Snyder (Absolute Batman) and Joshua Williamson (Superman), the flipbook DC All In Special #1 features art by Wonder Woman artist Daniel Sampere when read in one direction and Deadly Class co-creator and series artist Wes Craig when read in the other direction. The 64-page one-shot features a main cover by Sampere, with variant covers by Rafa Sandoval, Wes Craig, and John Giang.
“The creation of the Absolute Universe is how I always imagined coming back to DC, and DC All In will be a great jumping-on point for new readers as well as lapsed fans to discover new stories to love and the chance to explore the new directions in store for DC’s core series lineup,” says Snyder.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by NICK DRAGOTTA
Variant covers by WES CRAIG, JIM LEE, and MITCH GERADS
1:25 variant cover by IAN BERTRAM
1:50 variant cover by MITCH GERADS
1:100 black and white variant cover by JIM LEE
Foil design variant
$4.99 US | 48 pages
Variants $5.99 US (card stock) | Foil variant $7.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/9/24
Without the mansion…without the money…without the butler…what’s left is the Absolute Dark Knight!
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta introduce fans to a new Batman with the release of Absolute Batman #1. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue, with colors by Frank Martin and letters by Clayton Cowles, arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers Wednesday, October 9. Absolute Batman #1 will publish with a main cover by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin, plus variant covers by Wes Craig and Mike Spicer, Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair, Mitch Gerads, and Ian Bertram (1:25).
Snyder launches this new universe with the release of Absolute Batman #1, featuring art by Nick Dragotta. In this iteration, fans will be introduced to a version of the Dark Knight that doesn’t have the money, mansion, or butler of his core-line counterpart. Readers will quickly find out what makes this the “Absolute” version of Batman when the debut issue arrives at participating comic book shops and digital retailers Wednesday, October 9.
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #1
by Dan Panosian
Written by KELLY THOMPSON
Art and cover by HAYDEN SHERMAN
Variant covers by WES CRAIG, JIM LEE, and JEFF DEKAL
1:25 variant cover by DAN PANOSIAN
1:50 variant cover by JEFF DEKAL
1:100 black and white cover by JIM LEE
Foil design variant
$4.99 US | 48 pages
Variants $5.99 US (card stock) | Foil variant $7.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 10/23/24
Without the island paradise…without the sisterhood that shaped her…without a mission of peace…what’s left is the Absolute Amazon!
For Diana, there is no island paradise, no sisterhood to shape her, nor a mission of peace—so what is the purpose of an Amazon warrior in this new universe? Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and breakout artist Hayden Sherman reinvent her from the ground up in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, with colors by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Becca Carey, on sale Wednesday, October 23. Absolute Wonder Woman #1 will publish with a main cover by Hayden Sherman and Jordie Bellaire, plus variant covers by Wes Craig and Mike Spicer, Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair, Jeff Dekal, and Dan Panosian (1:25).
For Diana, there is no island paradise, no sisterhood to shape her, nor a mission of peace—so what is the purpose of an Amazon warrior in this new universe? Eisner Award-winning writer Kelly Thompson and breakout artist Hayden Sherman reinvent her from the ground up in Absolute Wonder Woman #1, on sale October 23.
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #1
by Wes Craig and Mike Spicer
Written By JASON AARON
Art and cover by RAFA SANDOVAL
Variant covers by WES CRAIG, JIM LEE, and CLAYTON CRAIN
1:25 cover by MATTEO SCALERA
1:50 cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
1:100 black and white cover by JIM LEE
Foil design variant
$4.99 US | 48 pages
Variants $5.99 US (card stock) | Foil variant $7.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 11/6/24
Without the fortress…without the family…without a home…what’s left is the Absolute Man of Steel!
Writer Jason Aaron and artist Rafa Sandoval join forces to present a new Man of Steel with the launch of Absolute Superman #1. This Superman has no family, no Fortress of Solitude, and no home. Will he still stand for truth and justice in this new universe? Readers can find out when Absolute Superman #1, with colors by Ulises Arreola and letters by Becca Carey, hits participating comic book shops on Wednesday, November 6. Absolute Superman #1 will publish with a main cover by Rafa Sandoval and Ulises Arreola, plus variant covers by Wes Craig and Mike Spicer, Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair, Clayton Crain, and Matteo Scalera (1:25).
Writer Jason Aaron and artist Rafa Sandoval join forces to present a new Man of Steel with the launch of Absolute Superman #1. This Superman has no family, no Fortress of Solitude, and no home. Will he still stand for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in this new universe? Readers can find out when Absolute Superman #1 hits participating comic book shops November 6.
All three launch issues will also have a “foil design variant” featuring the new crests for each of DC's new Absolute Trinity. Look for these at your local comic book store when Absolute Batman #1 publishes on October 9, when Absolute Wonder Woman #1 publishes on October 23, and when Absolute Superman #1 publishes on November 6.
Replies
Wasn't Freddy called "CM3" during The Power of SHAZAM run?
Onyx isn't an Amazon; she's just tough. She's a reformed member of the League of Assassins who first appeared in a Green Arrow backup in Detective Comics back in the 80s. I haven't followed her career closely (she's usually in Batbooks, which I don't always read), but I'm always glad to see her. It looks like she was a member of the Outsiders for a while, probably sometime during Grace's tenure on that team.
Yeah, he was. I think at the time I remarked that it sounded like a toothpaste ingredient. (And, technically, as a "junior," wouldn't he be CM2? Unless he meant that he was Captain Marvel to the third power.) But I see your point: That was another time that Captain Marvel Jr. could say his name without transforming into Freddy. You are correct, sir!
"The Commander" is pretty bad, and CM3 is worse. But at least he can say both of them!
Also, note it’s said that the future has changed, so [Booster Gold] can’t go back to the 25 th century even if he wanted to. His past – our future – has been erased.
That's an interesting point. It hadn't occured to me until you mentioned it, but he is not unlike Rachael Summers in that respect. (I guess his status quo hasn't been hammered in from day one the way Rachael Summers' has has.)
If Booster Gold is going to work today, he needs to have a status quo that doesn’t rely on a context that doesn’t exist any more.
That's also a good point, but such a backstory could work depending on how it was handled (like Rachael Summers').
I had no problem with the art.
It reminded of Scott McDaniel's: a copy of a copy. That is, Wes Craig is to Scott McDaniel as Scott McDaniel is to Frank Miller.
I think we need to move on from Fourth World Kirby homages.
I don't disagree.
Let Hunger Dogs be the end of it, and let “All In” re-conceptualize New Gods for us.
For me it was Jim Starlin's Death of the New Gods. I find myself looking forward to the "All In" version.
And Superman has also been established, I think also in the New 52, as the crux of our multiverse.
If not in "New 52" then in Doomsday Clock.
BTW: Who is Darkseid’s daughter?
Nebula? (jk)
I know Bruce Wayne, James Gordon (now a P.I., apparently), Vandal Savage (the police commissioner, somehow), Edward Nygma (a legitimate businessman, somehow) and Leslie Thompkins. There are at least that many more major players that I do not know. I wonder if that’s because it’s “All In,” and everybody has to catch up, or if this started before Absolute Power.
My thoughts exactly. I didn't mention any of this in my post because (I feel) ya don't get to not read Batman for ten years (longer in my case) and then complain because ya don't know what's going on.
I’ll bet DC is zealously guarding their Golden Age Captain Marvel rights.
I wish they'd quit guarding them and actually start using them (specifically to reprint some of that GA material).
Onyx isn't an Amazon; she's just tough. She's a reformed member of the League of Assassins who first appeared in a Green Arrow backup in Detective Comics back in the 80s. I haven't followed her career closely (she's usually in Batbooks, which I don't always read), but I'm always glad to see her. It looks like she was a member of the Outsiders for a while, probably sometime during Grace's tenure on that team.
Good to know! Thanks!
BTW: Who is Darkseid’s daughter?
Nebula? (jk)
Since I didn't get an answer, I did my own research™. It turns out Darkseid's daughter first appeared in 2015, and when i read her origin, I realized I had read the story. And just forgot it. Man, it's tough getting old. Darkseid had a daughter via a turncoat Amazon, who gave birth to Grail the same night Hippolyta gave birth to Diana. This must have been during the New 52, when Diana was the daughter of Zeus. I think they've gone back to the clay-statue origin now. If so, Grail's origin will have changed somewhat, although she's clearly still the daughter of Darkseid.
I know it's not a popular opinion around here, but I liked the New 52 origin for Wonder Woman. For one thing, it renoved the ick factor that she is, in fact, a golem. For another, it promoted her several steps on the power scale; she was a demigod, a step or two above characters like Captain Marvel (whose powers are divine, but second-hand) and an equal to Hercules, Superman and any Greco-Roman god short of an Olympian. And not just on a power level, but conceptually. Being the child of Zeus gave her automatic respect from The Powers That Be, moreso even than The Kryptonian. It gave her lineage and reputation. It might even give other powers pause to mess with her, for fear of starting a war with Mt. Olympus.
Whereas, as a clay statue, she's an anonymous warrior to, say, the New Gods, and not worth their attention. And I imagine any higher power (and some not-so-higher powers, like Circe) can take one look at her and intuit her nature -- and undo it. "Oh, you're animated clay? Let's take the 'animated' part out of the equation, shall we?" We've seen it done. I think the Queen of Fables did it, but I'm probably conflating several stories from the aughts.
At a stroke, Brian Azzarello elevated Wonder Woman's status and humanized her and all of Themyscira. This didn't sit well with a lot of readers, especially when we found out what was done with the Amazon boys. (I didn't like that, either.) But now we're back to barren Amazons who get replacements from the Well of Souls, an entirely invented comic book concept that raises a lot of theological questions in a universe that has a heaven and a hell and players in them who operate under strict rules ... except, apparently, for when certain souls slip away to a third place, which doesn't square with what we know. And how do those souls get bodies, anyway? I'm unclear on that. Maybe clay statues.
I wish they'd quit guarding them and actually start using them (specifically to reprint some of that GA material).
I wish they'd lease them to PS Artbooks, who'd reprint them instantly without change. I remember when they planned to release the Monster Society of Evil collection and then started clutching their pearls at all the casual racism of the 1940s. Now that they're done with the Trinity, DC seems in no hurry to print anything from the '40s, and I imagine that if they do it will be bowdlerized.
At leaste we're about to get America's Greatest Comics #1-8, which has apparently reached public domain.Unless DC issues a cease and desist. Fortunately, PS is an English publisher and could probably fight that. But who knows?
I remember when they planned to release the Monster Society of Evil collection and then started clutching their pearls at all the casual racism of the 1940s.
For anyone interested, I summarized it HERE.
Ah, I'd forgotten all about Grail. I was wondering who that was.
Following up on your tangent, I'm not certain Diana's origin has officially changed, but in the realm of myth, it's easy to downplay that -- mythic origins change all the time; myths are usually about explaining where things came from, and they don't always agree.
But thematically, I prefer the clay origin. I don't like the idea that Diana gets her status and her power from the male (and notoriously chauvanistic*) god she's descended from; I much prefer her imbued with power by an array of patron goddesses in answer to Hypolyta's prayers. And I don't think the idea of her clay origins being used against her is any more troublesome than villains pulling kryptonite out of their pocket, or something like that. (I could even see some magic users trying it and failing, since they're pitting their magic against the will of the gods -- they'd need a lot of mojo to pull that off.) That said, I liked the Azzarello/Chiang run; I just thought some aspects of it didn't work well.
*and that's putting it mildly.
I think Eclipso's name was first revealed (or at least explored) in his 90s ongoing series. I can still hardly believe Eclipso had an ongoing series. The 90s were wild.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1:
First thing I notice: it's part one of five. Second thing: it's $5. Third: it's 42 pages. I would really have liked to have seen a "done-in-one" introduction to this new Batman. OTOH, the story is not at all "decompressed" and deliver a whole lotta bang for the buck. Chances are, I wouldn't've even noticed it was "part one of five" if they hadn't drawn attention to it. But that's a $25 investment to get a single complete story. Now for some specifics. [SPOILERS] Bruce Wayne grew up in Crime Alley, the son of a school teacher and a social worker, but his "origin story" takes place at the Gotham City Zoo. His childhood friends were (or will become) Killer Croc, the Penguin, the Riddler, Two-Face, and Catwoman. Bruce Wayne is 24 years old. His mother is still alive. (His father was killed on a school field trip.) Alfred Pennyworth is some sort of secret agent. Before being reassigned to Gotham City, his quarry had been (I'm gussing) Ra's al Ghul. He is estranged from his daughter, Julia. Batman stole his tricked-out motorcycle.
"The Party Animals" is the name of the gang terrorizing Gotham City. Batman's weaponry includes his mask's two detachable ears whcih can be used as throwing knives. He takes pains to avoid fatally injuring any of his foes, but takes joy in maiming one of them (specifically, cutting off a hand with his "bat-ax"). James Gordon is the city's mayor, Harvey Bullock is its police commissioner. Gordon's daughter, who is black, is a uniformed police officer. Alfred figures out Batman's secret identity by the end of the issue. When Bruce Wayne was in the fifth grade he designed a mobile, collapible bridge, based on the origani-like anatomy of a bat's wing, that can be used to bring aid to locations hit by catastophic events. (His prize was the class field trip on which his father was killed.) He went to college on a sports scholarship but was injured in the first week (faked?). after college, he took a variety of city jobs and thus learned all about the city from the sewers to the skyscrapers.
The Joker is one of the world's 30 richest men. They call him that because he never laughs, "not at anything. Ever." [END SPOILERS]
I find myself really comfortable with the idea of Batman punching up.
ACTION COMICS #1070:
The first issue of the new "All In" direction has two stories.
First story: Three criminals escape from the Phantom Zone, fused together, shouting "Kill us!" over and over in Kryptonian. Superman has red trunks. Jimmy Olsen has a signal watch. Green, Red and Gold Kryptonite all exist. Jimmy Olsen exposes the PZ crims to Gold K. Other characters include Supergirl, Krypto, Jon Kent, Lois Lane, Natasha Irons, Superboy, and someone named "Kong Kenan" (who also wears an "S" shield). Superman sends the depowered criminal(s) to Kandor, then heads to the Phantom Zone to investigate, right into an ambush.
Second story: Supergirl heads into space on some sort of mystery mission. She encounters Steel and Power Girl, both of whom lose their memories. Eh. The first story was better.
Mon-El appears on the cover but not in either story.
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