Absolute Batman 2025 Annual (2025-) #1 (Absolute Batman

by Daniel Warren Johnson, James Harren, Meredith McClaren

Some of the biggest names in comics take a turn in the Absolute Universe! Daniel Warren Johnson and James Harren tell tales from Absolute Batman’s early days! How did Bruce acquire his batmobile? And what was it like for Black Mask’s party animals when Batman first hit the scene?

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Batman, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Comix, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2025

About the author

Daniel Warren Johnson is a Chicago-based comic book writer, artist, and illustrator. He's worked on titles for most major publishers, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image. His current series with Skybound/Image Comics is EXTREMITY, a sci-fi/fantasy title he is writing and drawing, and continues to update his webcomic Space-Mullet in his spare time.

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“No. You are roaches. Only one way to deal with those.”

[zachariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the first time I’ve cried over Batman and for sure not the last

[Justin Biondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

More like Batman Smashes the Klan

[MrGlassWontBreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Warren Johnson takes a crack at Absolute Batman, and writes an awesome story about Batman brutally taking out a bunch of white supremacists.

James Harren also gets a turn in the other half of this issue, but in his take, we see the perspective of Black Mask’s goons as they try restlessly, but fail to stop Batman.

This issue was an awesome exposé of the Batman/Bruce Wayne character. Both stories kind of show us that underneath all the bone-breaking, face-smashing, vengeance-fueled rage, Bruce is actually just a very hurt, huge softie.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

he definitely killed at least 3 people in this 😂

[dusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This annual issue is something special. It might just be one of the heaviest Absolute Batman stories we’ve gotten yet. It’s emotionally grounded, raw, and real. It still delivers some of the most creative, intense, and downright brutal action we’ve seen from this character. In this story, Batman truly is vengeance.

What makes it hit even harder is how relevant it feels to what’s happening in our country right now. That layer of real-world reflection gives it even more weight.

Absolute Batman does not miss.

[Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey so this was the greatest thing ever and I don’t know what to do now

[Andrew Golab · Rating 5 out of 5]

You should do this to your local Neo nazi group. I fucking love DWJ GIVE HIM A WOLVERINE RUN

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sometimes words aren't enough"

Let's fucking GO. Fuck these racist pieces of shit up Batman!!!!

[Craig Schorling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Topical, relevant, tragic, and brutal. That first story hit so hard. It goes through so many peak moments with sorrowful flashbacks to brutal ass whoppings. One of the better annuals that I have read.

[Francesco Lechi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Batman After Another

[Lizzy DeMarco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed both stories and the Bat lesson.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 5 out of 5]

No cabe más gloria.

[Zarrar Saleem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman vs ICE was insane

[Jerry Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. What a comic one shot. Here, Batman beats the ever living **** out of white supremacists and kills a lot of them. But, throughout the story and with a huge twist at the end, it makes the reader think, is he actually doing the right thing? How does this make it any better moving forward? Would his dad be proud of his son who he deems “has a loving heart” and is different than him, or would his father be on the priests side of not letting them die? And because of this, his no kill rule has now been established. Great comic.

[Sofian · Rating 5 out of 5]

PVV heeft verloren, Mamdani wint, Batman slaat nazis in elkaar op een brute wijze, we are so back.

[Nikhil Math]

They got Batman beating up the KKK/Nazis in this book lol. That is cool, to see a champion for the immigrants. The art is amazing. I think they went a little more unrealistic, which is always a plus. I am trying to see a fantasy, not.a biography lol.

[Colin Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow…you know DWJ is going to turn in something great, but his story here is a timely take on the limits of Batman as a symbol. The over the top violence is illustrated in such a grotesque way, so that you’re not sure whether to cheer Batman on or be afraid - and we see the little kid who Bruce saves is just as terrified of him as the white supremacists. DWJ builds the story so beautifully, interweaving the flashbacks of Bruce as a child with his dad, to earn that moment at the end where Batman feels regret, shame, grief. It’s a complicated, gruesome story that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

[Eddie B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glimpses of The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.

[michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

ik the whole point is for this to be non-specific w when this is happening continuity wise but it is fun to read this under the idea that batman simply chose to take a pause on Enduring The Horrors to brutalize nazis and the cops that enable them. pretty good

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best of Absolute Batman but it has some amazing art and good storytelling from the early days.

[Luca Siletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick little blurb for the annual itself bc I actually just want to put my thoughts on Batman as a character down somewhere while I procrastinate the 5+ projects I should be editing: Batman beating up neo-nazis is cool. the caveman in my brain clapped when he dropped the corrupt cop on his head. not much more to say on that.

but for actual thoughts, my Batman content intake has increased 10-fold this month due to the algorithm thinking I'm into reels of him breaking his no kill rule (it funny) and as a byproduct of a few friends getting on a crazy kick themselves, and to be honest, the more Batman content I consume, the less I like the character, bar a few special cases where the creators clearly challenge the fundamental concepts and codes of the character. even now, watching through the animated series, while visually beautiful and ahead of its time, feels like it should be left to its time.

watching Batman hang someone from a building for a little bit of information and then proceed to bounce them off cement "without killing them" just, I dunno, doesn't seem like something someone proposed to be an idealized individual should be doing. 9 times out of 10, "The World's Greatest Detective's" number one form of information gathering is just terrorizing someone until he gets what he wants. I guess cos he's a white billionaire it's ok? if there's one thing consistent in American culture, terrorism is good if it happens to "bad" people. idk. in general he's a character that seems to be gaining popularity in the mainstream as he should be getting questioned as an example as to what a hero should not be.

is this woke? I dont really care. should I get back on task? probably. is using Absolute Batman to fight back against fascist racists in the most brutal way possible funny and cool? yes.

[Taylor Bowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Batman stories I've ever read. Another take on the vengeance vs justice arc that he inevitably learns early in his career. You've seen it in The Batman. It was talked about in Batman Begins. It's what eventually separates him from any other guy dressing up, going outside, and blowing off some steam.

Absolute Batman is set in a universe where xenophobes act as militiamen and work alongside the local police who are allegedly there to protect and serve. What a fiction!

I admittedly bought a copy of this for the same reason as most readers, to see Bruce put some work in on these guys, but the real surprise is the pastor character caught in the middle of all this. His impression on Bruce leaves Batman with a sobering perspective and brings him a step closer to the caped crusader we are all more familiar with.

DWJ was also blowing off some steam in this book. And after this dumb year who can blame him? He might be having his cake and eating it too, but it's a great hook. It was the entire hype around the annual. We were drawn in with the glorified violence and by the end are left asking how we thought rage and vengeance could have ever been enough to make meaningful change.

Also we see how this Earth's Batman got his Batmobile, so that's fun.

[Štěpán · Rating 4 out of 5]

DWJ and James Harren tackle Absolute Batman Annual, and it is polarising. The first part is DWJ unleashing hell on white supremacists. It is brutal, the art is awesome, and it feels like DWJ wanted to write and draw something filled with emotions and heart. It feels right at home in the Absolute Batman, where he can really go all out and use a flamethrower.

The other story by James Harren, has great art, but storywise lacks more depth and would be better with more pages of content. Nevertheless, it was a fine short story, but compared to the previous one, filled with rage and hate for supremacists, it is lacking and drags the annual down.

[sniederhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

white pow — *POW*

batman beating the absolute snot out of nazis? yes. *absolute* yes. a nice little shift / break from the madness.

[Jake Vosters · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest, the other two stories in this annual were pretty lackluster - one is too short, and the other is a bit confusing. However, the DWJ story that gets all the attention is genuinely a 5/5, and it’s so good that I can’t help but give this a 5 star rating.

[Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

first story was nice and art was dope - 3.5 stars
second not so much - 2.75 stars

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an outstanding issue! Fun, over-the-top, and self-aware in all the right ways. It was fascinating to see another writer take on this character, and Daniel Warren Johnson captures the essence perfectly. Some online discourse tries to draw parallels between the White Supremacists in the story and real-world conservatives, but that’s a reach. While DWJ’s real-world commentary might invite those interpretations, there’s no direct connection here.
What really makes this issue shine is the story itself. Watching Bruce wrestle with his own nature, the struggle between resolving conflict through violence or restraint, and ultimately realizing that he is violence personified, in contrast to his father, makes for an incredibly compelling narrative.
The secondary story was equally engaging. Following the Black Mask gang’s perspective and seeing how they perceive Batman’s mythos was both refreshing and intense.
Overall, this annual was phenomenal from start to finish. Don’t buy into the online noise; this issue stands tall on its own merit.
Grade: A

[Cybernex007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! Such a satisfying and so well put together issue. Daniel Warren Johnson is a genius and the story that starts this out is by far my favorite. Seeing absolute batman just pound in white supremacists just gives me a feel good feeling inside. And this story has the added benefit of telling the story of where batman got the dump truck Batmobile from. As it turns out batman got a lot of his non lethal weaponry from shadier spots, which is to be understood for this version, one such spot was in slaughter swamp just outside of an abandoned construction project that has become a small tent villains for migrants looking for a better life. After getting the weapons Bruce happened to notice a group of men in pig masks, can’t help but make me think of professor Pyg but probably not connection, beating up a mother and her son. Each of them have very specific supremacist tattoos and they are yelling about these people getting out of their country before Bruce steps in with his fists the size of their heads to beat them in. Unfortunately the store owner he bought the weapons from was part of this group and was able to come up behind with a wrench and knock batman out. As they are joined by their leader, Deejay, they are about to bash in Bruce and his city boy def a bit more…but a preacher missing an eye jumps on top of him to get them to stop. He calls out to the boys, he has know them since they were young and knows they aren’t like this. But their leader, ab outsider, rallies them all together and gets them to leave as they have plans for tonight. The nearest hospital is over ab hour away so the preacher took Bruce back to his house to recover. There Bruce happens to notice a picture of the preacher when he was young and during the days he would go to peaceful protests. Bruce further asks about the group and the situation of the town and the preacher explains that the leader came in and started recruiting people and giving them a dark place to fill their hearts with, they are planning on going to the encampment Bruce passed and running all of the people out of town by any means necessary…not on Bruce’s watch. They may have scorched his car but they left his new gear in tact. In his mind sometimes peace isn’t the option, especially when they won’t listen. As we change scene and zoom in on the group of supremacists getting ready to storm the camp a police car rolls up…only to put on masks themselves and join the group. The supremacists run in and start bashing heads, the leader starts to yell OU about how he is power, pure power, white pow…before batman takes the arm he is extending into a Nazi salute and bashes it in a way no arm should bend. Hahahaha, I love it so much. Batman then proceeds to storm through the area, cracking skulls, throwing batarangs, and grabbing a key ring off one of the men as he sends the rest of them running. As batman goes to beat the leader’s face into the ground, the preacher jumps on top of him to stop batman. He isn’t sure what the right way is to stop this or fix it but he knows this isn’t it. We get an absolutely visceral panel of batman yelling down to the preacher, in the rain, that this is his way. We watch as the other supremacists race back to their HQ to rally the others and lock themselves inside…bur batman has found the dump truck at the abandoned work site…there is no door that can keep him out right now. Batman uses it to crash through the side of the house, goes ham with his battle axe. One of the supremacists cowers in a corner with an empty gun, ironically claiming that he can’t do this because they are humans. But batman disagrees, they are not humans…but roaches, and there is only one way to deal with those…his flamethrower!! He. Hens down the entire house, only to see the preacher come in the aftermath to heal and patch people up. They both have their own ways. As Bruce leaves with the dump truck he can’t help but think to his dad, who turned out to be in the same picture with the preacher at the peaceful protest. Thinking back and knowing that the preachers way was his father’s way and remembering back to how much he wanted to be like his father…he couldn’t hell but stop the truck, get out, look down at the blood on his hands, and cry.

The next story keeps the satisfaction level from fights and from deep emotional bonds up as we watch batman hunt down one of the last groups of party animals from black masks reign over Gotham. They are cowering in the shadows and currently sneaking into one of their members familial homes that is a church converted into a small mansion, perfect fortifications for getting everything setup. But as he goes upstairs to open the safe and get his dad’s shotgun…he finds it gone and his dad standing there with it. He never even expected gum to be here but it turns out while he has been gone work this group his mother died and the family annual trip to Florida was cancelled. As the two are arguing inside batman is already on the way, sneaking in through the roof and taking out the chards posted up there. Inside the animals attack the kids father and take his gun, getting information on the other safe before hearing batman upstairs. The main huge party animals attack which we saw batman mess up in the main issues is armed to the teeth from the dad’s weapons, which seems like he took from the party animal stashes, and has a bunch of drugs he got off the internet to supe himself up. As batman begins to attack he actually looks like a horror character, with his shadowy figure and long arms that reach out and pull party animals into his grasp. He especially looks like a monster to the drug fueled main party animal who unleashes a magazine of ammo towards batman before being taken down. All the while the father of the house has tackled his dom to safety as batman takes down the others and gets out of the way as the main one detonated a few grenades still stuck to his person. Batman was actually able to shield the father and son, reunited at last.

What’s also interesting is the final two pages, it’s a fun quirky little excerpt filled with bat facts all while images and sightings of batman swirl around the page. It has an interesting message about how bats are social creatures and survive best in numbers. And it seems that a lot more people are making and putting on their own batman symbol and following in his example. Very nice.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5* Three great stories following Absolute Batman. I obviously won’t be the first person to say that the first story was very relevant in the times we’re living in. Nothing makes me yearn for living in a world where superheroes are real quite like stories like these. It would’ve been flawless except I did feel it got a little bit lethal, even for Absolute Batman, and the point they were trying to make about violence.
I found the second story a little more difficult to make total sense of, but I did like the ending, and how it showed the legend of Batman taking root in Gotham.
The third “story” followed up on that— in a way I found really refreshing in its tone and also very relevant to the times. If the second story shows the legend of Batman spreading amongst Gotham criminals, this one showcased the opposite. Everyday people recognizing the work Batman is doing and protecting it through the power of community. I love superhero comics that make use of the age of smartphones and social media, so this was a nice little treat at the end following some heavy, serious stuff. All three are worth a read.