Absolute Universe

Last updated
Absolute Universe
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
Genre Superhero
Publication dateOctober 2, 2024 – present
Main character(s)Earth-Alpha/Elseworld

The Absolute Universe (AU) is an imprint of American comic books overseen by writer Scott Snyder and published by DC Comics. The comics take place in a shared universe designated Earth-Alpha as part of the DC Comics multiverse, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the DC Universe.

Contents

The imprint is part of the DC All In initiative, debuting in the aftermath of the 2024 Absolute Power crossover event. It was launched that year with the publication of the ongoing series Absolute Batman , Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman .

Publication history

The Absolute Universe (AU) is an all-new continuity separate from the DC Universe (DCU) overseen by Scott Snyder as part of the DC All In initiative. [1] The AU began in October 2024 with the DC All-In Special. The first titles released in the AU are Absolute Batman by Snyder with Nick Dragotta, and Absolute Wonder Woman by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman, which both started publication in October. A third title, Absolute Superman by Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval, debuted in November of the same year. [2] [3] Originally Rafael Albuquerque was set to illustrate Absolute Superman, but had to pull out of the project due to severe floods in his home country of Brazil, with Sandoval being brought onto the project in June 2024. [4]

Three further titles were released in 2025: Absolute Flash by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles, and Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodríguez (both in March), [5] [6] and Absolute Green Lantern by Al Ewing and Jahnoy Lindsay in April. [7]

Setting

The AU features previous concepts from Doomsday Clock (2017–2019), Dark Nights: Death Metal (2020–2021), and Infinite Frontier (2021–2023). It is set in Earth-Alpha, also called the Elseworld, one of the two pillars of the Metaverse, along with Earth-Omega, where Darkseid used to be imprisoned. According to Snyder, while the DCU is "influenced by Superman energy", the AU is "influenced by Darkseid energy", making society treat superheroes as underdogs. [8] [9]

It is established on DC All In Special that Earth-Alpha has been reshaped by Darkseid's essence as he is bent on creating a world driven by challenge and turmoil in which heroes are the "small chaos" rather than established parts of its system, while attempting to control its past and future during the gradual consolidation of the timeline on modern times. [10] Vital parts of the characters are stripped, while keeping the central message and key personality traits intact (i.e. Batman's wealth, Diana's childhood, and Kal-El being raised on Krypton as a young boy instead of as a baby).

List of titles

Prelude

TitleWritersArtistsColoristsPublication dateRef.
DC All In Special Scott Snyder
Joshua Williamson
Wes Craig
Daniel Sampere
Mike Spicer
Alejandro Sánchez
October 2, 2024 [2]

Ongoing series

TitleIssueWriterArtistColoristPublication dateRef.
Absolute Batman 1–Scott SnyderNick DragottaFrank MartinOctober 9, 2024 [2]
Absolute Wonder Woman Kelly Thompson Hayden Sherman Jordie Bellaire October 23, 2024 [2]
Absolute Superman Jason Aaron Rafa SandovalUlises ArreolaNovember 6, 2024 [2]
Absolute Flash Jeff Lemire Nick RoblesAdriano LucasMarch 19, 2025 [11]
Absolute Martian Manhunter Deniz Camp Javier Rodríguez March 26, 2025 [6]
Absolute Green Lantern Al Ewing Jahnoy LindsayApril 2, 2025 [12]

One-shot

TitleWritersArtistsColoristsPublication dateRef.
Free Comic Book Day 2025: DC All In/Absolute Universe Special Edition Dan Slott
Jeff Lemire
Rafael Albuquerque
Giuseppe Camuncoli
Stefano Nesi
Marcelo MaioloMay 3, 2025
TitleIssueWritersArtistsColoristsPublication dateRef.
The New Gods Vol. 51– Ram V Jorge Fornes
Evan Cagle
Francesco SegalaDecember 18, 2024 [2]

Collected editions

#TitleMaterial collectedFormatPagesReleasedISBN
Absolute Batman
1The ZooAbsolute Batman #1–6HC176August 5, 2025 978-1799505242
TPB 978-1799505259
Absolute Wonder Woman
1The Last AmazonAbsolute Wonder Woman #1–7HC176August 12, 2025 978-1799505297
TPB 978-1799505303
Absolute Superman
1Last Dust Of KryptonAbsolute Superman #1–6HC176August 19, 2025 978-1799505327
TPB 978-1799505334
Absolute Martian Manhunter
1Martian VisionAbsolute Martian Manhunter #1–6HC144November 18, 2025 978-1799505204
TPB 978-1799505211
Absolute Green Lantern
1Without FearAbsolute Green Lantern #1–6HC176December 9, 2025 978-1799505549
TPB 978-1799505556
Absolute Flash
1Of Two WorldsAbsolute Flash #1–6HC144December 23, 2025 978-1799505181
TPB 978-1799505198

See also

DC Comics universes
Marvel Comics universes
Other universes

References

  1. Schedeen, Jesse (July 31, 2024). "Why the Absolute Universe Is DC's Most Exciting Launch in Years". IGN . Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cronin, Brian (July 18, 2024). "DC Reveals First Three Absolute Universe Titles". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  3. Polo, Susana (July 17, 2024). "Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman are about to get alternate origin stories via DC's All In". Polygon . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. "The Design of Absolute DC: Rafa Sandoval on Coming to the Rescue on Absolute Superman". SKTCHD. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  5. Johnston, Rich (July 25, 2024). "DC Comics Announces Absolute Flash by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Johnston, Rich (October 18, 2024). "Confirmed: Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  7. Will Salmon (July 27, 2024). "Absolute Green Lantern is writer Al Ewing's first series for DC and will be a "complete reimagining" of the concept, starring multiple Lanterns". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  8. Salmon, Will (July 18, 2024). "Absolute Batman heads up the first wave of a new Ultimates-style universe as part of DC's All In comic book line refresh". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  9. O'Donoghue, Kate (July 18, 2024). "DC's ABSOLUTE Universe Is Finally Official: Get the Full Story & New Creator Details Here". Screen Rant . Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  10. DC All-In Special #1. DC Comics.
  11. Salmon, Will (July 26, 2024). "Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and more DC heroes join forces to restore the Justice League in a new ongoing series from Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  12. Salmon, Will (July 27, 2024). "Absolute Green Lantern is writer Al Ewing's first series for DC and will be a "complete reimagining" of the concept, starring multiple Lanterns". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved July 27, 2024.