I loveLego Batman, dearly, Snyder admits toDen of Geekover Zoom in an interview alongside artist Nick Dragotta.
It speaks to how I think of Batman.
For a lot of superheroes, their default position is kind of down.
They start from a place thats relatable in terms of insecurity or worry, likePeter Parker.
Bruce starts on the other end, where hes just like, Of course I can do this!
And its really fun, because hes always that.
He joins forces with Alfred Pennyworth, here an international mercenary who returns to Gotham on a secret mission.
In other words, this is a complete reinvention of Batman for a new generation of readers.
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Absolute Unit
Befitting his hardscrabble upbringing,Absolute Batmanis brutal.
In the opening arc, the Dark Knight battles a sadistic gang called the Animal Party.
But, as with theLego Batman, Snyder sees a humor in this new version of the character.
You push him down, and he comes back up with a feeling of I got this.'
But Batmans confidence isnt just something to laugh about for Snyder.
He has this nightmarish thing happen to him, and then he goes at that thing every single night.
He goes at it over and over again.
At his core, Batman is a really simple construction, Snyder explains.
Beyond that, everything else is window dressing.
Dragotta took a similar approach when designing the look ofAbsolute Batman.
You need the ears, you need the cowl, you need that silhouette.
You want readers to recognize this is Batman.
Instead of the utility belt, this will be the utility cowl, the utility suit.
For example, this Batman can use the Bat symbol on his chest to make an ax.
Its funny to say that because its not, though.
Its just his circumstances are different.
At the core, hes still a genius.
Hes still a problem solver.
Ours is maybe more of a do-it-yourselfer, who pulls his sleeves up and gets the job done.
And what big sleeves they are.
Give or take anAdam West, Batman has always been built.
Scott really pushed me to go bigger, Dragotta laughs.
And Im like, Scott… were getting pretty big here.
And he just said, Trust me, and I did.
Having all that trust and all of Scotts knowledge to lean on is awesome.
Because I can try the wildest shit and ask Scott, Would this work?
Creatively, its been awesome.
When I see it, its just Batman to me, Dragotta says.
Absolute Fundamentals
Which raises a question.
If this is still Batman, despite the size and without the money, whats the point?
Why even attempt to reboot Batman with a new line?
So whats so different aboutAbsolute Batman?
Who would Batman be today, if you could start him from scratch, what would he be?
Snyder asked himself when beginning the project.
They look out and see a world against regular people, who dont have a billion dollars.
Im a big theme guy, Dragotta adds.
We started with Bruce and this large Batman, which inspired me to go very chunky with the city.
I want it to feel heavy, I want it to feel geometric.
And I want it to feel imposing and large and have lots of depth.
When you walk the streets in New York, it just seems like the skyscrapers never end.
I feel like its about to burst, Dragotta says.
But its also a utility, he continues.
Its a tool that he uses.
When you see it, youll get it.
It cant be this little baroque, fancy symbol because that wouldnt fit the character.
Hes not concerned with branding yet.
And thats just fine with the creators.
I love the conversation around it, Snyder says.
I love the hype, I love people hating it.
In fact, Snyder goes so far as to say that it will become a fan favorite.
I guarantee you those shirts will sell out at New York Comic-Con with that logo.
I believe in the story.
When people read it, theyre going to get it.
That same sentiment extends to the villains, who have also undergone a massive change in the Absolute Universe.
Theres real history and affection between him and Oswald, Harvey Dent, Edward Nygma, and Selina Kyle.
They all know each other from the neighborhood.
I love Waylon, Killer Crock, Dragotta says.
He feels like a real revelation.
And thats just great to Snyder and Dragotta.
I believe in what were doing creatively, Dragotta says.
I know that people will get it when they read it.
Snyder concurs: I love it.
Because, like Nick said, its perfect for our story.
But for all its darkness and violence, the creators insist thatAbsolute Batmanis a joyful book.
He makes a couple jokes in the first issue.
Not ha-ha jokes, but Oh, man, hes tough jokes.
This is a book for them.
And, of course, for fans ofThe Lego BatmanMovie.
Absolute Batman #1 releases Oct. 9. you’re able to check out the covers below:
