Apparently, I’m Reading Batman Now

I don’t read for fun very often. Most weeks, finding the time is the problem.

This weekend, I finally sat down with Absolute Batman, a comic I’d been hearing about for the last couple of years.

And man, I was blown away.

For anyone unfamiliar, Absolute Batman is a reimagining of Bruce Wayne by writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta. This Bruce is a working-class engineer, building his version of Batman without the Wayne fortune, the mansion, or the familiar setup most of us associate with the character.

It’s part of DC’s separate Absolute Universe. You can start with issue one without needing to catch up on decades of Batman history.

That’s part of why this matters. It gives new readers a place to jump in, while giving the creators room to rethink a character people already know. Take away the advantages we associate with Bruce Wayne, and you get to explore what makes him Batman in the first place. His ingenuity. His determination. His decision to keep showing up for Gotham.

For me, it was also a reminder of how much I enjoy a good story when I actually make time for one.

I’m excited to see where this series goes. Absolute Batman is going on my reading list, and I think I’m going to have to start protecting a little time to keep up with it.

Looks like I’m making room for Gotham.

Background: DC’s conversation with Snyder and Dragotta and DC’s introduction to the series.