The Absolute Universe is taking DC Comics’ most iconic heroes and villains into bold, twisted new territory, and now fans have been given a chilling new look at the Absolute Joker from Absolute Batman.
This design reveal from artist Nick Dragotta might just be the most nightmarish version of the Clown Prince of Crime we’ve ever seen.
A new design sheet that recently surfaced online shows off Dragotta’s monstrous take on The Joker, a demonic creature that looks more like something out of a horror movie than a comic book.
His warped features and grotesque proportions perfectly match the darker tone that writer Scott Snyder has crafted for this reimagined world.
The Absolute Universe has already redefined characters like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, giving them mythic, often terrifying makeovers. But when it comes to The Joker, this new version pushes the boundaries of what the villain represents.
In Absolute Batman, he’s not just an agent of chaos, he’s a full-blown monster, both physically and psychologically.
We’ll get to see more of this twisted Joker when Absolute Batman returns in February, but Snyder has already been teasing what’s coming next for the series. During a recent League of Comic Geeks AMA, the writer revealed some fascinating details about the Absolute versions of Scarecrow and Poison Ivy.
“Scarecrow is something very different [from] the other villains we’ve seen so far,” Snyder shared. “Ivy is coming up again very soon, and you’ll see that she has extremely powerful abilities.
“While she isn’t exactly a monster like Mr. Freeze or Joker where she’d be strictly terrifying, she’s also kind of wondrous and dazzling while not strictly being human.”
“Scarecrow is human. He is a man obsessed with the power of fear,” Snyder continued. “He has all of the gases and the things from history, a full kind of museum of fear that he loves to keep, but he’s very modern.
“He’s someone who uses fear to bring down government, to topple rulers. He’s like a hired gun or a shadow that moves behind the scenes.”
“I did some reading on the history of scarecrows, and some of the originals in ancient times contain nets that would catch birds so they could be killed, not just scare them away, but genuinely scare them to death. This Scarecrow is very dark in that way, but he’s a man rather than a monster,” Snyder concluded.
Snyder’s Absolute Batman run has quickly become one of DC’s top-selling titles, driven by his dark, imaginative storytelling and the eerie visual work from Dragotta. It’s a creative reunion fans have been waiting for since Snyder’s legendary New 52 Batman era.
DC teases: “SCOTT SNYDER REUNITES WITH LEGENDARY ARTIST JOCK! Alfred reveals to Bruce the story of the man he’s been chasing for years. Enter: Joker! Scott Snyder and Jock reunite for an epic tale in the Absolute Universe!”
The Absolute Joker looks ready to haunt the nightmares of Gotham.
