Absolute Batman #25 Review: Is It an Ending or a Season Finale?

OK, obviously, we know Absolute Batman isn’t ending, it’s just taking a couple of months’ break from regular issues, but #25 does feel like a season finale of a good show. In a good season finale you get some measure of satisfaction, something that’s been open gets wrapped up, and then maybe they hit you with more questions than you had before. That said, #25 didn’t really give us the wrap-up part.

I went to the shop at open on release day and was surprised to see quite a few people lined up there. Absolute Batman days always bring a few more, but still.

Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Publisher: DC
On-sale: October 28, 2026 ($5.99, oversized)

The Setup

This is the one where you’ve got Snyder online basically begging people not to spoil it, alluding to how hard of a needle to thread our spoiler-light take is going to be this time. Where we left off in #24, Bruce was heading toward Grimm Manor for an Absolute Joker showdown.

It opens with a little flashback to after Bruce was done being an enforcer, and how easily his group of friends took him back in. That sets the stage, because so much of this issue is about the friends: what they are all up to, how they’d help Bruce, and where the line is. Well, it seems Waylon, Two-Face, Riddler and Penguin have finally reached a consensus on how they intend to help together. I won’t spoil it, but it may or may not go the way you expect, and it has huge implications for where future issues may go.a

Highlights

It’s interesting how different, yet familiar, these guys are from the normal universe, where some of them are his biggest enemies. A couple of allies seem like they may be leaving town, and a familiar face or two comes back into the picture, which was good to see.

And yes, we get Joker and Batman in the same room! That’s what this was supposed to be, right? Grimm vs Bruce. We learn a few tidbits about the Joker and maybe get a surface-level peek at what he wants with Bruce. I don’t want to give away how it goes, but it’s not completely unsatisfying. Still, it certainly doesn’t quench the Absolute Batman vs Absolute Joker thirst either. We do get some big hit moments from both sides. A friend we haven’t seen a lot of also shows up at a key moment, with a little bit of badassery included.

Nothing really gets wrapped up at all, but it’s not that nothing happens. You can see where a lot of seeds are sown for what’s next, and then the final page — huge cliffhanger, and I’ll admit it caught me off guard. That one’s going to stick with me. I’m now questioning timelines, not just here but in other series in the Absolute Universe.

The cover folds out to show what the three Dragotta connecting covers (H, I and J: left, middle and right) were supposed to be. Those were already over-allocated at my shop, but I did grab the Hitch connecting variant (D), the one that goes with Absolute Superman and Wonder Woman. I love the spread. I don’t love that it cuts the right edge of the cover a little short. The red tint choice isn’t my favorite either. Inside, Dragotta & Martin are doing an excellent job, as always. The issue has a darker feel. The rooms for all the dialogue scenes seem dimly lit.

Is Absolute Batman Ending?

No. Like I said, it’s a break, not an ending. If anything this issue spins out new paths for even more stories.

The main book is taking a little bit of a hiatus, a little bit of a break, a little bit of a pause, with #26 in January. Beyond Ark-M is delayed to December, and there are one-shots and other Absolute titles in the meantime, so the story isn’t completely dead. Luckily this isn’t a show, so we don’t have to find out if it gets renewed and we only have to wait a couple of months. If you’re wondering where to start or what comes next, my Absolute Batman reading guide has it.

https://youtu.be/6olYSM7oslg

Final Verdict

Is it worth $5.99? Absolutely. It’s one of the best running comics, and one of the top books I look forward to every month. Sticking with the book through 2027, that’s a no-brainer.

If I have a complaint, it’s funny: this oversized issue didn’t feel oversized. It felt like a normal-size issue, and I just wanted more, especially scenes with the Joker and the friends. Unfortunately, I think that plays into something I’ve said at the end of other arcs. If Absolute Batman has any weakness, it’s that it rushes its wrap-ups on story arcs. The intricate setup, making us want more, that they’re extraordinarily good at.

Monthly or trades? I’m reading it monthly, but if you don’t plan to collect, the trades are easier and more cohesive to read back to back. If you’re trade-waiting, Vol. 4, The Straw Man, collects #19–25 and is out in March 2027. Digital works for reading too if you aren’t picking it up for the collection.

So, my one-sentence verdict: a not fully satisfying, yet still epic season finale that sets up several crazy story lines, and I can’t wait to see how they unfold in the comeback in the next “season,” or issue #26.

Did #25 feel like a season finale to you, and did that last page mess with your timelines too? Tag me on X @NostalgicNestEg.

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