Writers: Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Cover Artists: Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin; Frank Cho; Leirix; Michael Cho; Riccardo Federici
Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: January 28, 2026
Batman doesn't know Wonder Woman. But when Diana summons him with a magical apparition, he agrees to help her investigate four deaths. After facing all the nightmares modern science can devise, Bruce gains respect for Diana’s differing abilities as they face deadly magic in Slaughter Swamp. Can the two heroes unite again to make their world a better place? And how far will they go to support each other? Let’s leap onto our motorcycles, race into Absolute Batman #16, and see!
Story
Bruce Wayne had the opportunity to escape Gotham. Instead, he built his life around supporting and protecting his city. When he learned about the private prison, he snuck into Ark M, but Bane and Dr Arkham were waiting for him. And while they experimented on Bruce, they also transformed his friends. Eddie, a technology enthusiast, may like how they enhanced his brain. But the researchers broke every bone in Ozzie's body. They burned Harvey. And they did far worse to Bruce’s best friend, Waylon Jones.
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta begin Absolute Batman #16 in the aftermath of Bruce’s brutal fight with Bane. It’s taken time for public perception to shift. But after seeing Bane’s spectacular abilities, and a giant crocodilian aid Batman, people begin to wonder if they can trust the vigilante more than the mayor who governs via martial law. As Bruce returns to work for Mr Fox, a sense of normalcy, or a return to the world he understands, beckons. But a visit to see Harvey and Ozzie reminds Bruce what Ark M did to his friends, and how their lives may never return to what they were before.
Bruce knows how to build and maintain his beloved city, but helping his friends recover from transformative surgeries lies outside Bruce's wheelhouse. In Absolute Batman #16, Bruce uses the talisman Diana gave him to summon her with a magical apparition. When he requests her aid, Diana grants it. But capturing a miracle is not the work of a moment.
Like the heroes of myths and legends, Batman and Wonder Woman’s quest will take them to a realm where they are foreigners, and everything is out to get them. While Diana serves as his guide, she admits to gaps in her knowledge. On this journey prompted by friendship, Diana and Bruce's relationship grows as each surprises the other.
Art
When workers arrive, they find Bruce sleeping in his truck. An excavator drops rubble like the flesh Batman carved from Bane’s skeleton. A glimpse of the grandstands evokes Waylon Jones' triumphs and how Gotham has rewarded him. When Bruce’s imposing form enters the tiny hospital room, Ozzie can’t move, although he seems to be regaining his Human structure. And bandages now cover only one side of Harvey’s face.
As Batman utilizes Wonder Woman’s talisman, Nick Dragotta surrounds him with symbols of Diana’s heritage in Absolute Batman #16. Marble stairs and a column mark the beginning of their journey through a fantastic landscape. Frank Martin enhances this gray realm with soft versions of beige, tan, brown, yellow, and orange. Awe-inspiring settings, such as a behemoth's bleached skeleton or a solar eclipse before a blue orb, fill small panels, until a locale awakens a cherished memory.
While characters speak black uppercase letters into balloons, Harvey's conversation inhabits clouds, and Waylon's white dialogue floats in green clouds. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for lowered tones. As extreme emotion turns balloons spiky, a disapproving voice utilizes a diagonal-laced font. Clayton Cowles enlivens a battle for a boon with sound effects, while more annoying sounds seemingly invite disappointment. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
Bruce Wayne grew up with Ozzie, Harvey, Eddie, and Waylon. He unintentionally endangered them when he invited them on his childhood visit to the zoo. But after Dr Arkham's staff experimented on them, Bruce wonders if he should have distanced himself from his lifelong friends when he became Gotham's protector. Absolute Batman #16 asks what matters more: the pain we undergo as friendships transform our lives, or helping others in need, regardless of the cost to those around us.
Rating 9.6/10
To look inside see my preview of Absolute Batman #16.
To hear from the creative team, see Reinventing Batman with Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta.
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