DC Comics recently launched its Absolute Universe to critical and commercial acclaim, withBatman’s corner of this new reality shaping up to be one of the most different and dark places of them all. Having already tussled with a few new versions of classic bat-villains, Batman is set to face the hulking mastermind known asBanenext, withBane’s designer and co-creator being none too happy about his creation’s new Absolute Universe look.
An alternate continuity separate from DC’s main canon, the Absolute Universe takes generous liberties with pre-established character lore, withAbsolute Batman, by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, significantly revamping Batman’s origin into something even more grounded and real, especially now that Bruce Wayne is without his billions.
But after the official reveal of Absolute Bane’s debut in the pages of anupcomingAbsolute Batmanissuesparked heavy fan debate online,Bane’s co-creator Graham Nolan took to X to express his concerns about Bane’s new design, calling it “a terrible abomination”compared to what he had originally envisioned for the character.
Absolute Bane’s New Character Design in DC’s Absolute Batman Book Is Simply Too Much
According to Bane Co-Creator Graham Nolan
Commenting about how he doesn’t like Absolute Bane’s redesign in the slightest, Graham Nolan, after posting Nick Dragotta’s art of atruly massive Banetowering over an already large Batman, bluntly says “As the designer /co-creator of Bane…this is a terrible abomination,” point blank telling the world what he really thinks of his creation’s new look. Mentioning how many have “done excellent interpretations” of Bane but “This is not one of them,”Graham also states that Bane’s disproportioned head is a problem for him, going so far as to sayThe Dark Knight Rises’ Bane was a failure too!
Bane May Be Strong, But He’s Not the DC Villain Batman Considers His Equal
Bane may be one of Batman’s most formidable foes, but the Dark Knight has admitted that a surprising villain could beat him in hand-to-hand combat.
Co-creating Bane alongside writers Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench for 1993’sBatman: Vengeance of Bane #1,Graham Nolan designed Bane as a muscular but still somewhat realistically proportioned man, with his Absolute redesign cranking things up to eleven in a way thatonly the Absolute Universe can, specifically where Bane’s muscles, tiny head, and Venom hoses are concerned. And while Nick Dragotta’s unique art style obviously lends itself to more extreme takes on the characters he draws, Graham Nolan isn’t exactly wrong about the direction Bane’s design took here, as it’s an over-extrapolation of the character’s most recognizable traits.
Absolute Batman’s Redesign Is Over-The-Top but Works Perfectly for the Absolute Universe
Absolute Bane Will Debut in Absolute Batman #9
Making his much-anticipated debut in June’sAbsolute Batman #9,Absolute Bane is a character whoScott Snyder has wanted to tacklesince he began developingAbsolute Batman’s story, with Bane’s presence promising to be the biggest challenge Batman has faced yet — a concerning thought considering Bane broke Batman’s back in DC’s main continuity and may be looking to do so again. Absolute Batman may be big, but Absolute Bane is bigger, and while this design works well for this continuity,Bane’s co-creator feels differently, ensuring that thisBatmanvillain’s latest redesign will be a hot topic for the foreseeable future.
