There’s Always a Bigger Bane

There’s one thing everyone knew about DC’s Absolute universe before it launched: its Absolute Batman was big as hell. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s then-new take on the Dark Knight turned him from a silent ninja into a brick bathouse with a literal chest axe and a big-ass Batmobile. Can he get any bigger? No, but his enemies sure can!

DC recently released its solicitcs for the month of June, and Absolute Batman #9 will introduce Bane. This version of the character, per the logline, is actually an “old adversary” of Alfred’s recently summoned to Gotham by Joker. His mission? Stop Bruce from uncovering the secrets of Ark M, an institution contributing “in the creation of evil” within Gotham. His methods? Be literally big as hell. Check him out in Dragotta’s cover below.

Sure is one big Bane, huh? At that size and amped up on Venom, this is probably one of the scarier versions of the villain, and it looks like he could easily eat Batman or just break his spine, as he often does. (The idea that this Bane needs a gun is also hilarious, given Venom makes him the size of a building.) In a February interview with CBR, Snyder teased Absolute Bane would have a new origin, but one that would “speak to the old [backstory]. It’s very much in conversation with who he’s always been, but it just makes him even bigger and more dangerous, in my opinion. So he’s scarier, bigger, tougher, smarter — all of it.”

That’s an interesting tease, as is his introduction as an enemy of Alfred’s that Bruce inherits. We can’t wait to see what this Bane is all about when Absolute Batman #9 releases on June 11.

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