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DC Comics Absolute Universe Collecting Guide & Reading Order

Updated Apr 6, 2026! A comprehensive guide to DC Absolute Universe, including Absolute Batman, Absolute Wonder Woman, Absolute Superman, and more! Find out how to read it via single issues, omnibuses, hardcovers, and trade paperback graphic novel collections. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated April 2025 with titles scheduled for release through December 2026.

What is DC Absolute Universe?

DC All In Special (2024) #1 launched the DC Absolute Universe

DC Absolute Universe is an alternate universe newly established in the aftermath of the Absolute Power event in 2024. The Earth at the center of DC Absolute Universe was originally a primordial “Alpha World” born in the wake of the Death Metal event and obscured from the sight of Prime Earth’s heroes. Darkseid’s actions in DC All In Special (2024) #1 gave him a unique influence over this multiverse, and his influence created the Absolute Universe.

DC Absolute Universe is different than other past DC Elseworlds – including the similarly themed Earth One of the 2010s – because it is a single continuity shared by all of its characters. Each character is interacting with the same world, and all of their origins have been tweaked to be bleaker due to Darkseid’s influence. However, unlike Earth One, this is a fully fantastical Earth – full of plenty of super-powered individuals, magic, and dark gods, just like Prime Earth. The difference is that these aspects are emerging in the present day.

It’s easy to compare the DC Absolute Universe to the Marvel Ultimate Universe – in both of its incarnations. The original Marvel Ultimate Universe launched in 2000 was meant to give readers an easy on-ramp to beloved characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four while modernizing and streamlining their origins. Then, in 2023, Hickman had The Maker relaunch that Universe such that heroes did not emerge until the present day in a way that DC copied very closely in their launch of the Absolute Universe.

DC All In Special (2024) #1 by Scott Snyder & Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere & Alejandro Sánchez, Wes Craig & Mike Spicer, and Steve Wands (Oct 2024)

You do not need to read this series to understand the comics of DC Absolute! However, if you want to understand its (small and tenuous) connection to main DC continuity, this is the explainer – and it’s a big, bombastic, hugely satisfying issue!

#1: All-In Saga (2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799506423 / digital)
Collects Absolute Power (2024) #4, DC All In Special (2024) #1, and four unconnected issues that kicked off All In story arcs – Justice League Unlimited (2024) #1, Batman (2016) #153, Wonder Woman (2023) #14, and Superman (2023) #19.
(Single Issue: Amazon #1 / eBay #1)

Absolute Batman (2024) #1-(ongoing)
by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, & Frank Martin (Oct 2024 – ongoing)Absolute Batman (2024) #1, one of the launch titles of DC Absolute Universe

Absolute Batman introduces a version of Bruce Wayne who didn’t grow up with the resources of the familiar Bruce Wayne – including his connection with Alfred.

This is a cartoonishly hyper-violent take on Batman, heavy on his hyper-inflated physic and an “it’s all connected” approach to his villains all being his former friends.

#1-6: Vol. 1: The Zoo
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505242 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505259 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

#7-14: Vol. 2: Abomination
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799507505 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799507512 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 / eBay #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

#15-TBA: Vol. 3: Title TBA
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508908 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799508915 / digital TBA)
Also collects Absolute Batman: Ark M Special (2026) #1
(Single Issues: Amazon #15 / eBay #15)

 

Absolute Wonder Woman (2024) #1-(ongoing)
by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman (with Mattia De Iulis), & Jordie Bellaire (Oct 2024 – ongoing)Absolute Wonder Woman (2024) #1, one of the launch titles of DC Absolute Universe

Absolute Wonder Woman introduces a version of Diana who grew up away from the Amazons with a much stronger connection to magic than the familiar version of Diana.

#1-7: Vol. 1: The Last Amazon
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505297 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505303 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

#8-14: Vol. 2: As My Mothers Made Me
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799507536 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799507543 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 / eBay #8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

#15-20 & Annual 1: Vol. 3: Season of the Witch
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508946 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799508953 / digital TBA)

 

 

Absolute Superman (2024) #1-(ongoing) by Jason Aaron, Rafa Sandoval & Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Ulises Arreola (Nov 2024 – ongoing)Absolute Superman (2024) #1, one of the launch titles of DC Absolute Universe

Absolute Superman introduces a version of Clark with a slightly different origin on Krypton who arrives on Earth later in life.

This is Jason Aaron in absolute “hopecore” mode – writing an abandoned Superman in a dark, grounded world in a way that still manages to inspire.

#1-6: Vol. 1: The Last Dust of Krypton
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505327 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505334 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

#7-14: Vol. 2: Son of the Demon
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799507758 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799507529 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 / eBay #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

#15-21: Vol. 3: The Neverending Begins
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508922 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799508939 / digital TBA)

 

Absolute Flash (2025) #1-(ongoing) by Jeff Lemire & Nick Robles (Mar 2025 – ongoing)

Absolute Flash centers on Wally West, the teenage army brat son of an harsh and often-absent military-man father. When the scientist of the military base, Barry Allen, tries to take Wally under his wing there are immediate and disastrous results.

While the art in this series is lovely, I found it to be decompressed without much story happening in each issue.

#1-6: Vol. 1: Of Two Worlds
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505181 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505198 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

#7-12: Vol. 2: Still Point
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508380 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799508397 / digital TBA)
(Single Issues: Amazon #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 / eBay #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

#13-18: Vol. 3: Title TBA
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509936 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799509943 / digital TBA)

Absolute Martian Manhunter (2025) #1-(ongoing) by Deniz Camp & Javier Rodríguez (Mar 2025 – ongoing)

John Jones is a family man and an FBI agent who is suffering from a concussion and PTSD after being caught in the bomb blast of a domestic terrorist. Or, is he a Martian pretending to be a mild-mannered man!?

This was originally announced as a six-issue mini-series but was immediately extended to at least a second arc due to its massive pre-orders and the rapturous response to issue #1.

#1-6: Vol 1: Martian Vision
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505204 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505211 / digital)
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

#7-12: Vol. 2: The Agency
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799510871 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799510888 / digital TBA)
(Single Issues: Amazon #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 / eBay #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

Absolute Green Lantern (2025) #1-(ongoing) by Al Ewing & Jahnoy Lindsay (Apr 2025 – ongoing)

Absolute Green Lantern imagines that all of the beloved human Lanterns – from Hal Jordan to John Stewart to Guy Gardner to Jo Mullein and more – all know each other from living in a single dusty, desert town… where one day their lives are interrupted when a giant Green Lantern symbol falls to the ground.

Al Ewing usually clicks for me, but I felt this series was a misfire – the issues took under three minutes each to read and the art isn’t up to the quality of DC’s standard house style, let alone the best-of-the-best level of the Absolute line.

#1-6: Vol. 1: Without Fear
(2025 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799505549 / 2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799505556 / digital)
Also collects Absolute Evil (2025) #1
(Single Issues: Amazon #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 / eBay #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

#7-12: Vol. 2: Sojourner
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508403 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799508410 / digital TBA)
(Single Issues: Amazon #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 / eBay #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

#13-17: Vol 3: Title TBA
(2026 hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509950 / 2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799509967 / digital TBA)

Absolute Evil (2025) #1 by Al Ewing & Giuseppe Camuncoli (Oct 2025)

Though penned by Al Ewing and collected with his Absolute Green Lantern (2025), this has less to do with the plots of that book and more to do with the assorted oligarch villains of the Absolute Universe – including how they collaborate and how they chafe against each other.

#1: Collected with Absolute Green Lantern (2025), above.

Absolute Green Arrow (2026) by Pornsak Pichetshote & Rafael Albuquerque (May 2026 – TBA)

Billed as “I Know What You Did Last Summer for billionaires,” this series has Black Canary as the main character investigating a series of murders of corrupt billionaires (the only kind!) where the only clue is a green arrow sticking out from the body.

#1 & on: TBA pending solicitation

Absolute Catwoman (2026) #1-(ongoing) by Scott Snyder, Che Grayson, & Bengal (Jun 2026 – ongoing)

After over a year of teases in the pages of Absolute Batman (2024), the Absolute Catwoman was fully revealed and then graduated to her own title!

#1 & on: TBA pending solicitation

Didn’t find what you were looking for?
Check Amazon for DC’s newest Absolute titles.

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