Absolute Batman Unveils Darkest Tweedle-Dee, Tweedle-Dum, and Calendar Man Yet

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Brian Bolland's artwork for Detective Comics featuring Batman and several of his villains.

Published Jul 12, 2026, 8:01 AM EDT

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The following article contains spoilers for Absolute Batman #22.

Each time Absolute Batman introduces a new iteration of a classic DC character, it is like Christmas for the reader. The mega-popular comic book series has delivered some intriguingly clever and even downright creepy reinventions of the Dark Knight's allies and enemies alike.

However, fans seem to be most amused by the Absolute Universe characters that are in the "downright creepy" category. Thus, they must have been jazzed by a certain pair of reveals from the most recent issue of Absolute Batman.

Absolute Batman #22 Debuts Tweedledee, Tweedledum, And Calendar Man

Absolute Batman #22 is destined to be remembered as an essential chapter of the smash-hit series, particularly for how many crazy bombshells it drops in the climax. At the same time Bruce Wayne discovers his father is still alive (which fans have suspected is actually a Scarecrow trick involving Clayface in disguise), it is revealed that Jack "Absolute Joker" Grimm is Absolute Harley Quinn's biological father.

Speaking of the Red Hood Gang leader's origin story, it also involves a scene in which the young woman discovers that, hidden in the home she shares with her single, neurologist mother, is an elevator that leads directly to Ark M. During her tour of the facility, she comes across test subjects who appear to be the Absolute Universe-canon iterations of Tweedledee, Tweedeledum, and Calendar Man, none of whom are a pretty sight to behold.

Harley finds Tweedledee and Tweedledum in Absolute Batman #22

If it weren't for a speech bubble that reads "Dee-dum, dee-dum," Absolute Tweedledee and Tweedledum might not be so easy to identify. The naked, overweight twins whom young Harley catches a glimpse of in the clear glass cell are conjoined at the head and shoulders, barely resembling their traditional depictions at all.

Absolute Calendar Man is an even farther cry from any of his previous iterations, only recognized by the Roman numerals tattooed around his head, and might be the most unsettling iteration yet, which is really saying something. Harley witnesses him violently bursting from the body of what appears to be his older self, suggesting that he is gifted with perpetual life, via rebirth.

Filling in for main artist Nick Dragotta on Absolute Batman #22 is Werther Dell'Edera. His creepy signature illustrative style that has defined James Tynion IV's Something is Killing the Children franchise blends perfectly with the mercilessly bleak tale writer Scott Snyder conjures up for this instant classic issue.

A Brief History Of Tweedledee, Tweedledum, And Calendar Man

An image of the DC Comics villains and cousins Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

Created by writer Don C. Cameron with artist, and original Batman co-creator, Bob Kane, Tweedledee and Tweedledum made their DC Comics debut in 1943. The duo, originally consisting of identical cousins Deever and Dumfey Tweed before another cousin named Dumson filled in for Dumfey following his 2004 death, bases their criminal aliases and typical aesthetic on characters from Lewis Carroll's sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass.

In fact, in the main timeline, the Tweeds are known as the heads of the Wonderland Gang, which was initially, and understandably, assumed to be a criminal operation led by The Mad Hatter. However, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are not actually the henchpeople type, and most often prefer to orchestrate schemes carried out by their own lackeys.

Calendar Man, the alter ego of Julian Day, has undergone an even more dramatic evolution since he made his debut in Detective Comics #259 in 1958. Writer Bill Finger, Bob Kane's Batman co-creator, and artist Sheldon Moldoff originally envisioned the character as one whose crimes and costume correspond to different holidays or seasons.

However, in his later years, Calendar Man has been depicted as a deeply disturbed individual prone to putting the Caped Crusader through great psychological torment. The hero and villain would even develop a dynamic similar to Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, due to his extensive knowledge of activity in the criminal underworld, even while serving in prison.

Absolute Batman #22 is now available where comic books are sold.