Published May 21, 2026, 10:28 AM EDT
Growing up in rural Iowa as a reluctant reader, it all changed when he started reading the original Fantastic Four by Lee/Kirby. Now Austin can't stop reading. He has written about comics for Comic Book Yeti and he has also written tons of indie comics, best known for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks.
It has never been a better time to be a Batman fan, with Absolute Batman, World’s Finest, and the mainline Batman series all being extremely well-regarded by fans. Writer Matt Fraction has finally weighed in on DC Comics' Absolute Universe.
While Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez's Batman and Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman take place in different universes, there has to be some friendly competition between the two. Competition can drive something good to become something great. As iron sharpens iron, so can two competing Batman titles.
“It’s a great time because there are so many different takes of him out there. It feels like everybody can get it. It feels like a really broad menu with a lot of cool tastes and flavors on it right now. I love that Absolute and us exist at the same time. That stuff that Scott and Nick are doing with all of their fill-in guys just makes me competitive in the best way. I’m jealous and energized and excited and inspired, and I just want to push harder and harder. They could not be more different. You might as well watch Ben Affleck and Lego Batman. It’s a great time to be a Bat-person.” Matt Fraction said on the GateCrashers podcast.
Duelling Batman Series Have Been A Treat For Comic Book Fans
What makes the current landscape of Batman comics so exciting is how different the two titles are. Absolute Batman is the start of a new universe that features a financially struggling Bruce Wayne and a gun-toting secret agent, Alfred. The mainline Batman is told with each issue being a stand-alone story about the happenings of the regular DC Universe.
The art in the two series is also very different. While Nick Draggota's Batman has a brand-new design, his artwork is heavily inspired by manga. If you look at his panel work, it is especially noticeable. Jorge Jiménez's Batman has a more classic costume and is a lot closer in looks to what fans have come to expect of Batman. While the two are very different takes, both are 100% Batman.
Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez's Batman launched in 2025 as a series of self-contained stories that all interwove with each other. Though extremely popular and well-received, it is often seen as playing second fiddle to Absolute Batman.
“Batman was the first comic I ever read. I was three-and-a-half years old… that’s the reason I love comics. When Chip [Zdarsky] told me he was leaving, he said, ‘Do you have anything?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ It wasn’t like I had a thing in my back pocket, it wasn’t like I knew what my Batman was going to be about, but when I sat down and thought about it, out came a Batman book I was excited to write!” Fraction said in an interview with AIPT.
Fraction is one of the rare comic book writers who has seen success not only in the indie comics realm, but with both Marvel and DC Comics. The same person behind writing the gut-busting Sex Criminals is also behind a thrilling detective tale with Batman, and fans cannot get enough of his duality across series.
All Batman titles are available for purchase wherever comic books are sold.
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