Comic book companies sometimes completely restart their main storyline, which affects all their ongoing titles. A good example is DC Comics’ ‘The New 52’ from 2011, where they relaunched all their books with new #1 issues to signal a fresh start for the entire universe.
Although many initially liked this well-known period in comic book history when it first came out, most people don’t feel very positive about it now. Interestingly, a prominent critic of the relaunch was actually involved in creating it from the beginning.
Scott Snyder Calls Out The New 52’s Lack Of Planning
It’s incredibly frustrating for comic book fans when a series they love starts to decline. Many comics reach their best point early on, and writer Scott Snyder definitely understands this pattern.
While the author is now highly respected, his work on DC’s New 52 – including stories like “The Court of Owls” and “Death of the Family” – likely played a big role in building his reputation. However, he’s also said that working on the relaunch felt creatively limiting, as he recently shared in an interview.
It was a really chaotic work environment with little opportunity for planning. I didn’t learn about the details of the ‘New 52’ initiative – like the fact that my Batman run would start with issue #1 and have a tight six-month deadline – until after I’d already been hired.
Snyder makes a point of recognizing the contributions of those who led DC during the New 52, especially Geoff Johns and Dan DiDio. He also understands the challenges they faced, including moving the offices to Los Angeles and frequent changes in leadership.
As a fan, I’ve been following this creator’s work for a while now, and he feels DC’s reboot could have been much stronger if they’d let creators like him really build out their storylines over time. But it’s not all bad – it seems like the whole experience actually had a big impact on his Absolute Universe project, which is great to see!
Absolute Universe Benefits From Preparation
Scott Snyder recently shared on the AIPT Comics Podcast that DC Comics signed off on his idea for Absolute Universe back in 2022. Despite the approval, the series didn’t actually debut until 2024.
Snyder made a deliberate choice to take his time developing this new version of DC characters – one where they don’t have their usual powers or strengths. As the leader of this project, he wanted both himself and other writers plenty of opportunity to fully flesh out their long-term story plans. He was motivated by what he saw as creative restrictions during the ‘New 52’ era, and aimed to avoid a similar situation.
Snyder revealed that he and his collaborators on the Absolute Universe are already planning content for release in 2028 and 2029. This will be the third phase of their story arc focusing on Darkseid, the character responsible for this altered timeline. He previously mentioned during a livestream on Whatnot that he and artist Nick Dragotta were actively working on it.
The next installment in the incredibly popular Absolute series, Absolute Batman #23, will introduce Absolute Clayface. This continues the story of Bruce Wayne as a working-class man, and we can expect the current storyline to progress soon. Given the series’ impressive success and careful planning, it looks like the Absolute Universe will continue to deliver compelling stories for a long time to come.
Absolute Batman #23 hits the shelves on Aug. 12, 2026.
2026-07-24 15:08