Absolute Batman, Vol. 3: Devil's Workshop

TL;DR — The Essence

Batman survived his war with Bane, but the people he loves didn’t come out of it whole — and he might not be able to fix them alone, even by crossing into another world to ask a god for help. While Bruce searches for a way to save his friends, another resident of the Ark M facility surfaces as a new threat to Gotham, and the true, monstrous identity behind the Joker finally comes into full view. Collecting the 2025 Annual, the Absolute Batman: Ark M special, and issues #15–18, this is the volume where Absolute Batman’s central mystery stops being teased and starts paying off.

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Why It’s Worth Reading

1. The Joker’s Full Reveal Actually Lands

Absolute Batman had been building toward this universe’s twisted version of the Joker since its first issue. This volume is where that buildup pays off — the character’s monstrous alternate form and his ties to an old, wealthy crime dynasty come into full focus, in an issue that alone sold over 300,000 copies.

2. It Crosses Into the Wider Absolute Universe

Bruce enlisting Wonder Woman’s help to try to undo what Ark M did to his friend Waylon Jones is the series’ first real crossover with the rest of DC’s Absolute Universe imprint — a sign the line is building toward something bigger than three separate origin stories.

3. The Annual Takes On Real-World Weight

The included 2025 Annual was singled out by critics for how directly it engages with the consequences of violence, handling political subject matter with more care than most superhero comics attempt — without losing the series’ momentum as pure action storytelling.

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Creative Team

Absolute Batman, Vol. 3: Devil’s Workshop is written by Scott Snyder, with art primarily by Nick Dragotta and additional art by Jock, colored by Frank Martin. It collects the Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, the Absolute Batman: Ark M special, and issues #15 through #18, continuing directly from the events of Abomination within DC’s Absolute Universe imprint. The series launched in October 2024 alongside Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman, and in June 2026, DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation officially greenlit an animated series adaptation, with Snyder attached as showrunner and Dragotta as producer.

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Who Should Read This

Read this after Absolute Batman Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 — the Joker reveal and the Ark M fallout only land if you already know what Bruce and his friends went through in The Zoo and Abomination. If you’ve been reading this series for its willingness to reinvent classic Batman villains without softening them, this is the volume that finally gives the Joker the same treatment.

It’s also a reasonable jumping-on point for seeing where DC’s Absolute Universe imprint is headed as a shared line, not just three parallel Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman stories.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Absolute Batman, Vol. 3: Devil’s Workshop about? Batman deals with the aftermath of his battle with Bane, enlists Wonder Woman’s help to try to save a transformed friend, and confronts the full, monstrous reveal of this universe’s Joker.

Do I need to read Absolute Batman Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 first? Yes. This volume continues directly from the events of Abomination and assumes you already know Bruce’s origin and the fallout of the Ark M storyline.

What issues does this volume collect? The Absolute Batman 2025 Annual, the Absolute Batman: Ark M special, and issues #15 through #18 of the ongoing series.

Is there really an Absolute Batman animated series in the works? Yes. DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation officially announced it in June 2026, with series writer Scott Snyder attached as showrunner.