DC has been teasingBane’s introduction to theAbsoluteBatmannarrative for over a month now. With this iconic rogue’s official debut just around the corner, creator Scott Snyder is keeping the hype alive by teasing Bane’s upcoming appearance and confirming a bold design choice that has already set the internet buzzing.
Absolute Batmanwriter and general DC legendScott Snyder took to Redditto drop a newAbsolute Batmanteaser, keeping the hype for Bane’s debut riding high. In his post, Snyder shared Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin’s main cover forAbsolute Batman#10, which features an intense face-off between a de-masked Batman and Bane.
The cover stands out because it only shows the outline of Bane,with the image filled in by repeating yellow text that reads,“V.2 REDACTED BANE.”Since Bane’s design for theAbsoluteseries has already been teased, this raises the question of what new design elements Snyder and Dragotta might be hiding in this redacted cover art.
“So So So Small”:Snyder Confirms Bold Design Choice for Absolute Bane
Main Cover by Nick Dragotta forAbsolute Batman#9 (2025)
Given the love for theAbsolute Batmanseries and the general respect fans have for Snyder himself, Reddit users were quick and excited to engage with the creator’s post. The top upvoted comment focused onBane’s character design, with one user saying,“His head is going to be so small.”This observation is supported by the main cover by Nick Dragotta forAbsolute Batman#9, where the extreme difference in proportion between Bane’s head and body is clearly visible. Snyder even joined the conversation, responding directly to the Reddit thread and confirming that Bane’s head will be“so so so small.”
It’s clear from Snyder’s response that this is a deliberate design choice by both him and Dragotta.This stylistic decision helps distinguish the Absolute Universe versions of these charactersfrom their Earth-Prime counterparts. The massive Bruce Wayne in this universe also has a notably disproportionate head compared to his body, but Bane takes it to the extreme, his hulking frame even overshadows Batman’s already imposing form. Fans won’t get the full scope of Bane’s intimidating presence until his in-narrative debut inAbsolute Batman#9, releasing on June 22, 2025, where both his immense size and tiny head will be fully revealed.
Pre-Orders forAbsolute Batman#8 Are CLOSING
Cover B Gabriele Dell’Otto Variant forAbsolute Batman#10 (2025)
What makes Snyder’s Reddit post even more notable is that he took the time to respond to several threads, interacting with fans and further escalating their excitement for his work. He also made a thread of his own, informing fans that pre-orders forAbsolute Batman#8, which sets everything up for Bane’s story, are due Monday, August 19, 2025.Absolute Batman#8 will release on August 08, 2025, and will continuethe Dark Knight’s face-off against Mr. Freeze. However, based on Snyder’s teaser, it’s clear that this issue will also play a key role in setting the stage forBane’supcoming introduction.
