DC is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the hugely successful Absolute Universe imprint with the release of Absolute Evil #1. This one-shot special offers critical new insight into the history of this twisted universe and the villains who have shaped it. Most importantly, we learn a great deal about Absolute Joker and why he's so profoundly different from the traditional Clown Prince of Crime. Plus, we finally meet a villain who's been the single biggest question mark of this new universe.
Read on to learn what this issue reveals about Joker's shocking motivations and other revelations about why there are so few heroes in the Absolute Universe.
Warning: Beware of full spoilers for Absolute Evil #1 ahead!
How the Absolute Universe Reinvents Joker
Absolute Evil #1 revolves around a meeting between the major villains of each individual Absolute Universe title - Absolute Wonder Woman's Veronica Cale, Absolute Superman's Ra's al Ghul, Absolute Green Lantern's Hector Hammond, Absolute Flash's Dr. Elenore Thawne, and, of course, Absolute Batman's Joker. These villains have never cooperated in the past, but with a new generation of costumed revolutionaries rising up to threaten the world order, Cale sees an urgent need for unity.
Cale has trouble making her case until Joker finally interjects. The other attendees take his speech very seriously, since, as Ra's repeatedly points out, Joker never jokes. He's utterly humorless.
As already established in Absolute Batman, Joker is basically everything Bruce Wayne is in the regular DC Universe. He has immense wealth and a faithful butler. He's traveled the world molding himself into the ultimate warrior. He's refined and dignified. And, again, he never laughs.
Joker reveals that his team of scientists have been studying the fabric of the universe. Using their advanced particle accelerator, they discovered a particle even more fundamental to the nature of existence than the fabled Higgs Boson. Joker calls it the Omega Particle. The Omega Particle proves, on a mathematical and even spiritual level, that the universe is the way it is for a reason. He and his partners possess power over others because they deserve to. The Omega Particle is proof that the arc of the universe bends toward justice.
From there, Joker makes his proposal. He, Cale, Ra's, Hammond, and Thawne will form a team to safeguard their power and promote peace and justice. They'll be the Justice League.
Joker's discovery of the Omega Particle ties back to the origins of the Absolute Universe seen in last year's DC All-In special. The Absolute Universe is a mirror of the regular DCU that has been fundamentally warped by Darkseid. With his immense new power, Darkseid has corrupted the universe through sheer force of will and robbed DC's heroes of their innate advantages. As Joker has discovered, Darkseid's malice permeates the very subatomic fabric of existence.
As Joker has discovered, Darkseid's malice permeates the very subatomic fabric of existence.“
This issue serves as a valuable glimpse into the mind of this Joker, making it all the more clear that he's completely unlike just about every other version of the character. He's not a cackling jester or prankster. He's not even an anarchist. He's someone who believes very firmly in preserving order, whereas Batman as a Gotham City revolutionary now represents chaos. Their dynamic has completely reversed in this universe.
Interestingly, the way Joker is portrayed here, it almost seems as though speaking at length and maintaining a calm facade causes him physical pain. That may well be the idea. We've already seen in Absolute Batman that Joker relies on a grotesque ritual where he wraps himself in a cocoon of dead babies, something we assume grants him increased strength and a longer lifespan. More recently, writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta revealed a tease of Absolute Batman #15, which will apparently showcase Joker's true, monstrous form:
