Skip to content

Absolute Reimagining of DC Comics

February 25, 2026 · 42 min

Show notes

Imagine if Bruce Wayne had no money, if Superman grew up on Krypton and came to Earth with emotional scars, or if Wonder Woman had been raised in Hell. Welcome to the Absolute Universe – a dark parallel universe created by DC Comics in 2024. The idea of a parallel universe is not new to comic books, but what is surprising has been the success of the Absolute Universe. Some of the Absolute versions of superheroes have been outselling the comics that take place in DC’s mainline universe. I talk with Executive Editor Chris Conroy and Group Editor Katie Kubert about how they’ve overseen the team of artists and writers at DC crafting this dark universe with thematic parallels to our own world. And I talk with writer Kelly Thompson about how she came up with Absolute Wonder Woman and why the comic is resonating with so many fans.

This episode is sponsored by Surfshark. Go to https://surfshark.com/worlds or use the code WORLDS at checkout to get 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN!

To support the show, you can donate on Patreon where you get access to the ad-free version and our companion show Between Imaginary Worlds. You can also buy Imaginary Worlds merchandise at our online store.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All episodes of Imaginary Worlds

Settings

Display

Language

Decides which stations you see first on the home page.

History

Recently played stations and episodes and your latest searches are only stored in this browser.

Notifications

A short notice when a podcast you follow has a new episode. Turn off single podcasts with the bell on their page.

Account

Save favorites – in the app and on the website.

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Open search
Space
Play or pause
← →
In the player: back 15 s, forward 30 s (episodes) · in a row: next tile
↑ ↓
In a row: target within the tile
Home / End
In a row: first or last tile
Esc
Close window or menu
?
This overview
Now playing

Go to station page

Play next

    Add episodes with “Play next” – they play after the current episode.