The Absolute Universe has given us a bevy of twisted takes on classic DC villains, with characters like Scarecrow (Absolute Batman), Brainiac (Absolute Superman), and most recently, Cheetah in Absolute Wonder Woman immediately coming to mind. While all of the Absolute books have featured these new iterations, Absolute Batman has by far introduced the most, and now the series has debuted two classic Batman villains in their most twisted forms yet.
In Absolute Batman #22, we learn the origin of the Absolute Universe’s Harley Quinn. While that story obviously focuses on Harley and her unexpected family, there are also two villains who make their surprising debuts. The first is Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and while those are typically two characters, this version has them attached to each other in grotesque fashion. That’s nothing compared to Calendar Man, though, who emerges from a husk of a dead body and is reborn in about the grossest way possible. You can check out both in the up-close looks below.
You’ve Never Seen DC’s Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and Calendar Man Like This
Both of these characters make their debut later in the issue when Harley discovers that the creepy house they live in is actually connected to Ark M. She heads down and discovers that her mom is now working in Ark M and has been steadily corrupted into something else, but before that discovery, she sees two disturbing tenants of the institution.
The first is Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but instead of being two different people, they are attached to each other from their heads, their necks, and parts of their backs and shoulders. You can see their two faces on either side, and while they don’t say much, we do hear the Dee-Dum, Dee-Dum.
This is a far cry from their normal versions, which are more like traditional gangsters or villainous henchmen. They are often depicted as not the smartest people in the room, but they are able to pull their mix of strategy and brawn together to form an impressive team at times. This new version doesn’t exactly seem to be a threat, but you simply never know what to expect moving forward.
Moving to Calendar Man, this is by far the most unsettling version to date, and he’s been rather disturbing at times before, so that’s an impressive feat. We first see a dead body on the floor, and the body features Roman numerals across the forehead. We then see something moving around in the dead body, and at one point, we see a figure emerge from it with the same tattoos across the forehead. It’s gnarly and gross, and it signals a much more powerful version of the classic villain.
This ability is a big departure from the original version, as the original version doesn’t have any powers or abilities of this nature. Calendar Man often bases his crimes around holidays and meaningful dates, and he is also known for being one of the top minds amongst Gotham’s criminals, as he often knows what’s going on in the city and its underworld, even if he’s in prison. Now it seems that he has some sort of rebirth ability, and it will be interesting to see if he’s brought back later in the series for a bigger spotlight.
Absolute Batman #22 is in comic stores now.
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