Evidently, we’ve caught Hollywood in a very animated time in its life. Or at least, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival has streamers and companies feeling some type of way, putting on airs and announcing what they’ve got in the wings. And Warner Bros. Animation just announced its slate of upcoming shows, with an animated Absolute Batman series among them.
During the World’s Finest Animation: DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation Showcase, DC Studios and Warner Bros. announced it’d greenlit three new animated series to add to its catalog of shows. The first is an animated adaptation of writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta‘s award-winning and best-selling DC comic book series, Absolute Batman. Snyder and Dragotta will serve as executive producer and showrunner, and producer, respectively.
We here at io9 are very sweet on Absolute Batman and its increasingly nightmarish and radically cool cyberpunk reimagining of his rogues gallery and allies as the standout in DC Comics’ Absolute universe, and we’re not alone in that. According to a press release from Warner Bros., the comic has sold more than six million copies, with its first issue reaching an 11th printing, and its run ranking among the top 10 best-selling comics of 2025. But if this is somehow the first you’ve heard of the comic, here’s a logline for the series:
Absolute Batman boldly reinvents the Batman mythos for a new generation of fans, reimagining the Dark Knight as a working-class hero up against impossible odds (and the most terrifying foes ever), on a mission to prove that even in an era of wealth, power and corruption, one good person can change the world. No manor, no money… all Batman. When you take away the manor, the money, the advantages, what you’re left with is something absolute.
The second announcement from Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios was what they jointly called the first-ever DC anime series, Joker: Laugh Riot. Apparently, Suicide Squad Isekai and the glory that is Amanda Waller’s anime outro song dance doesn’t count, but we digress. Revisionist history aside, Joker: Laugh Riot, directed by Yasuhuro Aoki and animated by SOLA Entertainment (Ninja Kamui), is described as an adult animated show. And going off its logline, it certainly earns that distinction as a far-out, complex show diving into the psyche of the Clown Prince of Crime in ways only anime can:
When Batman is murdered, the Joker launches a ruthless crusade through Gotham’s underworld to find the killer who took away his greatest adversary. But as his violent quest for answers pushes him closer towards vigilante than villain, Joker is forced to confront the truth that without Batman, he doesn’t know who he is.
Last but not least is a less grimdark animation announcement that the kids can enjoy: DC Studios’ Untitled Krypto Project. We say Untitled Krypto Project because the show doesn’t have a working title yet, but given the push Kara Zor-el’s super pup has gotten between the releases of Superman and Supergirl, we don’t fault Warner Bros. for striking while the iron is hot with Krypto mania. Here’s its logline:
When he’s not hanging out with Superman or Supergirl, Krypto tags along with a gang of misfit criminal wannabes who live down the block, and they soon discover he’s a ball of destructive, lovable energy worse than any of them! As he follows them into misadventures and poorly laid plans, Krypto’s pure nature slowly ends up redeeming them, whether they want it or not.
Outside of today’s Annecy announcements, DC Studios and Warner Bros. are keeping its claim to fame as an animation storytelling juggernaut in the comic book space alive with a myriad of ongoing and in-development projects. Season 3 of My Adventures With Superman continues to be a gem, and it’s already got a spin-off in the works with Moana star Auli’i Cravalho playing Green Lantern Jessica Cruz. We’ve also got a Mister Miracle animated series in the works, helmed by Tom King. We’re also spoiled for choice with a second season of Batman: Caped Crusader and the announcement of a three-part animated film of Batman: Knightfall. All in all, it’s a good day to be a fan of animation.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
