Image credit: DC Comics
The new Absolute Batman cover has paid tribute to one of the world’s most popular manga and anime characters, Monkey D Luffy from One Piece. The Absolute Batman comic series first dropped in October 2024. It is illustrated by Nick Dragotta and written by Scott Snyder.

Absolute Batman #20 cover has a One Piece reference

Absolute Batman issue #20 is all set to drop on May 13, and the One Piece-inspired cover being dropped through Big Time Collectibles has attracted the attention of many fans on the internet.

The cover was posted by the co-creator of Variant Comics, Arris Quinones, in collaboration with its illustrator, Dexter Soy, on Instagram. In the caption, Quinones stated, “Soon @deathstar_soy x @bigtimecollectibles x AQ. Something big is on the horizon. Stay ready.”

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The variant cover, a tribute to the main protagonist of One Piece, depicts Bruce Wayne adopting the same pose as Luffy when he activated Gear 2 during the Enies Lobby arc. The Enies Lobby arc revolves around Luffy and the other Straw Hats going to the government-held island to rescue Nico Robin. There, they also face the assassination unit CP9. During his fight against the strongest member of CP9, Rob Lucci, Luffy unleashes his Gear 2 transformation.

Commenting on the cover art, a fan on Instagram wrote, “Oh naw that’s actually so effin fire.” Another fan went on to comment, “OMG holy peak! Dex Soy is THAT dude!” A third user gave an idea for the next issue’s cover and stated, “Wow, cool! I wouldn’t be surprised if you drew Joker on a throne like Buggy in your next artwork.”

A fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “The Absolute Batman series has been leaning hard into its manga influences, and the Luffy Gear 2 homage is easily one of the most hype crossovers of styles we’ve seen yet.”