172. In a museum you look at yourself

I.

France returns 26 looted artworks to Benin, NRC reports at the end of 2018. “The artworks were taken from the West African country by soldiers of the French army in 1892.”

The documentary Dahomey shows how these objects are now finally being returned to Benin (which was formerly called Dahomey). It is a beautifully made film, 68 minutes long, brimming with ideas about the meaning of art, cultural heritage and repatriation.

Director Mati Diop gives one of the objects a voice. The object is a depiction of King Ghezo. He ruled Dahomey from 1818 to 1858. Not without controversy: he traded slaves with colonists and used enslaved people himself to build up his own kingdom. Now this king’s likeness has been shackled for some 130 years. And at last it is coming free.

“Why do they call me number 26?” asks the voice as transport workers carefully pack the object for its journey. “Don’t they know my real name?”

The object wonders what country it is returning to. It is afraid it will no longer recognise it. And that the people will no longer recognise it. More than a century has passed; Dahomey no longer exists but is now called Benin. The object is displaced and no longer at home anywhere.

What NRC did not mention in 2018 is that France sent back 26 objects out of a total of seven thousand stolen pieces. In the film, the return of the artworks is seen by some Beninese as an insult. “The problem is also that we have to ask for it,” says a student in a discussion at the university. “They stole it from us. They have conditioned us to think we can only get it back through diplomatic channels or secret deals. (…) We need to mobilise all of Africa so that they give everything back to us. So that we can protect it and teach our children our history.”

The objects are a symbol of French oppression and a fragment of the Beninese people’s lost identity. One of the students says she cannot even express her own culture in her own language, because she was taught to speak French. The return of this looted art means the chains are loosening.

II.

It is sweltering hot, and in my backgarden I open Absolute Batman. I am finally taking the time to read the first stories in this popular series. The comicbook world has been talking about it for months.

Alongside Absolute Batman, other superheroes from publisher DC also have their own Absolute series. In the series you read reinterpretations of the main characters from an alternate universe. The heroes look and behave just slightly differently from what you are used to.

Take Batman: we know him as the playboy Bruce Wayne, who uses his wealth to build a Batcave and fight crime in Gotham with all manner of gadgets. Absolute Batman turns that image on its head. Bruce does not grow up in a wealthy family, his mother is still alive, and Alfred is not a butler but a former secret agent. Familiar Bat-villains like Harvey Dent and Oswald Cobblepot turn out to be his friends here.

For fans of Batman stories, twists like these are already reason enough to read Absolute Batman. With every name you think: “Hang on, isn’t that…? How does that work?” Scott Snyder writes the series and artist Nick Dragotta brings this bizarro alternative Batman to life. Dragotta’s Dark Knight is enormous, broad and terrifying. Spikes protrude from his back and his cape splits in two, so he can prop himself up on them like bat wings (or lash out with them). The action is intense and visceral.

Just before DC launched its Absolute series, rival Marvel released its own alternate storylines in the Ultimate series — with Spider-Man, Black Panther, X-Men, Wolverine and The Ultimates in new interpretations. The Spider-Man series in particular started strongly, but in the end the Ultimate universe fizzled out in early 2026.

The Absolute series, on the other hand, has been performing well from the start and is still going strong. The first issue of Absolute Batman was reprinted more than ten times to meet demand (the first print run already consisted of a quarter of a million copies). That is unheard of in today’s comics market. The first print of the first issue now sells for prices starting at 100 euros¹ among collectors.

After reading the first collection of Absolute Batman (subtitle: The Zoo) I immediately ordered the second. Absolute Superman is also still on my pile. I am also hearing good things about Absolute Martian Manhunter (a self-contained series that looks spectacular and psychedelic), Absolute Flash and Absolute Wonder Woman.

The superhero genre, then, has not run out of steam — even if most films of recent years might suggest otherwise. In comics there is still plenty to enjoy.

PS.

GTA VI has been available to pre-order since this week. For 80 euros you get a digital version, or you can buy a physical box with no disc but an installation code. But even physical discs often contain nothing but download files these days. So what you are essentially buying is a game that is never fully yours, as I wrote on NU.nl. I would like to add that pre-ordering games is pointless. Especially when it comes to digital copies. “The videogame industry wants you to buy games before they’re released because it makes it easier for them to project their future earnings, and because they want your money before you find out whether a game is good or not,” writes Graham Smith on Jank. “Don’t do it. They won’t run out of copies, I promise.”

Beautiful to see: Utrecht has been recreated in Minecraft. As have many other Dutch cities, in fact. The GeoCraft initiative has been going for years, with the aim of copying as many places in the Netherlands as possible into Minecraft.

Phoebe Bridgers is releasing a new album in August. I am looking forward to it. The first single, Lost Boys, came out this week. A wonderful track with a wonderful video.

PJ Harvey is releasing an ode to NASA’s Voyager 2. “I’ve long been fascinated by the probe and its journey,” she says. “I wondered what it would say if it could say something to us.” An extraordinarily beautiful song.

Kees and Bram van Dijk are back with a new video. In their YouTube series Voor Mekaar! they recreate inventions from Pat & Mat. This time: a washing machine as a lawnmower.

The Criterion Collection is releasing the complete works of Stanley Kubrick on Blu-ray. Thirty discs, booklets, a stack of extra footage. It is mouth-watering, but I am not buying it — 480 dollars is too steep for me.

Klara and the Sun has been adapted into a film. I thought the novel was beautiful. About a sick child who befriends a robot. The trailer does not quite match the feeling I had while reading, but I am happy to be surprised.

You read blog №172, written in the week of 22 to 28 June 2026. Subscribe to my newsletter and you’ll receive it every Sunday, free in your inbox.