Review: ‘Absolute Batman’ #1 Lives Up To The Hype Plus Some

Once there was a young man whose life was reshaped by tragedy, but he used that tragedy as motivation to better himself and make his world better out of it. That may sound familiar, but Absolute Batman is anything but the same story you know.

Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin and Clayton Cowles introduce us to a new Gotham, new Batman but a world that feels like home.

Gotham City has long been riddled with crime. The latest wave is led by the violent gang known as the Party Animals, backed by a vicious gangster in a black mask. But Gotham is about to find salvation with a new protector — a mysterious masked man wearing the symbol of a bat on his chest. Can the Batman bring justice to Gotham, or will an enigmatic intelligence agent named Pennyworth put an end to him before he even begins?

Out of the gate, I liked this book a lot. Even though this version is very different from the Batman we know and love, Snyder is able to preserve the heart and spirit at the core of the character. Gotham is still a hellhole, and this Batman is more brutal and darker. Somehow though, Batman is more about preserving life, saving innocents and preventing violence against others. Even with the changes made here — Agent Pennyworth, Mayor Gordon, Martha Wayne — it still has the heart of Batman at its best. From the DC All-In special last week, I was a bit worried about a grimdark story here, but Snyder takes the grim set-up and gives it a sense of hope.

It’s not perfect though. Though Alfred generally works, setting him up as an antagonistic presence doesn’t quite click. Bruce’s group of friends being made up of all his Earth-1 rogues (Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Two-Face and Killer Croc all being in that group) is a coincidence too far. 

And I’m a bit torn on the best sequence of the book: the flashback to Thomas Wayne’s death. On one hand, Snyder gives Thomas a wonderful moment of heroism just before his death. Even though Thomas is not the billionaire philanthropist surgeon of Earth-1, he’s a truly good man, and sacrifices his life to save not just his son, but all his friends. It’s executed just right, on all the right levels. But, making the events of that sacrifice a mass shooting is too modern, a bleak moment that momentarily pulled me out of the story.

But one thing that makes it the best sequence in the book is the art. Dragotta shows his mastery of layouts and pacing, enhancing his already great character work. The scene of Thomas saving his students is harrowing thanks to how Dragotta puts it on the page, making it feel chaotic and disorienting simply by leaving out the panel borders on all but one panel. Martin washed out the colors just slightly, making the heartbreaking scene feel ethereal and surreal.

The two page flashback isn’t the only place where the art shines. The issue has several fight sequences, including the brawl with the Party Animals, and each one is just stunning. That big centerpiece fight shows a brutality to this Bruce Wayne that is surprising, but isn’t that far from the traditional Batman.

The way Bruce moves here fits with the bulkier Batman, making sense with his anatomy, not making him move in the same way the thinner more agile Bruce of Earth-1 does. I love how Dragotta uses the cape as a tool in Bruce’s arsenal as well. Martin enhances it with flashes of red that makes the panels pop off the page, with the panels of Batman putting on the cowl for the first time in particular standing out for their beauty.

Cowles’ work is always great. Here, he levels up. Whether it’s the well paced dialogue or the great sound effects, his work stands out. He particularly makes Pennyworth’s journal stand out, feeling like handwriting without being illegible or hard to follow.

Absolute Batman #1 is available now from DC Comics.