Review: ‘Absolute Batman’ #19 Is Good … But Does Way Too Much

At this point, if you’re involved in the comics industry and don’t know Absolute Batman, you’re living under a rock. The series has turned into a pop culture juggernaut to the point that this version of Bruce Wayne is going to appear in a Lego video game. But how does the ongoing series continue to read?

The series’ newest arc kicks off from Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Tom Napolitano.

Bruce Wayne’s war to save the soul of Gotham is escalating, as his network of allies grows and his enemies are becoming more sophisticated. All that may be about to end though, as Bruce’s most terrifying foe to date has laid foot in Gotham — the Scarecrow has arrived. But in the shadows of this horrifying, potentially supernatural, enemy, a more ground threat is emerging in bright, and familiar, colors.

— Spoiler Alert —

I’m going to be upfront about this. The Absolute line is currently being praised as the savior of DC Comics. And the Absolute titles I’m reading are always good, with moments of great, or brilliance. But this issue is a fantastic example of the flaws in the line.

This issue had no less than three major plotlines — in order, the Scarecrow is introduced, Jim Gordon reveals a conspiracy and commits suicide, and Deathstroke and the Robins are introduced — in a standard length issue that also included an extended action scene. Now, the action scene aside (every comic needs three pages of punching), any of those could have taken at least a full issue to breathe. 

And that’s the problem I’m having with this series in general. Snyder is writing one of the most interesting and engaging Batman stories in ages, but I compare it to Matt Fraction’s Batman and this comes up short. Fraction is using single issue stories to build up the events that he’s leading towards, and giving them time to breathe and develop. Snyder is breathlessly jumping from moment to moment. Now, I get that Absolute Batman is an action-based story, but this issue seemed so worried about getting to the next beat that it left important moments behind.

Gordon’s death alone needed some weight behind it. Jim Gordon is probably the third most important character in the franchise (behind Bruce himself and Alfred), and seeing him die so horrifically needed a moment to have the weight of it sink in. If Snyder had maybe saved the Robins for the opening of issue #20, and used the rest of the issue to show the impact of Gordon’s death — and maybe how the Scarecrow caused it — it would have had the intended effect much better.

Now that isn’t to say this isn’t good. It’s still near the top of my stack every month. But eventually it just needs a moment to take the time to develop some of these things.

And why haven’t I said anything about the art yet? Because Dragotta and Martin are knocking it out of the park. I loved the pacing of the opening scene, as the Scarecrow incites two best friends into a violent, murderous confrontation. The panelling and figure work build a great sense of dread, and the way Dragotta draws this new Scarecrow is the most terrifying the character has ever been.

Martin’s use of bright color and daylight in the scene makes it even more horrifying. This Scarecrow isn’t a creature of night, and having him do it in the broad daylight — and with flashes of horrifying red — makes the horror even better. This is a scary monster, and both the line art and color art make it clear.

And that excellent work continues throughout the issue.

Napolitano also continues to do great work. His narration from Alfred is the best supposed handwriting has looked on the comics page in a very long time. He’s great at pacing the dialogue as well, which not every letterer is great at.

This is all not saying that I dislike, or am growing weary, or burning out on Absolute Batman. It’s still one of my favorites. It just needs to let us catch a breath every once in a while.

But hey, I’m still on board for what’s next.

Absolute Batman #19 is available now from DC Comics.