Absolute Batman #4 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Artist; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: Nick Dragotta’s brilliant art doesn’t come quickly, so it’s been planned from the start of this book that between arcs, we’ll be getting break stories from some of the best artists in the industry joining him. And I can’t think of a better one to start with than Gabriel Walta, who is telling a story from Batman’s past – all across his past. This is an ambitious story that shows how Batman became Batman in at least three different time points. Much of this story takes place in Bruce’s past, before he lost his father. He’s working on an engineering project, the one that famously won them the trip to the zoo, and he bonds with his father as they discuss how to design a unique bridge that will serve the community. This story also gives us a fascinating look into Thomas’ backstory and how he became a teacher, and what drives him. Snyder always had the most positive take on Thomas Wayne of any writer, and these segments are all the more heartbreaking based on what we know comes next.
Some of the most powerful scenes of the issue take place in the courtroom for Joe Chill’s sentencing, as we see Bruce in a raw state of anger that’s hard to portray effectively but done brilliantly here. But the thing that takes this issue to another level for me is that for the first time, we see Batman built as a form of trial and error. The very first Batman we see Bruce try is one based entirely around terror, with a vicious vampire motif and even the use of a gun. And he very quickly realizes it feels wrong, as does focusing on low-level crime. As he starts to work his way up the totem pole to discover who’s truly bringing violence into Gotham. We get some hints at a larger villainous conspiracy here, as well as some great action as we see our Batman in action for the first time. But while Walta’s guest art is brilliant, what really makes this issue so strong is how effectively it gets us into Bruce’s head as he comes of age – and uses his pain to become something we haven’t seen before.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
