Absolute Batman #22 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Werther Dell’edera, Artist; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: One of the most iconic artists working today thanks to his work on Something Is Killing the Children, Werther Dell’edera steps in for an issue to tell the story of Harley Quinn in an issue that combines flashbacks with very critical lore developments. Harley in this version is the young leader of the Red Hood Gang and one of Batman’s unlikely allies in this world, and now both she and Batman are on the run from the Robins. But as they make their escape, she starts opening up to him and sharing her story. She grew up in a seemingly normal house with a single mother, who worked in medicine and had close ties to Jack Grimm. Harley started to notice issues with her mother’s behavior and was left alone more and more, so she tried to contact her long-missing father for help. They developed a long-distance bond, but he never came to visit or to help with her mother’s issues – which only got worse.
Dell’edera does an incredible job working with child characters and primal fears in particular, and he puts those skills to great use when we see what lurks under the crooked house where Harley and her mother live. This is one of the most viscerally terrifying segments in the entire series so far, with a hefty dose of body horror that calls back to the Ark M arc that in many ways upended the entire series so far. Both Jack Grimm and Scarecrow only have a small role this issue, but they make the most of every panel they’re in and continue to be some of the scariest villains in any comic in years. There’s also a huge lore reveal at the end that I sincerely doubt is the case, but absolutely nothing can be taken for granted in this issue. As a Batman issue, it’s fantastic, but this issue also took a huge jump in making Harley one of my favorite characters in the series, someone who has been immersed in the horror far longer than anyone knew.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
