Absolute Batman #23 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Nick Dragotta, Artist; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: One of the best things about the Absolute line is the way that absolutely no one is safe. No character dynamic is guaranteed to remain intact. You never know which side of the moral line a character will wind up on. And even the most heroic characters, like the Robins, can be corrupted by a universe designed to do so. Jack Grimm has sunk his claws into the four first Robins Bruce worked with, turning them into a paramilitary force aimed at killing Batman. They’ve also become celebrities, with Tim being the teenage heartthrob, Stephanie being the mysterious wild card, Jason being the brawny outsider, and Dick being the mentor trying to hold them together and keep them alive. As Tim obsesses over popularity polls, Jason becomes increasingly obsessed with their target – setting up the path to this issue’s stunning tragedy as the entire project starts to unravel.
Batman, meanwhile, is not doing well at all. Jack Grimm and Scarecrow have effectively driven him into a state of extreme paranoia, convincing him that his father’s murder might have been faked and part of a larger conspiracy. With the reveal that Martha has been working with the Court of Owls, he’s spiraling – and not even the return of his friends, each of them horribly transformed by Bane, can snap him out of his madness. He’s alienated Harley, Barbara Gordon is mourning her own loss, and Alfred is trying to save what he has left. So when the Robins take on Batman…they don’t realize that it’s not really Batman. The rogues have been coming fast and furious in this title, and the addition of Clayface makes perfect sense. He’s a disturbing body-horror creation who fits perfectly into this title, and the end of the issue essentially ensures there is no going back for the Robins from here.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
