Absolute Batman #2 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Nick Dragotta, Artist; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: One of the things I’ve always loved about Scott Snyder’s comics is the way he world-builds. This book gives him the opportunity to build a new Gotham from the ground up – and he takes advantage of every page of it, starting right from the get-go, where we see exactly how a young Bruce Wayne discovered the terror of bats here. It’s intimate and tragic in a way it rarely is, and it informs so much of how he informs his operations as Batman. The Party Animals, the vicious and murderous gang hunting citizens around Gotham, is a more brutal enemy than Batman usually faces – and so are his techniques for fighting them. He doesn’t kill, but he doesn’t spare them in a way that even the main Batman would probably cringe at.
The Party Animals and their boss, Roman Sionis, make great kickoff enemies – which they need to, because of the risky decision to make many of Bruce’s iconic villains into his childhood friends here. He still plays poker with Dent, Cobblepot, Nygma, and Jones – although Selina Kyle is notably absent right now. These blue-collar hustlers offer us a strong view into the lower rungs of Gotham, just like Mayor Gordon and his team offer us a look at what passes for its ivory towers. Both are hopelessly corrupt, with little hope for those looking for something better – which is why new arrival Alfred Pennyworth starts to see Batman as a symbol of hope, even as his handlers push him to eliminate this new wild card.
Alfred is a fascinating character here, probably the most changed from his original version. But there’s just enough of the man who helped build Bruce up from a grieving child to recognize. The character work in this book is fantastic – which makes it all the more surprising that the action is phenomenal as well. There’s one set piece in this issue that’s so out-there and impressive that it could only come from the mind of the man behind books like “Death Metal”, and one of the most bonkers visual artists in the business. Second issues often have a bit of a quality dip, but this one just made me want to see more of this world right now. Over to you, Wonder Woman and Superman.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
