Absolute Batman #7 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Marcos Martin, Artist; Muntsa Vicente, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: Scott Snyder has obviously dominated Bat-comics for well over a decade, but he clearly still has something new to say with this darker reinvention. Coming off the massive battle with Black Mask that left much of Gotham in ruins, Bruce is nursing a broken arm, trying to figure out what comes next now that his friends know his secret identity, and investigating the shady new corporation that’s building a massive private prison in the city. And he gets help from the latter from his old friend Matches Malone, someone he knew along with Harvey, Selina, and the rest as a kid – except right after giving him what he needs, Matches dies mysteriously of a horrific blood-leeching ailment that looks a lot closer to a bioweapon than anything else. So, complete with an arm brace that contains automated weapons, Bruce infiltrates the corporation himself – and gets a cold welcome from another familiar face of sorts.
The guest-art by Marcos Martin is a perfect choice for Mr. Freeze, who here is a far darker character than he is in the main continuity. Snyder has been showing off the character designs, and they’re horrifying. But this isn’t the Victor Fries we know – it’s another character, one who’s set up in the opening pages of this issue (and not the one you might be thinking, either). This was always a darker universe, but this issue seems to be taking even more swings than the first arc did, delving into weird-science elements and body horror that nicely dovetail with the themes Snyder has set up. While Martha Wayne is absent this issue and Pennyworth only gets a cameo from afar, the characters of Bruce’s childhood friends are some of the most interesting in this series. It’s fascinating to see this alternate version of how these dark enemies of his could have become his friends – and it’s a needed counterbalance to just how bleak the rest of the world is.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
