When Absolute Batman was first announced, it was met with widespread confusion—why was Scott Snyder returning to a character he’d already spent years redefining?
When Absolute Batman was initially revealed I remember quite a bit of skepticism online. Besides some aesthetic complaints the primary criticism around the announcement was about the writer, “Court of Owls” scribe, Scott Snyder. These criticisms weren’t even particularly aimed at Snyder’s talents as a writer. Instead they mainly took the form of complaints about a writer with a fifty plus issue run on the character shepherding this supposedly bold reimagining. What more could Snyder have to say about the caped crusader?
As time went on and the book came out, those voices of dismissal and doubt became quieter and quieter as it became the comic hit of 2024. Snyder alongside artist extraordinaire Nick Dragotta managed to serve up a fresh take on Batman and his mythology. One that felt firmly modern while holding onto the essence of what makes Batman Batman. However, upon reading issue #10 of Absolute Batman I was hit with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. The circumstances Absolute Bruce Wayne finds himself in the tenth issue brought to mind another Batman comic. Not just any Batman comic in fact. But Batman (2011) issues #5-6, written by the very same Scott Snyder. This got me wondering, how do these issues actually compare? How similar are they? Is Scott Snyder just playing the hits? Is Absolute Batman merely a remix of Snyder’s original run but with a fresh coat of paint? Yet as I reread those issues of 2011’s New 52 Batman I was struck by how hollow those issues felt in comparison. But why?
The premises of the two issues are similar enough. Batman is trapped in a stark white and artificial hell made by forces seemingly greater than him, his prolonged imprisonment tearing away at his sanity. In Snyder’s original run, alongside artist Greg Capullo, it’s the Court of Owls’ maze they use to torture and kill their enemies. In Absolute Batman it’s a gulag for human experimentation, Ark M. They also open with characters remarking upon Batman/Bruce’s disappearance, forefronting Batman’s prolonged stay in his prison. Additionally, both issues end, of course, with Batman achieving liberation from his circumstances. However, from here they begin to diverge.
New 52 Batman quite literally falls into the maze while on the hunt for the Court of Owls. The purpose of trapping Batman within said maze is to reduce him, to make him question his understanding and ownership over Gotham. To kill him spiritually before the physical kill. By the start of the issue Batman has already been brought low spiritually. He is on the verge of complete and utter madness. The pages of issue #5 become chaotic, they are shifted upside down and mirror flipped to further sell the creeping madness. It’s quite the effective little gimmick (though it’s annoying to read on an iPad, It probably works better in physical I imagine).
The issues themselves are quite decompressed. In fact, they are so decompressed to the point that it takes two issues to cover the ground that Absolute Batman does within one. Batman’s escape lacks strong narrative pathos. He triumphs due to a sheer force of will. It works fine enough I suppose, but ultimately it feels emotionally hollow. The issue’s success largely hinges on the stellar art of Capullo first and foremost. Snyder’s writing is effective but ultimately feels somewhat hollow in comparison.
In Absolute Batman #10, the caped crusader breaks into Ark M after his friend and ally Waylon is black bagged and brought to the experimental prison. Upon which he is beat mercilessly by Bane, held prisoner, and is victim to both physical and psychological experiments. The ultimate aim of said experiments being to break him and reshape him into a tool of Ark M’s masters. It’s remarked upon in the prior issue that rushing into the proverbial dragon’s den isn’t the smart move. However, Absolute Bruce Wayne lets his emotions get the better of him. Those emotions being deeply rooted in his brotherly love for Waylon. Where New 52’s Batman self isolates and distances himself from others, the Absolute Universe’s Batman’s reliance and overt connections to others is what defines him.
Flashbacks between Batman’s attempted escapes show Bruce training Waylon, himself a boxer, to face off against an opponent who seems unbeatable, reinforcing the previously mentioned theme. This hearkens back to the first arc of the series where Absolute’s Alfred Pennyworth (a vastly different character from his main continuity counterpart) refers to Batman’s tactics as “advance forward”. Or in other words, Batman AF. Driven by his love, Bruce unwaveringly and endlessly advances forward to save Waylon In fact, it’s this very same love that ultimately saves Bruce. On his last escape attempt he is saved by Waylon, now transformed into the Absolute universe’s Killer Croc (with quite an amazing design I might add). The issue ends with them escaping to the higher levels of Arc M together, advancing forward towards liberation. Endless determination, spawned by care, in the face of inevitable defeat is Absolute Batman’s weapon.
As I write this article my mind can’t help but remember those aforementioned initial criticisms at the announcement of Absolute Batman. The complaints and concerns that Snyder already said everything he had to say about the character. On an initial look this issue would seem to reinforce such criticisms. Snyder is revisiting a startlingly similar narrative to what he has done in the past. It would seem that he is playing the hits as it were. But upon further inspection Snyder is using a similar premise to greater effect in Absolute Batman. He’s coming at this same concept almost 15 years after the initial story. With that time he’s become more adept at infusing this premise with emotional pathos. Absolute Batman #10 feels like a second, and better, pass at the same concept as the New 52’s Batman #5. Absolute Batman isn’t just shaping up to be on par with Snyder’s initial run, but surpass it.
Comments
Comments are closed.