Absolute Batman #1 Comic Review

• Written by: Scott Snyder

• Art by: Nick Dragotta

• Colors by: Frank Martin

• Letters from: Clayton Cowles

• Cover art by: Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin (cover A)

• Cover price: $4.99

• Release date: October 9, 2024

Absolute Batman #1, from DC Comics on 10/24/2010, ushers in a new era in DC history as the Absolute Universe, fueled by Darkseid energy, gives rise to a new yet familiar hero.

Is Absolute Batman #1 any good?

Let’s not mince our words. Absolute Batman #1 is a captivating, gripping, sometimes suspenseful and extremely entertaining comic. Scott Snyder’s reimagined version of the Batman legend will likely be a crowd-pleaser and generate huge sales within its first few issues. But… Well, keep reading.

Absolute Batman #1 begins with Alfred Pennyworth returning to Gotham City after a years-long absence at the behest of his employers. This Alfred is not a tough British butler, but a world-class black-ops specialist sent to assess criminal organizations and take out targets with extreme prejudice. Alfred reluctantly accepts a new assignment for his current mission and settles in Gotham to gather information on the hyper-violent Party Animals Gang.

Writer Scott Snyder takes readers through the world-building of Absolute Gotham City through the eyes and story of Alfred Pennyworth. Designed as a cross between the film versions of Alfred from the TV show Gotham and The Batman (2022) and an alpha male version of Ra’s Al Ghul, this Alfred is not someone you want to mess with. He is cunning, experienced and deadly. In short, Absolute Alfred is a badass.

Elsewhere, we meet Bruce Wayne, a hulking brute of a man who trains at Croc’s Gym. Through his brief dialogue with his acquaintances, including the boxing gym owner Waylon Jones, we learn that the city is under siege by criminal elements, and that there is a town hall meeting tonight to address the city’s woes. Waylon encourages Bruce to hang out with his friends more like he used to, or at least come to the town hall meeting to make his voice heard to the crowd of citizens seeking help. Bruce abruptly refuses. We also learn through dialogue and a group photo on the wall that Bruce and Waylon’s friends are named Ozzie, Selina, Harvey, and Edward.

So far, so good. Absolute Bruce certainly has the right presence and stoic personality that makes him read like Bruce Wayne. Plus, Snyder quickly rattles off a stream of name drops to imply that all the familiar characters exist, albeit not in the same form you remember.

Later we meet the big bad of this first arc: Roman Sionis, aka Black Mask. Roman meets with the heads of the local mafia families, Falcone and Maroni, to discuss the Party Animals’ gang problem. It’s clear that Roman is sponsoring the Party Animal’s actions, so Falcone and Maroni give Roman an ultimatum to leave town. Their requests are heard and rejected.

There’s not much to say about this classic meeting of head-butting mafia leaders. It’s standard stuff, except for one twist. Roman’s mask and the masks of his family, co-workers, and Party Animal gang members are formed from an assortment of animal skulls, and the masks have some form of circuitry embedded within them for some unknown purpose. It could be that Absolute Black Mask is a hybrid of Black Mask and Mad Hatter, so we’ll see.

The matter will then move to the town hall meeting. Mayor Jim Gordon addresses those present with a message of calm and patience. Unfortunately, playing by the rules proves ineffective against the Party Animals gang. Outside, Alfred watches the scene from a nearby rooftop with orders not to act if anything happens unless a new player appears, allegedly acting as a vigilante.

A small army of armed Party Animals storms the steps of the building and rushes into the meeting under gunfire. Alfred is ordered not to interfere. Suddenly the new player arrives to put down the attack.

I won’t comment much on Absolute Batman’s first outing other than to say that it’s the kind of brutal, hard-hitting, cool action we haven’t seen from DC in a while. For anyone who saw the redesign, Absolute Batman is more bat-like and animalistic with his bat whip/cape/things, and he uses his tools with great effectiveness. The chest symbol also comes loose like an axe, with which he cuts off the hand of an armed gang member.

Now, for the big question: Does Absolute kill Batman? The answer is “maybe.” Alfred notes how Batman uses knives and throwing knives to damage his opponents with surgical precision to avoid major arteries. However, the scene ends with Batman causing an explosion that most likely killed several people, although a death toll has not been confirmed. Snyder goes out of his way to infer that Batman doesn’t kill, but the art says otherwise.

After the chaos subsides, Alfred descends from his spot and confronts Batman. Alfred thinks he’s guessed Batman well enough to get the drop, but Batman outsmarts and disarms Alfred in a flash before taking off (flying? wrestling? claw-climbing?). What follows is a montage of scenes narrated by Alfred, as he cycles through his investigation to deduce Batman’s real identity, location, personal life, and his path to becoming Batman.

We learn the status of Bruce’s parents, how and where he trained, and the efforts he put into becoming the Absolute Cape Crusader.

The issue ends with a Bat “Roost” trading one gadget for another, and a look at the familiar character who followed Alfred before he was transferred to Gotham City.

What’s great about Absolute Batman #1?

From start to finish, Scott Snyder manages to capture the atmosphere of a hard-hitting, dramatically intense Batman comic. Despite the reworked aesthetic, the heart and voice of the characters feel authentic. Plus, the rework of Batman’s costume looks way cooler in action, which should be a lesson to everyone to withhold judgment until you have the full context.

What’s not to love about Absolute Batman #1?

At the risk of sounding like an old man yelling at clouds, Absolute Batman and the world he finds himself in are technically different, but not different enough to feel like anything other than Elseworlds lite.

Giving Alfred a Black Ops background isn’t new. Bruce Wayne becoming Batman because he is motivated by the death of a loved one is nothing new. Making fancy bat-themed gadgets is nothing new. And a Gotham City full of gangsters and colorful villains is nothing new.

Yes, there are amalgams and adjustments, but they are all mild variations. Compared to Red Sun or Gotham By Gaslight, this isn’t close to an Elseworlds story. Furthermore, this world is supposed to be formed from Darkseid energy, but all the telltale signs of Darkseid’s influence, like reddish skies and omega symbols that we saw in the DC All In Special #1, are nowhere to be found, thus tying the connection between the All In initiative and the Absolute titles are already missing.

Again, this is a thoroughly entertaining comic, but you’ll wonder if it’s different enough to be considered an Elseworlds universe. If not, why not give the main Batman title back to Scott Snyder? The world may never know.

How’s the art going?

To be honest, I had my doubts because of Batman’s overly bulky appearance on the covers and promotional materials, but the massive body with a small head doesn’t stand out as much in Nick Dragotta’s powerful, dynamic art. When Batman shows up for battle at the town hall meeting, Dragotta steals the show with a Batman who is a force to be reckoned with, and again, the weird cape stilt stuff looks a lot better in context than the suggest concept drawings.

About the reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the publisher and EIC of ComicalOpinions.coma comic review site specifically for indie, small and medium publishers.

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Final thoughts

Absolute Batman #1 is a stunner of a first issue that introduces readers to a new breed of Batman, Alfred, and Gotham City. Scott Snyder’s knack for hard-hitting action and drama is evident, and Nick Dragotta’s art sings during the big fight. That said, Absolute Batman is almost too similar to regular Batman, so you might wonder why creating an alternate version was necessary.

9/10

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