Absolute Batman #5 is written by Scott Snyder and published by DC. Artwork is by Nick Dragotta, colours by Frank Martin and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Dragotta and Martin.
Absolute Batman #5 is available now, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
WILL THE PARTY END HERE FOR ABSOLUTE BATMAN? With his friends lives at stake, will a broken, beaten, and ultimately defeated Bruce Wayne finally compromise and give up both himself and his morals to Black Mask? Or does he have something even BIGGER than himself to help? And what does this have to do with Mayor James Gordon and his relationship with a young Bruce Wayne? All this and more in the penultimate issue to the first arc of ABSOLUTE BATMAN.
Review
After taking journey in to Absolute Year One last month, Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman returns to comic book stores today with artist Nick Dragotta back in the driving seat. Returning to the present day means only one thing: it’s time for Batman to confront Black Mask’s offer to buy him out, leaving Gotham without its vigilante hero. This month’s issue marks the penultimate chapter in the series first arc and promises to make good on Black Mask’s threats to overthrow the city…
At this stage Snyder has plenty of irons in the fire. Whilst Bruce’s impending confrontation with Black Mask’s forces is the biggest draw, subplots with Alfred, Young Bruce in flashback and Gordon/Martha Wayne are really becoming a huge draw. Snyder knows he can’t kill off Batman in his own book. But he has done a swift job of building up a supporting cast and a backstory which are equally able to carry Absolute Batman each month.
There’s a familiarity to the rhythm of Absolute Batman which I’ve really come to appreciate over the past few months. Snyder has settled in to a great mix of flashbacks exploring how Bruce lost his father against the present day action in Gotham. At this stage it would be hard to believe there’s anyone not sold on the legitimacy of the Absolute Universe based on how organically this book has been written. At this stage in the story, heading in to the finale of “The Zoo” it really feels like all the pieces have neatly fallen in to place.
Quite rightly, this penultimate chapter has a tangible sense of picking up the pace. There’s a feeling that Snyder is trying to suck the air out of the reader’s lungs. Once the action kicks in to high gear there’s little room to catch your breath between punches and that feeling of exhilaration really adds to the overall impact of the story they’re trying to tell. From the outset I’ve commented on how the story has built a livelier Gotham City. Capitalising on that by pitting Batman against a wall of goons this issue whilst simultaneously using Gordon and Martha to tell a more street-level story is genius. I often compare this type of issue to the penultimate episode of a TV season but the analogy works. In this case it’s certainly a penultimate episode which more than whets the appetite for the finale.
The success of an issue like this owes so much to Nick Dragotta’s artwork. The synergy between writer and artist is utterly perfect. If I didn’t know better then you could convince me this was a single writer/artist book. Snyder sets up these wide-angled shots of Bruce at his father’s grave or the hulking Batman somehow dwarfed by the city around him. But it’s Dragotta who hits the home run – along with Frank Martin – by visualising those scenes in the most delicious and eye-catching ways. There’s no predictability here. None of it feels run-of-the-mill either and that’s not easy to create in a crowded marketplace.
The big fight with The Animals is brutal. Whilst nobody would argue that mainstream comic books aren’t short of violence. Snyder, Dragotta and team aren’t holding anything back here. It’s visceral and gets pretty bloody. Of course that plays in to the ethos of this darker, edgier Absolute world. But more generally it just helps to set this Bat-book aside from others also on the shelf. There’s a great push and pull, seeing Batman fending off huge hordes. But also seeing The Animals able to overpower him. After all this isn’t the finale itself so it can’t always go in Batman’s favour…
For all its bombasticity, Absolute Batman still has plenty of mileage left in this first arc. Snyder has always proven himself to be an innovative writer aware of his audience as well as his own inner drive. So whilst this is the penultimate chapter of “The Zoo” there’s still a sense that Absolute Batman is laying out plans for future storytelling well beyond whatever comes next.
Verdict
Absolute Batman #5 is the most brutal chapter yet. Snyder and Dragotta put Bruce through the wringer as he goes up against Black Mask’s army across the city. The scale of the challenge ahead of him is skilfully laid out by Snyder and beautifully rendered by Dragotta and Frank Martin. As penultimate chapters go this is edge of your seat stuff.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
