Absolute Batman #11 is written by Scott Snyder and published by DC. Artwork is by Clay Mann, colours by Ivan Plascencia and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin.
Absolute Batman #11 is available from today, in print and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Learn the origin of Bane! What drives the muscle-bound behemoth, and how did he arrive in Gotham?
Review
Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman is back in comic book stores today with guest artist Clay Mann along for the ride. After revealing the horror of Bruce’s time in captivity in ArkM, this month Snyder is shifting focus to the backstory of his hulking new interpretation of Bane. If you thought the series had been brutal so far you were sorely mistaken. Get ready for Snyder’s wildest, bloodiest story yet!
Bane has always been more than just a simple adversary to Batman. His history with the Knightfall storyline and its influence on every version of the character is the stuff of legend. But when it comes to Absolute Batman we’re dealing with a writer who – very respectfully – says f*ck it to storytelling convention and does his own thing. That became abundantly clear when this insane version of Bane made his debut just a few short months ago. His ridiculously proportioned body might be much talked about. But after reading this issue his brutality will be the only impression left on the reader.
Snyder brings the reader in diligently through the detailed storytelling of Alfred Pennyworth. But pay close attention dear reader. We’re not just getting a history lesson. Listen to the words Snyder chooses for Alfred in addressing Bruce. Look at how the relationship between these two has developed during the first year of the book. There’s easily as much to learn from the language Alfred uses as there is from seeing Bane’s backstory.
Bane’s backstory itself has echoes of the story we all know. He still hails from an island known as Santa Prisca. The location may be similar but the story itself it presented through a distinctly Snyder-lens. There are so many shades of grey in this version of Bane’s story. Could he have been fighting for the freedom of his people all along? Were there honest intentions behind the rebels coup? We’ll probably never know for sure. But what we learn is that the young boy who would become Bane was once again raised in the darkest of prison cells in the bleakest of situations.
After a most uncomplicated yet inventive origin for his mask it’s time to get down to business. Alfred explains that upon his return to the island Bane met with “the man in white”. There’s so much subtext buried in Clay Mann and Ivan Plascencia’s artwork in these moments. If you’ve been tracking the direction Absolute Batman is headed then you’ll twig who this man may be. But the clues are all there. It signals the beginning of Bane’s meteoric rise leading to his face-off with Batman. But first he has to break a few backs…
I’m not going to spoil anything from here on out. Unbelievably everything I’ve just touched on is only the first half of Absolute Batman #11. I’m sorry but it’s just insane that so much is packed in to these 21 pages of story without it ever feeling overcrowded. Snyder’s ability to traverse such a packed narrative without any pitfalls could be confirmation of his metahuman abilities. But joking aside this issue is a riveting page-turner. In its second half the gloves come off as Snyder leans in heavily to body-horror and gore in ways I never saw coming. It leads to a very interesting cliffhanger and a portent of certain doom for our Absolute Dark Knight.
Bringing Clay Mann in for this piece of backstory is a great idea. As with bringing in Gabriel Hernández Walta for issue #4, having a different artist take the story in to the past works well. Visually it just helps to separate the book from Nick Dragotta’s signature style. But it also is a chance for Absolute Batman to have a little extra fun. Mann and Plascencia make a great team, there’s plenty of vibrancy to Bane’s backstory. Even in its darkest moments. The colours are a little more exotic but always punctuated by the piercing red of Bane’s eyes.
Snyder works in a the chance for Mann to have a crack at bringing Dragotta’s hulking Batman to life. Between guest artists and variant covers we’ve seen a few artists take a stab at this gigantic Batman. Mann’s version has a touch of classic Justice League prestige around him which we haven’t seen before.
Verdict
Absolute Batman #11 is the series most brutal chapter to-date. Nobody is holding Scott Snyder back as he he details Bane’s merciless back story ahead of a ferocious battle against the Absolute Dark Knight.
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