Review by Paul Bowler.

Following his hiatus from the DC Universe, critically acclaimed writer Scott Snyder has returned to DC Comics with a brand new vision for the Dark Knight. Snyder, along with artist Nick Dragotta, are the creative team behind DC’s hotly anticipate Absolute Batman. Perhaps more significantly though is its key role as part of DC’s new “All in” initiative, featuring darker, grittier iterations of DC’s legacy characters set in a new alternative universe. While DC’s All in has generated a heady mix of excitement and scepticism in the prelude to its launch, the “Batman-Who-Lifts” has inevitably become the critical and commercial focal point that many will undoubtably be hedging their bets on. So, while this innovative, yet at times unflinchingly brutal, fresh take on Batman may have cast aside all the wealth and the butler… is what’s left still true to the legacy of the Dark Knight or is it just one cog in cynical a cash-grab to emulate the recent success of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe relaunch?

In short, well, the answer is perhaps a little bit of both with a shot of genuine cutting-edge genius thrown in for good measure.. quite literally at times. I’ll admit I approached Absolute Batman cautiously and without much expectation. What I got both impressed and concerned me in equal measure. Snyder brings all his familiar tropes to the table as you’d expect, but with Absolute Batman there is an air of confidence, even swagger, to Snyder’s diligently crafted writing that I’ve not seen for a long time. He brings us a Dark Knight with a very different dynamic. Bruce is working class without privilege while his Batman is an uncompromising crime-fighting bulldozer. The classic Batman “origin” has been spliced into a thread of erstwhile urban normality that offers startling possibilities that we’ve never remotely considered before. Arguably though one of the biggest changes to the mythos is Alfred Pennyworth himself, now cast in the role of a grizzled special operative with more gadgets and gizmos than Ethan Hunt. He’s working for a secret origination, and his mission, should he choose to accept it, is to get intel on the notorious Party Animals gang terrorising. Gotham and find out more about a mysterious new bat-shaped player in town.

Nick Dragotta, known for his work on Jonathan Hickman’s East of West and FF runs as well as being the co-creator of America Chavez, brings his distinct art style to Snyder’s dark world of the Absolute Batman. From the first pages Dragotta channels the same oppressive atmosphere that mirrors the initial motorcycle ride through Matt Reeves noir tinged cinematic Gotham in The Batman. Clean, precise page layouts and uncluttered panels quickly draw us into narrative of the Absolute city of Gotham – one where Alfred and Bruce are drawn inexorably together by the actions of the waring crime factions they’ve each set their sights on. The new look for this bulked up Batman’s costume is also impressive and full of surprises. Dragotta’s line work and bold attention to detail is impressive in the close ups and action sequences, but oddly seems less so in the slightly cluttered placement of Frank Miller inspired smaller panels, and wordier interludes. Colorist Frank Martin works wonders with a somewhat bland palette, no doubt to accentuate the grim atmosphere, but also using a softer contrast to embolden the flashback sequences while highlighting bone-crunching action with vivid hues. Though overall the artwork is vey good, it doesn’t quite have the level of consistency that I’d have hopped for or expected from this book.

Absolute Batman #1 is an easy comic to dive into, being the oft touted “jumping on point”, even though it’s in a different DC universe. As good as Snyder and Dragotta are I came away from this debut issue of Absolute Batman feeling a little uncomfortable with the ultra violent nature of their take on Batman. Absolute Batman feels like one of those comics you are drawn to more out of curiosity than anything. It also begs the question why there is such a need for an alternative Batman right now? Let alone another DC universe. Yet there can be no denying that Scott Snyder still has an uncanny knack of tapping into the zeitgeist of what makes legacy characters and modern comics tick. In that respect Absolute Batman is an absolute home run for him, and DC Comics.

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About The Author

Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS5. You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook