Absolute Batman #5 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Nick Dragotta, Artist; Frank Martin, Colorist
Ray – 10/10
Ray: Every issue, I’m amazed by the Absolute Universe and just how much it manages to pack in each issue. There is no line out there in comics that has more ambition at the moment, and that definitely goes for the flagship book, which has given us a Gotham more lost to darkness than any we’ve ever seen. Its Batman is young and still raw in his crimefighting technique, its Jim Gordon is even more world-weary than the average, and its Black Mask displays a level of sadism that even the original rarely reaches. Batman has had an uneasy partnership with super-spy Alfred Pennyworth, but that requires him to take it at the old man’s pace – something he can’t abide anymore as he begins a brutal showdown with the evil master criminal. The fight that unfolds here pits Batman against an army of “Party Animals” – and very quickly shows how out of his depth Bruce Wayne is.
What unfolds is one of the most brutal beatings we’ve ever seen Batman take, with a level of violence I don’t think would make it into the main line. But there are so many other fantastic moments in this issue. Flashbacks to the funeral of Thomas Wayne brilliantly set up the debut of another major staple of the Bat-mythos, and also give us an interesting little look into the ethos of this Bruce. Mayor Gordon and Martha Wayne continue to be an interesting duo, with Martha maybe being the one person who still believes that Gotham can be something better than it is. As for the villain himself, Black Mask could be a one-note sadist, but the end of the issue elevates his threat into a sort of human representative of the idea of the Purge. He asks the question – if the world is no longer a place that values life, do we owe it anything? Every issue of this book continues to raise the bar from one of the best creative teams in comics.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
