Absolute Batman #24 Review
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Overview
To hear them tell it, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta still have years' worth of stories they want to tell on Absolute Batman. But you almost wouldn't know it from reading the series' current story arc. "The Straw Man" is so crammed full of new characters and key plot twists that it almost feels like the creators are trying to leave it all out on the floor before bidding readers farewell. At times, this arc has threatened to crumble under its own massive weight, but issue #24 is able to keep all those plates spinning while adding in yet another key Bat-character for good measure. The big news with Absolute Batman #24 is the debut of Absolute Batgirl. Dragotta even pays a lovely tribute to the now-iconic cover of issue #1 with his latest cover image:
Readers should keep their expectations in check as far as Batgirl's role in this issue is concerned, however. She's more a secondary element rather than the main focus of the issue. Mostly, it's just nice to see the series establishing a new heroine and putting a win in Bruce's column after bombarding him with pain and misery for the entirety of this story arc.
That really gets to the heart of Absolute Batman #24's appeal. There's been so much darkness fueling the series of late, from the apparent but not actual death of Martha Wayne to Batman being framed for multiple murders to Bruce being hit with the realization that his entire existence may have been orchestrated by the Joker. This deep into "The Straw Man," it's really vital that the series give readers (and Bruce himself) reason to feel hope. Absolute Batman has been so adept at transforming Scarecrow into a metaphor for our current age of fear and paranoia, but we need to be reminded that good still has a chance of triumphing over fear and despair, even in this twisted universe.
Details
Accordingly, issue #24 is great about exploring Bruce at his lowest ebb and forcing him back into the light. All of the secondary characters and plot threads - Deathstroke and the Robins, Bruce's former friends-turned-villains, etc. - take a backseat to the core tale of Batman getting his Bat-groove back. We're treated to a very satisfying showdown between Bats and Scarecrow, as the series finally acknolwedges that there are limits even to the latter's unnatural power.
Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo (Hardcover)
Mind you, this is still a very densely packed story, with many supporting characters and the series continuing to emphasize multiple parallel time periods and points of view. As ever, this series only works when the creative team are fully in sync with one another. Dragotta is adept at taking Snyder's complex script and making it digestible on the page. It's never hard to follow the script, even as it bounces between locations and time periods. It helps that Frank Martin's colors draw such a clear distinction between past and present.
Issue #24 is also a terrific showcase for Dragotta's character designs. I love the visual approach to Two-Face here and how Dragotta makes use of the character's long hair and manga-inspired appearance. The Batgirl design is also a very different, very satisfying overhaul to a familiar character. But best of all this month is Scarecrow himself, as we see just how distorted and inhuman this villain can become. Thanks in no small part to Dragotta's art, this character is terrifying in a way he rarely is in other Batman comics.
Unfortunately, as dense as this issue is with plot points, some elements are inevitably going to feel shortchanged. The flashback storyline is the main victim in Absolute Batman #24. The saga of Bruce's short-lived tenure as a mob enforcer reaches a critical point here, and while it mirrors the main storyline nicely, it would have been great to see this plot thread play out in greater depth. That's especially felt once it becomes clear that Snyder and Dragotta are putting their own spin on one of the most iconic Batman moments of all time.
Source
Originally published at www.ign.com.