Imprisoned inside Ark M, Batman will not give in. He will not give in to the experiments. He will not give in to the privations. He will not give in to Bane. He will escape. Absolute Batman #10 is written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Nick Dragotta, colored by Frank Martin and lettered by Clayton Cowles.
Matt Lazorwitz: Since we’re in Absolute territory this week, it makes sense to talk some Absolute news. Looks like October is going to be a big month, huh?
Will Nevin: Hooboy, an Absolute Bats annual? DC enjoys printing money when it can, doesn’t it? The Absolute Evil special will be interesting too as we’re building to the inevitable crossover stories.
Matt: Daniel Warren Johnson seems made for this character, doesn’t he? He draws big guys with big feels better than pretty much anyone working in comics right now. And that group of villains might be the most backstabby bunch this side of Checkmate, huh?
Will: Why, Matt, it’s almost as if you’re plugging things we have discussed or are about to discuss on the podcast!
And how about this for some Scott Snyder news. I think we’ve found the next Warner Bros. DC fighting game.
Matt: There are times where you just have to be honest. Most crossovers are just this; DC’s just saying the quiet part out loud on this one.
The Prisoner
Matt: I want to be fair. We give some writers a lot of crap for revisiting the same beats over and over again. This issue bears a striking resemblance in plot to “The Face of the Court,” Batman Vol. 2 #5, where Batman is trapped in the Court of Owls’ labyrinth. But Snyder doesn’t just recycle those beats. That is a story of Batman breaking. This is a story of Batman overcoming.
Will: The man has written so much Batman, would it even be possible at this point for Snyder not to crib from himself? Also, one thing to keep in mind: This is just the second chapter in the story. With that said, I liked this generally. I think we know for sure now that this is Batman: The Body Horror Universe, and I also enjoyed how (for now) this is the Bane we more or less know, but one with a whole organization of enablers and keen to break Batman not just physically, but mentally as well.
Matt: I don’t know if I would say this is the best issue of the series, but it is definitely high up there. We’ve talked about it before, but what makes Batman is not that he is perfect, it’s that he never quits. It’s become a cliche since Batman Begins, but Batman falls so he can get back up. And yes, I expect him to fall harder before this arc is done. But that’s why he’ll just rise all the higher.
Will: Good lord, this tank of a Batman (400+ pounds!) has literally turned himself into a weapon with all of the surgical enhancements and goodies he’s got stashed on his person at all times. Why does he even need the suit? But, absolutely, the theme of this issue is relentlessness, be it Bruce inside Ark M or Martha looking for her son outside of it.
Matt: Not just 400+ lbs. but 6’9’’. When the inevitable DCU meets Absolute U crossover happens, original recipe Bruce is going to look like a kid compared to the giant that is his counterpart.
The massive list of devices that Bruce had implanted in him never quite hit the point of pure comedy, but it got close. Every kind of bomb and weapon you could conceive of short of a gun. And that absolutely suits this version of the character. This Batman is a Boy Scout of violence, always prepared.
Will: The fucker turned his own stomach acid into a weapon. Jesus! A “Boy Scout of violence” — I’m jealous I didn’t come up with that myself, but it definitely fits. DC, make sure we both get credit when that gets blurbed.
Matt: Beyond Batman, we’re seeing more of the rogues gallery being built out here. A lot of the mad-science related Bat rogues seem to be part of Ark M. It’s cut off, but we see a sign that reads “Helfer–” which means Helfern, or Dr. Death, is there. K.L.A.Y. experiment seems to be a Clayface variant. The Isely Ecosystem means Poison Ivy. The Strange Corridor of Hugo. And the Langstrom Experiment means Man-Bat. I never had as much of an issue with the big rogues as Bruce’s friends as you did, but this makes even more sense to me. All of these mad scientists wind up in Gotham because they were specifically brought here by one villain who wants them all to work for him. There’s a logic there.
Will: Matt, you know I hate two things: fun and contrivances. But what I do like is a larger context, a framework for why exactly so many of the rogues are collected in one place and are so monstrous. As with so many things, I think this is going to read better in trade as it will be easier to follow the overall Ark M story. And speaking of the overall story, I liked the hints of the Catwoman dynamic here, and I’m still fairly convinced Bruce has funded his operation to some extent with heist money.
Matt: I think he might have, but it feels like he has stolen from bad guys. Corporate scumbags. I don’t know if that’s right, but it’s closer to Robin Hood than not. I’m curious to see where that goes.
Are you also reading it that Dr. Arkham is trying to turn Bruce into another Bane? That what they did to him was prep him for being another of their superpowered agents?
Will: We do get a striking physical transformation by the end of the issue, don’t we? It certainly seems like some sort of Venom delivery system, but I shudder to think of the ultimate end goal. I guess we should mention Waylon, huh? We’ve talked about how monster Croc is not the best Croc, but goddamned if they didn’t go all the way in making him a monster.
Matt: I think if there is a universe where monster Croc works, it’s this one. He’s not a dude with a skin condition here. He is the product of terrible experimentation. So make him a monster that Batman can ride into battle! I think a sewer-dwelling, lonely, monstrously evolved Croc who hates the world for what it did to him feels right for the Absolute Universe.
Will: And it’s much more logical to tell a story with this version about how he’s lost touch with his humanity since … well, it’s hard to say he’s even human at this point. I’ll be interested to see if there’s any remnant of Waylon in there or if he’s literally just a mount now.
Matt: I think this is going to be something that defines Bruce. I feel like he is going to be on a quest to find a way to save his best friend, to make him human again. And if he can’t do it, he’ll be haunted by it. His loyalty to Waylon in the face of everything is what the flashbacks are showing here, so I don’t see him giving up.
Will: In any universe, Batman is ultimately defined by tragedy and loss, isn’t he?
Bat-miscellany
- We’re still in a post-Superman reverie over on the BatChat podcast, in an episode where we read stories where Batman meets three characters other than Superman who appeared in the movie.
Buy Absolute Batman #10 here. (Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, ComicsXF may earn from qualifying purchases.)
Matt Lazorwitz read his first comic at the age of 5. It was Who's Who in the DC Universe #2, featuring characters whose names begin with B, which explains so much about his Batman obsession. He writes about comics he loves, and co-hosts the podcasts BatChat with Matt & Will and The ComicsXF Interview Podcast.
Will Nevin loves bourbon and AP style and gets paid to teach one of those things. He is on Twitter far too often.
