Broken down by the Scarecrow, Batman must pull himself back up to fight. And along the way, many of his allies will make decisions that will change their lives. Absolute Batman #24 is written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Nick Dragotta, colored by Frank Martin and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
Will Nevin: Gee golly, Matt, do you think Gotham will be safe from all the wacky plants if we take a week off from “Bad Seeds”?
Matt Lazorwitz: I think “safe” and “Gotham” in the same sentence are VERY relative terms, but I think we’re going to find out, because we need to go and visit our big, buff Batman for a week. But there’s only one “Bad Seeds” tie-in this week, and I do like the symmetry of doing both this week’s Harley Quinn and next week’s Poison Ivy together. Even if Harley and Ivy aren’t together in the stories, we can at least talk about them together.
Will: BatChat Gal Pals’ Week. Looking forward to it. But first: Off to Earth Thicc!
The last straw
Matt: I could say this is the last time I’m going to talk about this, but I’d probably be lying. If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a couple dozen times: Scott Snyder writes about whatever he’s afraid of, and works through it on the page. This is fact. And it can lead the reader down some dark paths. But what it can also get you is some rousing catharsis, and that’s what we get this issue. Batman and Alfred, and through them Snyder, get to spit in the eye of the world that is beyond their control, and that feels damn good.
Will: And he’s dealing with the world as it is (or how he darkly imagines it to be) and not what he wants it to be, which is important. Not to steer us off into the world of prose (but to do exactly that very thing), but I finished off my run club’s book club book for September — “Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books” — and to briefly summarize, it’s a book of Our Times(™), full of dipshits and assholes who lie and cheat and abuse systems and people in a small Georgia town. It ends with a lovely little flash forward 10 years into the future, where the state has elected one of the heroes of the book as governor and has legalized psychedelic mushrooms. And that’s bullshit!
We can’t deal with the problems of this world — or the problems of Gotham — if we think they might magically go away. There’s no 25th Amendment coming to help us. But Batman punching the stuffing out of Scarecrow — and pulling the thread on his lips! — sure does feel nice.
Matt: Alfred’s speech to his mysterious handlers is Snyder’s clearest statement to date, at least in this world, about what makes Batman important. As I said last night on our recording, Batman is an inspirational figure, not an aspirational figure. And why? “He’s just a boy who suffered the most terrifying trauma a child can. And instead of giving in to it, he goes out every night and faces that fear.” The world might suck. The world might be dark. But you can’t look to the future to people who might help you and wait for them. No, you have to fight it now. It’s Snyder repudiating his own worst instincts, all of our worst instincts.
Will: And it’s interesting that we’re starting with this idea of fear because, finally to my great pleasure, we got a big heap of Scarecrow this week. The most interesting part of this version (aside from the design, which continues to be stellar) is that his usual toys and gimmicks like the fear gas have been sidelined. Instead, the most dangerous thing about him is his ability to make people doubt the core truth of their existence. He convinced the Owls they were elites. And he nearly convinced the boy seeking justice for his father’s murder that the man was still alive. An incredible and insidious talent.
Matt: Convinced them by convincing the world. The Scarecrow is the master of spin, and in a world where information warfare is growing more and more prevalent, and made easier and easier by technology outpacing human understanding of it, Scarecrow might be the ultimate villain of 2026. And while that is great, and makes for a villain whose tentacles are all the more powerful because they stay in you long after the fear gas has worn off, he still does use the fear gas, and Dragotta gets to draw a terrifying, hallucinatory version of the Scarecrow who is Cronenbergian. And I know we both love some Cronenberg.
Will: There are few things better in life than a good Cronenberg monster, and you can bet I appreciated that little treat today. Damned delightful.
Before we talk about Barbara, I do want to state for the record that I’m calling a three-year moratorium on “Absolute Batman” #1 homage covers. The original series has done it, folks; it has circled all the way ‘round. Time to let it rest.
Matt: Yes, we definitely need to talk about Babs, but just to put it in context, we get solid scenes and moments from Babs, from Alfred and from Martha in this issue. There are little scenes with the Robins and Bruce’s friend group too, but we get looks into the thought processes and the inner lives of three characters who have been around from the beginning of this series. I don’t think Snyder is completely done introducing new characters, but I can hope that we’re going to get more of this, more developing the toys he’s already got.
Will: Martha was especially important given that little tease we got approximately four years ago when this arc started. I’m glad we finally came around and (mostly) closed that loop. Before we move on to anything else, what did you think of the Absolute version of the “Yes, Father, I shall become a bat” scene?
Matt: It’s as different as anything else in this world, but it makes an important distinction. Bruce here sees that the Bat hasn’t left the place where it was captured, where it was held, because it has children to protect. It reinforces the reason this Bruce, who does not have the generational wealth and connection to Gotham, didn’t leave after everything with Falcone, and why he stays now.
Will: There’s also probably something in Bruce coming into its home in the Absolute Universe, as compared to the bat coming into the manor in the prime universe. Not entirely sure what that means, but it’s something. And one more thought before we tackle Babs: Maybe this is just the status quo as it is about to erode or fall away completely, but I was struck in this issue by how the childhood-friends-turned-potential-rogue’s-gallery are still with Bruce (mostly).
Matt: There’s something there, something coming. What Two-Face started to say, and that Croc shut down? I think Dent has been approached by Grimm, and I think Joker is weasling his way into this little inner circle. And no good of that is going to come. I think Waylon is loyal, maybe Eddie, but I think Dent and Oz are going to switch camps before too long.
Will: There would be something especially dark about Harvey, still holding firm to his job and his sanity, working with the well-connected and monied Grimm to go after Batman. Feels like another one of those “ripped from the headlines” deals, too. So, yeah, I think you’re right to expect it. For as much as I have complained about this book rushing through everything, Snyder has been patient with the Rogues.
Matt: But now to talk about Babs.
Enter: Absolute Batgirl. Babs has been through the ringer this arc, with the death of her dad, and we haven’t had much time with her, but here we see her being proactive. It ties in with Alfred’s speech, about how Batman has inspired people, and we see her literally crawl through darkness to come to her new identity.
Will: I’m a big fan of the costume: Batsuit and a duster/trenchcoat. Ain’t gotta make this a complicated affair.
Matt: It’s also the first time we have seen Bruce actively reach out to someone else. Alfred, Harley, Catwoman, the erstwhile Rogues all have come to him and tried to help him. Now he finally realizes he needs help, and he’s taking steps. The classic Batman lesson that he can’t do it alone has finally been learned.
Will: Turns out you can hulk up and bulk up all you want, but you’re still going to need help. I’d say that you can’t strategize yourself out of needing assistance too, but this Batman doesn’t seem to be much of a planner. See goon. Smash goon. Repeat.
Matt: I have one question to pose to you. We now know the Court of Owls here was a group of people who tried to make Gotham better. Are we going to see Martha’s old friends unmasked, and do we think they’re going to be familiar faces? Maybe Jacob Kane, her brother? I’m trying to think who else from that generation we haven’t seen, but no one else is jumping to mind.
Will: If we didn’t already have Oswald, I’d think some flavor of Cobblepot would be a great addition. I guess his presence doesn’t necessarily foreclose his parents or grandparents being involved, but I don’t think he could personally be in the Court, since that would just make this story way too complicated. But I do like the idea of this Court of Owls as some Weather Underground type of organization, because that does nicely flip the original on its ear. Whether anything is done with that neat li’l idea remains to be seen.
Matt: The only other possibilities I can think of would be a new character carrying on a name we know. Similar to there being a Cobblepot, possibly an Elliot or a Powers, as they are names associated with Gotham or the Court historically. Or maybe a Cobb, the name of the Talon who is Dick’s ancestor. Tie in some Court history with Dick for when he makes his inevitable face turn. Maybe this is the reality where Dick actually does become a Talon, only they’re the good guys.
Will: All I really take from that paragraph is that you just cursed us with Absolute Hush.
You bastard.
Bat-miscellany
- This week’s BatChat podcast features three truly bizarre Joker stories.
- If you want more Barbara Gordon, she appeared in last month’s Absolute Wonder Woman #23, where it turns out she’s friends with Diana’s friend Etta Candy. Small world.
Buy Absolute Batman #24 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.
