SPOILERS AHEAD!
Initial Thoughts
This month’s Absolute Batman #23, better known as “Who in the Absolute Batman Universe is going to die next #23?!,” shows Bruce Wayne breaking down mentally and becoming too far gone for the rest of the world. Bruce is buried under fear, regret, and anger, beyond saving even by the love and caress of a worried mother. However, Batman doesn't think he's off the deep end, as he truly believes he is this close to figuring out who the Scarecrow is and his motives. We will see who ends up right in the end. My guess? Batman.
Reading every issue of Absolute Batman feels like trauma exposure. Every issue in the series is more brutal than the last, and I don't see that ending anytime soon. When you think there is light at the end of the tunnel, writer Scott Snyder makes the tunnel longer. I really do hope that Batman gets a win here soon, because I don't know how much longer I can make it out alive, let alone Bruce Wayne. Scott Snyder keeps digging the whole thing deeper for Batman, and when he finally gets out, it will be the most emotional, glorious event we’ve witnessed.
It’s a Mad World
While there is a lot of death and shock in these issues, the main thread tying them together during “The Straw Man” arc is Bruce’s descent into fear and uncertainty. Absolute Batman has been fantastic for its cutting-edge interpretation of Batman, but at its core, it's still a Batman story. The Scarecrow’s tactics will always be to push Batman to his limits and have him run on fear, which makes Batman second-guess himself. Obviously, this is turned up to 11, but the methodology is still the same. This is breaking Bruce and Batman into a state of constant anxiety, and the only question left is when Batman can get out of this rut and finally get some wins. For his sanity, let's hope it's soon.
That said, I do have a new concern in this series: I hope we aren't killing these characters just to kill them. With this entire saga being manipulated by the Scrawcrow, it is hard to decipher what is real and what is just a figment of his deranged game, but essential Batman-esque characters are starting to drop like flies. In Snyder, I trust, so I'm not overly concerned; however, I think it just comes down to the fact that killing off these characters is serious business, so let's hope not everyone dies.
My Heart Can’t Take It!
The collected omnibus reread of Absolute Batman is going to hit like whiplash from a 10-car pileup. The last couple of issues have started and ended in a way that feels like psychological whiplash from one issue to the next. Absolute Batman #22 ended with two MASSIVE reveals, and Absolute Batman #23 started with a lunch date between father and daughter. It wasn't all sweet scenes, as it ended with the death of the Absolute version of Tim Drake. Just when you think this can't get any worse for Bruce, he witnessed another murder, and Gotham City will inevitably think it is him who did it.
The entire issue built towards the death of Tim Drake. Scott Snyder did a good job of lulling us into a sense of security, almost baiting us into not looking for another death, but Snyder pulled the trigger and sunk Batman even further down this well of despair. Even though they were on the opposite side of the “War on Gotham,” Bruce still had this cosmic connection to the Robins, which you could see come to play after Scarecrow’s feux-Batman murdered Tim. Bruce has to get a win here sometime, right? How much more can one man suffer before things turn around?
Nick Draggota Excels In Drawing The Descent Into Madness
The brutality of this issue came across viscerally through Nick Draggota's art and Frank Martin's coloring. The anxiety and fear were clear in our characters' faces, and the scene's tension was palpable to the reader. The complete, pitch-black background in the Batcave during that tense moment was a masterclass in tension-building and focus. Nothing else mattered besides the interactions between Batman, his mother, and his friends, and Frank Martin's coloring made it feel that way. In the third act, those feelings of death and anxiety mixed with the bright colors of the Robins, making that final scene even more surreal. Fantastic.
Draggota's design of that feux-Batman in the final act was brilliant. Yes, the actual physical size of this conjured-up Sand-Batman is intimidating, but in context, it's a metaphor for how Bruce feels in that moment. A villain made in his likeness is overwhelming: it kills him and everything around him, and it comes out of thin air. Dragotta’s design and Martin’s use of neutral gray color capture those themes in the character’s depiction. That design and color, in contrast with the Robins, was a great and haunting visual, something that has been present and consistent all run long.
Final Verdict
Absolute Batman #20 has now sunk Bruce Wayne into the deepest depths his psyche has ever been to, depths that would drive any normal man insane. While the Absolute Batman series is cautiously treading the fine line between “progressing the story and pushing the boundaries” and “let's see how much we can make Batman suffer for fun!”, Absolute Batman #23 is still a very entertaining read that really delves deep into the psyche of a hero. The real test for this series will be how Batman will bounce back from this because he will eventually get to the bottom of who the Absolute Scarecrow is, and where Bruce’s story officially starts.