Doc Rivers once said, “Man, there’s no way he can top that” when referring to Michael Jordan's highlight dunks. That’s how it’s starting to feel with Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman. That's not to say that Absolute Batman is the Michael Jordan of comic books, but, three issues in and I’m still waiting for things to slow down. Not in terms of action. The story keeps hitting readers around the emotional spectrum. It’s to the point where Bruce Wayne being Hulk-sized is the least interesting thing about him and his story.
Absolute Batman No. 3 starts with Selina Kyle trying to cheer Bruce up after his father dies. Then we return to the present where Alfred attempts to convince Bruce to accept Roman Sionis's offer (Black Mask). All he has to do is not interfere with the Party Animals for one week. It would feel like emotional whiplash if the writing wasn’t so well placed. You don’t go back to the past until Batman and Alfred’s chase is done leaving readers to come down from the action.
Absolute Batman highlights
Alfred going from hating Bruce for being stubborn, then loving him for his giant Bat-truck that turned into a highspeed car was funny. He appreciated Bruce's ingenuity and ability to adapt but was still furious. He hadn’t been exposed like this in his twenty-plus years of work. Being ejected from the Batmobile and into the water probably didn't help his mood either.
Watching Batman act like he wasn’t listening to Alfred only to eventually take his advice showed me that this was the beginning of their partnership. We can assume their team-up happens after Alfred realizes the company paying him is run by deplorable humans and probably Joker. If that’s the case, Alfred will stay in Gotham since he’s been chasing him for years. Alfred's daughter living in Gotham is a bonus.
“You’ve got talents other kids don’t have. And yes, it’s scary and dangerous and new, but you need to block that out and go right at it." -Catwoman
This writer can’t say if Scott Snyder wrote Bruce chasing Selina because it’s what they do on Earth Prime, but it would make sense. While some things from the Absolute Universe and Earth Prime will change, some parts should remain the same. However, unlike Earth Prime, Selina doesn’t help Bruce on her own. She invites their friends (Harvey, Eddie, Oz, and Waylon) to complete her mission of getting Bruce out of his funk. More importantly, her adventure and message started the momentum that turned him into Batman.
Lastly, the nod to Arkham Asylum was perfectly done. The Ark M Fund (get it?) hints towards the arrival of something like Arkham Asylum. Instead of making it a place to reform and rehabilitate, it'll be a private prison to make the rich richer. One of the other projects (Ark A) was in Santa Prisca meaning Bane could be arriving soon (Scott Snyder said he's coming). Hopefully, Absolute Batman No. 4 will dig deeper into this. Knowing Scott Snyder, it's a safe bet it will. Stay tuned to Caped Crusades to see if that happens.
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