Right away, the comic starts with a bloodied Batman forced to reveal his identity to his childhood friend. Black Mask and his Party Animals had just beat him to a pulp the issue prior. But now, after a few handily placed bandages, he’s as good as new – brimming with vengeance.
For better or worse, Absolute Batman feels anxious to take a break, both its heroes and the villains. From here on out, it’s balls-to-the-wall non-stop action. Batman takes the fight to Black Mask’s yacht, and we get to see Nick Dragotta’s excellent sequential storytelling. The fight is the central conceit of this issue, closing the series’ first arc with a brutal battle that surprisingly takes a turn for the comedic in a few panels.
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There’s a part where Batman pulls his knees back to release a spring-loaded goalie kick; he beats up his enemies like they’re soccer balls. Dragotta depicts Batman really unhinged here, with a near-psychopathic grin. He’s having the time of his life. And I can guarantee the people reading this comic will, too.
Despite the action, important time is spent on cranking up the stakes through its supporting characters. Gordon and Martha Wayne are characters that readers will naturally care about, and putting their life in the crosshairs of regular Gothamites is a smart move by Snyder. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Batman’s identity reveal, as its repercussions aren’t given the same amount of time to breathe.
The comic’s only quiet scene is set in the past, flashbacks where Bruce and his mother look through their family’s photo album. This is peppered throughout Batman’s tussle with Black Mask, a showdown that’s up there with Scott Snyder’s famous final fight scenes (e.g., Batman Endgame). Nick Dragotta’s page layout is superb here, using many different panel sizes in one page to juggle different times and places, never veering into confusion. In the epilogue, there’s a creepy tease that caps off the comic, bringing Snyder’s horror roots to the forefront.
My only gripe is that we go from Batman’s fall in the previous issue to his rise in this one so fast that we don’t get to see the consequences of it. How exactly he was able to give payback without breaking a sweat is never clarified. Though it is satisfying to witness, it feels somewhat unearned for the villains to be defeated so matter-of-factly. Especially after they’ve been set up (and shown) as powerful forces to be reckoned with. If anything, this alternate version of Batman seems to share the “Batgod” status with his mainstream counterpart, still not defeating their prep time allegations.
Absolute Batman #6 is a masterwork of action storytelling. The first arc of one of the best comics today ends with a big bang, from which future villains await on the horizon. Everyone in this creative team is at their peak. It moves at a rapid pace and never drags. We’ll have to see if this relentless momentum will prove to be its strength… or its bane. Still, I can’t help but be excited for the next arc.
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