With the defeat of Black Mask, Absolute Batman’s newest issue tackles another familiar villain reinvented to fit the Absolute universe mythos. The comic opens with the bleeding eyes of a young Victor Fries, which sets the tone for this two-issue arc. Gone are the days of glass jar helmets and frozen wives; a bigger Batman calls for a bigger class of criminal. And Scott Snyder gladly delivers.
DC
Marcos Martin takes the wheel as guest artist, and his style fits with Nick Dragotta’s vision of Gotham. His retro line work feels like a different shade from the same palette, sharing a natural continuity with previous issues. Munsta Vicente’s colors are equally striking, choosing to be more experimental with unsettling pinks and terror-inducing turquoise. Together, they depict winter in Gotham as a season of death, with sweet sickly colors and horrified faces.
The comic alternates between Bruce Wayne talking to his childhood friends in a dark alley and his attempts to investigate the Ark M island. Bruce’s friends react to his identity as Batman, which I’m all for and hope to see more of, as it’s a unique development in this universe.
There is a bold stylistic choice where the conversation is depicted in pure silhouette. But each character’s body shape is so distinct, from the lanky, glasses-wearing Edward Nygma to the fur-coated, pointy-nosed Oswald Cobblepot, that you’ll never have a problem differentiating which is which.
On top of that, the final panel of each page is often mirrored by the first panel in the next, making each transition flow seamlessly and easy on the eyes. Each page turn reaffirms that this is a first-rate comic with extreme talent behind it.
By the end, Scott Snyder has offered an absorbing intro to a new version of Mr. Freeze. And if not as iconic as his classic take, his ghoulish design pushes him over the edge as a unique character in his own right.
With a dead body in his wake and a broken arm, Batman is on thin ice. Mr. Freeze poses a worthy threat that makes his nights worse but readers’ much more fun. Especially since the good cold days of the sympathetic doctor and loving husband are long gone. What’s here is an undulating beast of skeletal proportions. There are panels of genuine body horror that will freeze you in place.
Absolute Batman #7 continues to enchant with gorgeous art and tightly paced intrigue. It sets up an all-new Mr. Freeze with a moody backstory and chilling design. This time around, a new team on art stops by with equally extraordinary talent, deliberate in paneling and colors but never too cold for comfort. This is the type of collaboration that comics are made for.
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