After two Mr. Freeze issues from the phenomenal Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente, Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin are back on art with a bang. And they brought with them a new villain: Bane.
The Absolute line of comics is no stranger to social issues, and this version of Bane is no exception. In a few pages, Scott Snyder effectively shows who Bane is through his actions. He appears to be a mercenary in aid of war profiteers, his existence a comment on people throughout history who meddle in foreign countries for private interests. Peace isn’t profitable. And a prosperous Gotham doesn’t benefit its corrupt rulers. That’s where Bane comes in. He keeps the status quo of inequality and violence in check.
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Standing almost 20 feet tall, Dragotta depicts his commanding presence unlike any Bane we’ve ever seen. And the slight change to his design, his skull-like mask permanently showing gritted teeth, is enough to be iconic in its own right. Bane is a villain that Snyder has never written at length before, and his take looks to be monumentally interesting. Snyder remembers that Bane is not only a man of brute strength, but also intelligence. In a line or two, that essential aspect is effectively communicated.
Meanwhile, in Gotham, Batman is on a quest to find his missing friend, Waylon. With Absolute Batman’s origin and setup out of the way, it feels like Snyder finally has the freedom to ramp up the story. Batman’s supporting cast has discovered his secret identity, and what that means is the unofficial formation of the Absolute Bat “family.” Together, they concoct a plan to infiltrate Ark M in an effort to save Waylon. The person who is absent from that team (and in present day), Selina, appears in a flashback, and her relationship with Bruce gets a nice couple of pages.
In eight issues, Snyder has built the foundation of Absolute Batman, keeping readers abreast of what’s similar and what’s different in this young universe. Now he’s introducing a wild card, Bane, that will demolish the entire structure down to its mortar.
Just when you think the issue is going to end, Snyder and Dragotta give readers what they want: a battle between Batman and Bane. It’s a clash of titans that will be on someone’s top 10 list for sure. Dragotta makes the 7-foot-tall Batman look tiny and meek in comparison. And we get to see how terrifying Bane is, something we haven’t seen since Knightfall, or to a lesser extent, City of Bane.
Absolute Batman #9 is densely packed with plot, a new villain, and action that will blow you away. Inside all of that, Snyder and Dragotta are still able to inject visual gags and a hallmark style you won’t find anywhere else. This book is a beast that is well worth your time.
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