From the very start, Absolute Batman has teased the Joker and their lingering threat to Batman and Gotham. This week, Scott Snyder and Jock aim to reveal the character’s backstory as he stands at the top of the villainous echelon in the Absolute Universe. Absolute Batman #15 offers an intense look at the time and effort a villain puts into being seen as a hero of the people, which requires multiple examinations of a tainted past.
A prominent element of Absolute Batman #15 is how similar the Joker appears to Bruce Wayne in the central universe, from his look to his wealth. The issue opens with a well-built man in sunglasses getting off a private jet on a remote island. He’s got all sorts of hunting weapons as he sets out from the jet, presumably to do significant harm. We touch back on this mysterious figure throughout the issue, which starts as ominous but ends in something far more twisted and horrific.
Intercut with these check-ins with Joker on an island is a whole backstory, as Alfred tells it to Bruce via captions. Neither Alfred nor Bruce is shown speaking to each other, but the captions make it clear who is speaking. In these captions, Alfred narrates the origins of Joseph Grimm I, a man who made a fortune in films starting in 1888. Snyder does a good job revealing Alfred as a man who seems to doubt his theory about this man named Grimm, while Bruce is a bit impatient and wants to know the whole truth without so much backstory.
This repeated layout is a clever way to unveil the truth about Joker.
Credit: DC Comics
There’s a recurring double-page layout that does a great job of establishing specific visuals, like a boy in clown makeup putting on a show, or a man in a suit with piercing red eyes making a name for himself in vaudeville. We see it at first as how Grimm wants to be seen in history, and we return to this layout multiple times to peel back the truth of what was really happening. It’s a clever way to convey a hyper-rich villain like Joker and how they’ve gone to great lengths to rewrite history and define themselves as a do-gooder. At first, I wasn’t sure about this method of returning to the layout to refresh the reader, but ultimately, it is a fantastic concept that works quite well. Fans of Snyder’s American Vampire will dig the approach to the Joker here, which feels steeped in American history and darkly twisted.
Outside of these clever layouts, Jock does a great job capturing the ferocity of Joker, especially in their monster form, as is seen on the cover. There’s an animalistic ferocity that is unmistakable. In one page, we see his transformation, and it’s bizarre, yet unique and not like anything else when it comes to humans turning into bigger beasts in comic books. While Batman appears in the comic only briefly, Jock does a good job of showing his shadowy, darker visage. What may take the cake visually, however, is the final page, which features a Joker-like smile as Joker enters his secret lair.
Absolute Batman #15 is a chilling masterclass in villain-building, merging historical myth, monstrous evolution, and psychological terror into one of the strongest chapters of the Absolute Universe. Snyder and Jock deliver a Joker story that feels ambitious, unsettling, and unforgettable.
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