REVIEW: ‘Absolute Batman’ Issue #3

Absolute Batman #3 is published by DC Comics, written by Scott Snyder, art by Nick Dragotta, colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Clayton Cowles. Pennyworth and Batman are on the run together, finally getting the chance to talk as Batman is offered a deal by Black Mask.

Absolute Batman #3 has a more streamlined structure that allows multiple stories to expand. Still moving between the past and the present, the reader becomes comfortable with the lives of those who live in this Gotham. The first half of the comic features an extraordinary car chase that encapsulates the madness of the Absolute Universe. The Batmobile is delightfully ridiculous. Under the hood, the reader sees the start of a trusting relationship.

Batman and Pennyworth are after the same person, but their approaches are different. Snyder’s pacing in Absolute Batman #3 is perfect. The Batmobile chase moves at breakneck speed, yet there is still time to process what is happening and what the characters are saying. The comic can branch off into other avenues around this spine of Absolute Batman #3. The flashbacks to Bruce’s childhood are beautifully written. Out exploring with a young Serena Kyle, it’s much lighter than the main story, breaking up the severity. The violence in the book is striking and startling, yet you can’t look away.

The characters break out of the pure chaos and start to show their personalities and places in the city. Bruce is still very secluded, but he speaks more in and out of costume. He gets to have a relationship with his mother. It is loving, yet tense, due to a nervousness about her safety. Martha is putting herself out in the open in the middle of a gang war, where the political figures are under attack. Given how Batman’s parents usually end up, a pang of worry will always be in the reader’s gut. Both Nygma and Dent show signs of their respective brilliance, both important to Bruce’s investigation of the Party Animals.

Keeping Batman quiet has kept his mystique high in Absolute Batman #3. Most of the information about him has come from Pennyworth. He’s intelligent, but there is something primitive and primal about him too. Pennyworth taps into that. Batman unleashes violence like a childish temper tantrum instead of diplomacy. The beautiful dialogue of Absolute Batman is found when Bruce is a child. Instead of noisy, it’s quiet and sweet. And sweet is hard to find in a book with so many explosions.

The art in Absolute Batman #3 is utter chaos. The chase scene is so mechanically monstrous and visceral that it makes Mad Max look meager. The sense of velocity and transformations are hugely impressive. Even though it is pure madness, the action can be followed quickly. Each action has consequences, usually explosive. Black Mask also commits more subtle forms of violence, brazenly and in front of people. This is one of the most notable displays of the gang leader’s power.

In contrast, Bruce and Selena playing on the rooftops of Gotham and playing with cats could be considered boring. And yet, they are just as entertaining and compelling. Selena’s cat-ear hoodie is frankly adorable. Bruce hides his face with his fringe precisely like an adult and a child, highlighting how little may have changed.

The colors in Absolute Batman #3 default to a metallic grey tone, interrupted by the lights and brightness caused by Gotham City. These can be police lights or the red explosions of the blue plasma flying out of the Batmobile. The flashbacks show more lights coming off the city and suggest happier times. The lettering is clear and easy to read amid the vicious action.

Absolute Batman #3 sees the series finding its feet amid the ferocity. Throughout the high-tempo action, a brilliant gang war story unfolds. The character arcs can be seen unfolding even when the giant Batmobile tramples the streets of Gotham. This issue felt more controlled than the previous two chapters, and you can see the meticulous details within. Snyder, Dragotta, and Martin have constructed a heavy-metal world, yet the hero can sometimes look childlike at the center. And it is a world. Gotham is being built before our eyes, not just Batman.

Absolute Batman #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.