REVIEW: ‘Absolute Batman’ Issue 20

Absolute Batman Issue 20 is published by DC Comics and written by Scott Snyder, with art by Nick Dragotta, colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Clayton Cowles.

Batman pays a visit to Joe Chill in prison, but Scarecrow is already there.

This issue sets the mood quickly. Absolute Batman Issue 20 travels the city, seeing the various threads and parties gathering power. Jack Grimm, this universe’s version of the Joker, is digging his roots into Gotham as Batman disappears. Not one of Batman’s allies, from Alfred to Harley Quinn to Waylon, is able to find him or be in contact with him. He’s secluded and wallowing in self-doubt and distrust, with his entire family history torn open.

Bruce is still reeling from the sudden, unexpected death of Jim Gordon. It was such an Earth-shattering moment, derailing expectations. The Batman and Jim Gordon partnership is iconic, and was beginning to take shape in this world, too, before being surreptitiously interrupted.

Scott Snyder digs into another piece of Batman history in this chapter, with Joe Chill being responsible for the murder of Bruce’s father. It’s this segment of Absolute Batman Issue 20 that turns the comic into pure psychological horror. And it happens suddenly, with Scarecrow just appearing and instantly taking control of the moment. As he and Batman converse, with the prison cell bars on either side, the tension builds.

So much exposition is revealed, including combined histories and a systematic planning that has been paramount to every single series in the Absolute Universe. But the lengthy conversation doesn’t detract from the menacing suspense that emanates from Scarecrow.

The pace is slow but intense because what happens is right in front of Batman, beyond his reach to stop. That tension builds like an orchestra, an almost unbearable whine as the pressure increases. It continues to rise until it drops in a terrifying silence. That’s not even the end of this issue, where the Robins are called in to take Batman down. It ramps up the pace again, injecting adrenaline into the final pages of the issue and creating a terrific cliffhanger to lead into the next issue.

This chapter checks in on so many people at first. Absolute Batman Issue 20 reveals how big and occupied Gotham has become, with the various residents now off in their own corners. When Waylon pays Eddie (The Riddler) a visit to help him find Bruce, we see their other friends secluded in their new homes. They are still reeling from the effects of their injuries and life-altering events. Interestingly, Harley and Pennyworth are looking for Batman because he’s their partner in their mission. Meanwhile, Waylon is desperately trying to find his friend, loyal like a brother.

After these check-ins, the Absolute Batman Issue 20 turns the focus on three people. Bruce, Scarecrow, and Chill. Scarecrow is sinister, largely because he’s so knowledgeable. He knows everything about Bruce Wayne, more than even Bruce does. He knows about his parents, including his mother’s involvement with the Court of Owls. He’s got a frightening ability to appear and disappear in places. We see this when, during a private conversation between Batman and Chill, Scarecrow appears out of nowhere. The reveal genuinely sends a shiver down the spine.

Then comes Scarecrow’s other ability: control. People do what he says, and the lack of resistance and implementation of that power is utterly creepy. It even elicits a reaction from Batman, reducing him to someone who begs and pleads for mercy. Batman becomes fearful instead of feared.

It’s fascinating that so many of the Robins have been brought into the Absolute Universe at the same time. The debate over which Robin would emerge first has been rendered moot by introducing them all. Dick, Jason, Tim, Stephanie, and Duke are all members of the Robin Program. They are a collective, all members of the same task force, but there are already flickers of individual personalities within the speed.

The art is incredible at adapting to the moment’s tone throughout Absolute Batman Issue 20. The first panel reveals the monstrous visage of Grimm, a creature that is revolting and grotesque. Then, in the city-hopping scenes, there is a superb selection of new designs. Dragotta shows how Riddler, Penguin, and Two-Face all look after their brutal ordeal against Bane. They are recognizable while still being fresh and new.

There is a shift in the scene between Batman and Scarecrow. It takes place in a cramped, shadowy cell, with Bruce crucially on the outside looking in. The shadows are thick, and then suddenly Scarecrow emerges through them, using them to his advantage. Scarecrow is slim, often smoking a cigarette, drawn to resemble an old country singer. But the rest of the design is unnerving and horrifying.

It’s not the stitch marks on his face, the bony hands, or even the buttons that cover his eyes. It’s his mouth. It looks like it was once stitched shut, with those strands stretching when he goes to talk. His whole face incites fear and dread, and that final word is an important one in the dialogue of Absolute Batman Issue 20.

Scarecrow doesn’t even have a huge weapon, just a cutthroat razor. But he doesn’t need a weapon; he doesn’t have to move much at all. The cell bars are crucial to the book because they prevent Batman from fully entering the cell and landing a glove on Chill or Scarecrow. Then the Robins enter the fray, and Dragotta returns to the more hardcore element of the Absolute Batman series. The Robins pilot huge mechs, standing like skyscrapers and resembling the scale of Pacific Rim’s suits. Despite their extreme size, the panel layouts’ brilliance creates a phenomenal sense of movement and speed.

The coloring is brilliantly effective and evocative. Towards the end and beginning of Absolute Batman Issue 20, there are brief inclusions of brighter shades. Sometimes a character’s clothing will be a shade of red or green, or a TV screen will generate white light. But in the jail cell, the book is extremely dark, deliberately so. If the page isn’t solid back, it’s gray, with no light appearing at all.

The only spark comes from Scarecrow’s lighter, and that illuminates the villain for the first time. He doesn’t bring any more vibrancy to the issue, with the only primary color included being an ominous red. The lettering is spectacular for crafting volume and tone, especially when the dialogue is so crucial in the cell. The font used for Scarecrow’s text perfectly recreates the sensation of nails down a chalkboard.

Absolute Batman Issue 20 has fear and dread dripping from the page. The book is packed with story, with so many threads running through it. Despite the amount of exposition Snyder infuses into the script, the comic narrows its focus. The slower speed at the center of the issue is unlike the Absolute Universe. It’s small and intimate, suffocating in its pressure. Batman can’t fight, he can’t run, he can’t do anything. The intensity is intoxicating, making for one of the best confrontations of the run so far.

Absolute Batman Issue 20 is available where comics are sold.