Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Nick Dragotta
Colors by: Frank Martin
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Nick Dragotta (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 18, 2024
Absolute Batman #3, by DC Comics on 12/18/24, finds Absolute Batman confronting the harsh truth, presented by Alfred, that the infamous Black Mask can't be defeated with fists and fancy gadgets.
Is Absolute Batman #3 Good?
First Impressions
Absolute Batman #3 may be the best issue of the series to date. To be sure, Scott Snyder's over-the-top goofiness rears its wonky head, but the overall narrative takes on a more serious and determined tone to give readers something to think about. What's an Absolute Batman to do when his mission exceeds his resources? That's the question Snyder asks and answers in a hard-hitting issue.
Recap
When last we left Bruce Wayne in Absolute Batman #2, the "Caped" Crusader stepped up his efforts to uncover the identity of Black Mask and his secret agenda for the Party Animals gang. Bruce reached out to his gang of familiar childhood friends to get a lead on the one person capitalizing on the Party Animals' attacks. The issue ended with Absolute Batman cornered in an office building but escaping in the largest, slowest, most expensive vehicle possible.
Plot Synopsis
In Absolute Batman #3, we begin with the continuing flashback to a time after Bruce's father's death when Selina Kyle showed Bruce attention and kindness. Their evening of roaming the city gives Bruce a boost in courage.
Now, we pick up with the cliffhanger from issue #2. The Bat-Dump Truck "speeds" through the city streets while evading the Party Animals on motorcycles. Absolute Batman gives Alfred seconds to make his case for a partnership. To avoid capture/destruction from the Party Animals and pursuing police cars, Bruce flips a switch that converts the Bat-Dump Truck into a shorter Bat-Dump Truck to give them more speed (no, it doesn't work that way). When the Bat-Dump Truck runs out of room at the Gotham docks, Alfred finishes his compelling case for Absolute Batman to accept Black Mask's deal. Absolute Batman ejects Alfred into the Bay and drives the vehicle careening into the dark waters below, only to emerge in an underground lair via a drainage pipe.
Later, Ex-Mayor Hill brings Chief Bullock to Roman Sionis for a sweet deal that would supply Gotham City Police without vehicles and weapons to fight the Party Animals. Bullock is doubly impressed when he witnesses Sionis defeat a man twice his size in a sparring session.
Meanwhile, Bruce looks into the information that Black Mask is heavily funded by international crime lords and cartels connected to a private prison company. They're last project, Ark M, is the most advanced facility yet under construction in the heart of Gotham City.
With the violence escalating faster than he can fight, and his mother in the crosshairs after accepting the job of Deputy Mayor to support Mayor Jim Gordon during his re-election campaign, Bruce is forced to do the one thing he didn't want to do - compromise.
What’s great about Absolute Batman #3?
Here is the potential we've been waiting for. When faced with a global crime network, overwhelming odds, and risks to innocent people he can't protect, Bruce Wayne is forced to make a ethically painful choice.
That potential is valuable because the consequences of his choice have obvious benefits, but the possibility of a monkey's paw looms large. Now you're in a locked state of anticipation, wondering how this choice will turn out, and that's the making of a great hook.
Plus, the moments between young Bruce and Selina are as sweet and wholesome as any attempt by DC to tap into the YA market in quite a while.
What’s not great about Absolute Batman #3?
Give credit to Scott Snyder for the complex themes at play in this issue, but take some of the credit back on two points.
First, the over-the-top action scene in the beginning is silly to the point of ridiculous. A gigantic Bat-Dump Truck can't move fast enough to evade anyone going more than 45 mph, and dropping the roof to make it "sleeker" won't do a thing to improve the speed. It's still too big and heavy. Yes. the homemade jet engines help, but the whole concept is silly on it face.
Second, Snyder is trying to build up a big mystery surrounding the Party Animals and the identity of Black Mask, but you'd have to be deaf, mute, and blind not to figure out Roman Sionis is Black Mask. The man walks around in plain view with bodyguards, all wearing black animal masks. It's not a mystery that should take more than two minutes to solve.
How’s the Art?
Nick Dragotta's art shines in this issue by making the aforementioned chase scene a gripping one, even if it is silly, and for hitting hard with the character acting during several emotional moments. In retrospect, this is a dialog-heavy issue, but Dragotta's style has so much personality that you're pulled into each and every moment.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Absolute Batman #3 is the strongest and most gripping issue in the series so far. Scott Snyder finally confronts Absolute Batman with a problem that can't be solved with fists or gadgets, and Nick Dragotta's stylistic art makes even the quiet dialog moments captivating. Even if you find the Bat-Dump Truck a step too far, check out this issue.
9.3/10
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I will be honest, I still don't get why this series is so much more popular than your average elseworlds story. It isn't doing anything different. Is it just because Snyder is a major figure in the industry? I mean this issue was very normal, nothing great except right at the end with that one offer and idea. The rest was very average. Also I think I am the only one who finds the edgy take on Alfred here hilarious. The most interesting aspect for me would have been the dynamic between Martha and Bruce cause that's smth you don't get often even in elseworlds stories (one or both parents being alive while he still becomes Batman) but so far it has been pushed in the background and is a very minor part of the narrative. Also the fact that every single friend in Bruce's group will turn out to be one of the rogue's gallery is too far fetched unless they consciously decide to become a gang or something and that's why it leads to all of them becoming the rogue gallery. Otherwise it reads like a fanfic to me. For example Dark Patterns issue 1 was more interesting to me than these 3 issues combined and it's not like I think that was excellent, just more interesting than Absolute Batman. Maybe this series will grab me in the future, let's see I guess.
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