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A revised origin story, a more brutal Batman and Bruce’s massive new Batmobile
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A revised origin story, a more brutal Batman and Bruce’s massive new Batmobile

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    Batman fights Alfred.

Credit: DC

As we have previously established – in rigorous scientific detail – one of the key features of Absolute Batman is that he is much bigger than previous versions of the Dark Knight. Actually, he is massive. Well, the second issue of the series is out today and in it he gets a car to match. Yes, Absolute Batman #2 features the first iteration of the Absolute Universe Batmobile, and as big as you imagine it is, you have to think bigger…

Batman and Alfred fight on the cover of Absolute Batman #2.

Batman and Alfred fight on the cover of Absolute Batman #2.

Spoilers for Absolute Batman #2

Batman fights party animals.

Batman fights party animals.

This is another interesting issue that continues to reveal more about the new take on Batman. We open with Alfred continuing to study Bruce as he wages his war against the murderous Party Animals. Although the the “no killing” rule. is still firmly in place, it’s clear that this Dark Knight likes to play very harsh – in one memorable scene he covers his enemies in salt water, which he then turns into hydrochloric acid, forcing his enemies to flee with nasty burns. He also tricks the villains into blowing up the empty office block he was using as his HQ by having it burn in the shape of his hood. Yes, it’s weird, but it also continues to build the sense of this Batman as the primordial force of anarchy. It’s “Batman AF,” as Alfred says at one point, and it’s eerily reminiscent of the final scenes of Fight Club.

We also get more information on Bruce’s backstory. In a clever revision of Thomas Wayne’s death, it is revealed that in this universe he dies in the Gotham Zoo bat sanctuary. Bruce finds his body and is engulfed by the creatures, a moment that forms the primal fear he will one day reflect on his enemies. It adds an extra layer of connection to the defining moment of young Wayne’s life.

Young Bruce Wayne is invaded by bats for the first time.

Young Bruce Wayne is invaded by bats for the first time.

The issue also continues to explore the dynamic between Bruce and his shadowy group of friends (proto, non-evil versions of the Riddler, Killer Croc, Two-Face, and Penguin) and reveals that he’s dealing with the Red Hood—in this universe “a suspected resistance group,” though it’s unclear what they’re resisting. Most intriguingly, we learn that Bruce intermittently visits his father’s killer, Joe Chill, in Blackgate Penitentiary.

As the issue reaches its climax, Batman walks into a trap set by Black Mask. Alfred steps in to try and form an alliance, and it looks like Bruce is thinking about it. However, I’m too under fire from the Party Animals to discuss there and then. They need some sort of escape route. Enter the Batmobile in what is either the worst moment of the issue or a scene that will have you throwing your copy of the comic across the room.

The new vehicle is comically huge – a massive construction vehicle rather than a car or tank which, if we take the guy standing in front of it as any accurate indication of its size, is literally as big as a house. How this will play out in cities remains an open question, but it works brilliantly as a stunning ending to this issue. Batman AF indeed.

The new Batmobile makes its entrance.

The new Batmobile makes its entrance.

However, it is not quite the end. In a brief flashback to Bruce’s grieving period after his father’s death, we finally meet Selina Kyle, the Absolute Universe, wearing a hoodie with distinctive cat ears. It turns out she’s been friends with Bruce since childhood and may be just the person he needs to deal with his pain.

Absolute Batman #2, written by writer Scott Snyder, artist Nick Dragotta, colorist Frank Martin, and writer Clayton Cowles, is out now from DC.


Check out interviews with the creative teams of The Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Superman.