Great second issue. Really enjoyed the poker scene and the moment between Jim and Martha. The pacing around the Batmobile reveal needed some fine tuning. However, the fight scenes were fantastic.

Great read. Hope it holds up to Long Halloween and Dark Victory

Believe the hype! 

Absolute Batman is 100% what everyone says it is, easily one of the best comics I have read in a long time. Snyder delivered the goods with an assist from artist Nick Dragotta (who I am now a huge fan of). This was an excellently paced story … not too fast and not too slow - it was literally perfectly paced. The choice to reveal this new character …no this is NOT the Batman you are familiar with … Snyder used an outside character to reveal Bruce Wayne to the audience … and this was a brilliant decision on his part. That one factor pulled EVERYTHING together into a “page-turning highly” enjoyable read.

Snyder took everything you know about Batman and turned it on its side for a brand new experience that had a tinge of familiarity. He reformatted many of the villains and other Gotham citizens into all new characters that have completely different relationships with Bruce and the book is all the better for it. I don’t want to spoil a single moment as the less you know the better.

The only drawback that I can see is what’s coming next … this world built for Absolute Batman should be just for Batman … but I know Absolute Superman and Absolute Wonder Woman will connect with this title and I feel that has the potential to throw off this perfect vibe. Even worse - this may all be rolling into that silly Darkseid story that was introduced in the All-In Special, if that’s where all this is going - I will be very disappointed. However for right now - if you can find a copy go out grab it and read it … do not let it be spoiled for you. more

Absolutely brilliant. Great art, great writing, great setting and plot, one of the best first books I've read in a while.

There’s been SO much talk about this book that I struggled to put my thoughts together. Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, & Clayton Cowles delivered what will likely go down as one of the biggest, most consequential Batman #1s in the character’s storied history. What was left to say? Instead of trying to one-up the platitudes, I figured I’d talk about a few of the aspects that struck me most.

First off, this retelling isn’t a gimmick. Sure there are exaggerated aspects, look no further than our boy’s thiqq new physique, but these pieces aren’t WHY the story is being told. They’re just insanely awesome details that add to the experience. What Snyder does so brilliantly is strip Bruce down to the core ethos that has motivated him for decades — revenge. There is a singular moment in his life that shapes his worldview & defines his life’s mission. This is on full display in this first issue & now Bruce must find new means of achieving his goals without the unlimited resources of a rich playboy. There’s a rawness here that hasn’t existed in any Elseworld/Black Label/alternate universe retelling of Batman so far.

And holy crap the art! Dragotta’s use of unconventional paneling is so ingenious, so effective, & keeps readers disoriented ever so slightly as we’re discovering what this new world is all about. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling that only exists when a writer & artist are fully aligned & trust each other completely. While I love the Chonky Knight’s look, I may love the design for his cape & its abilities even more. Its such a smart way to capture bat-like motion & reveals that where Bruce lacks in financial resources, his ingenuity & smarts are off the charts.

There are so many other things I loved about this book that I could fill several posts’ character limits with. But I’ll end with something I’ve heard say a few times. My favorite thing about this book is that it is a comic story. It can only exist in comic form. And THAT is why I read comics. more

Enjoyed the title. Scott is writing another story based on personal fears and worries, but this time those fears are also through the lense of his own children. A modern story that links this young Bruce being shaped by a different type of trauma.

Scott is turning the Gotham we know upside down but it still feels relatable as the place we've known over the last 85 years.

I didn't know Nick's work at all before this. Scott, in an interview, described the style as a cross between Mazzucchelli and Manga.

Nick, in an interview, explained how a trip to Japan heavily influenced his style and designs in this book.

I'm enjoying the sequential storytelling and the way the action is broken down into such kinetic energy... those speed lines and camera angles are fabulous!

I also enjoyed the way Bruce's reveal twist was handled, not once, but twice. Very cinematic.

If there is one critique, it's the colors. The original B&W artwork losses its dynamic kinetic energy when the colors wash over all those glorious speed lines!

Book just went into 3rd printing.

So far so good more

What a beatiful and well written love letter to Batman !

Absolute perfection for a Batman story, especially an annual. Art mostly by Jorge Fornes and Dave Stewart (a few just as excellent pages by Mike Norton and Stewart) is clearly the main attraction here. But this is Tom King's writing at its best also. There's a gimmick (again, this is an annual), but it has a narrative purpose, is fully fleshed out, and is highly satisfying. We get no plodding dialogue or self referential narration. It's perfect. Jorge Fornes channels his best Alex Toth/David Mazzuchelli/Francesco Francavilla influences for the fine balance of realism and cartooning. The relatively flat colors from Dave Stewart provide a bold saturation to the art, which shines on the matte paper of the comic book. By only slight complaint about the comic is that the thicker page count and thicker paper has made the centerfold very loose on the staples of my copy at least. more

Love the way Sean turns Batman history on its head

Great ideas coming together

Fight like a girl indeed!

Love this series!

Beautiful art. Coipel kills it and Millar keeps the tension high.

What an ending!

The mystery deepens...we learn more about Cordelia, the Order and that bloody book!

Was hooked from the very beginning

So much fun. While I do get that this is definitely not for everyone (I, for one, do not really enjoy reading about Batman fighting the Batman Who Laughs for the 18th time this year, but I'm respecting everyone's opinion). This was a nice throwback to the episodic Batman stories from Golden/Silver age, with Alfred delivering the narrative. The artwork really suited this story as well.

Batman Annual #4 is a collection of short stories - told by Alfred - that perfectly captures the everyday life of Batman. There is no dialogue between characters, only Alfred explaining what we see on paper. And what we see on paper is beautiful art by Jorge Fornes and Mike Norton that makes this issue even better.

What a wonderful amuse-bouche!

The art is spectacular! The story might have some hiccups, with horses on rooftops and Gotham missile defense systems. But I appreciate the writers whimsy and playfulness with the material and Fornes just takes the script and runs with it. Each page is a masterpiece!

Nothing half baked here! Seeing lots of reviews giving very low ratings. I thought this was a wonderful issue that breaks up all the heavy courses readers have been served over the course of 80+ issues.

Well done more