/7.webp "Absolute Batman #7")
THE JOKER AND MR. FREEZE MAKE THEIR ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE DEBUT--STARTING HERE! It's about to get icy cold in Gotham City...as we reveal the connections between a young, up-and-coming scientist named Victor Fries, his history with the Ark M experiment, and what it all has to do with the mysterious Joker. A bombastic two-parter with a guest artist, the one and only super-star Marcos Mart n, starts here!
While I wasn't fully sold on this new take on Batman, there was still something there that intrigued me. As edge-lord and off-character as this was to Batman and lore, the art style and action were definitely a draw. Nick Dragotta's art made it well worth the price of admission!
That being said, issue #4 being the first absence of Dragotta removed what little entertainment I had been getting from this series. This issue, even MORE SO!
Nothing against the artist of issues #4 or #7, but Scott Snyder really NEEDS a top tier artist to make up for his shortcomings. As action packed as Issue 1 was, the series immediately started to become very heavy-handed with exposition and (on-the-nose) writing. This issue is extremely guilty of both. I'm not sure if there was any part of this story that I actually liked? It was just talking, talking and MORE talking!!!
I'll have to try to give this another read. But honestly, I am NOT looking forward to it.
Also, cannot say I'm thrilled with what Snyder did to Matches Malone either. I can see for this universe, simply making him his own character instead of an alias. But to force in a new childhood friend of "The Gang" this late in the game, with not even so much as a single mention in any of the previous issues.... it's lazy and it's cheap.
© 2025
you do know that if you don't like this series..... you can just drop it right? Like, I personally gave up on Amazing Spider-Man because those series are not for me, and I am much happier. There's really no point in hate-reading if it is just going to make you more mad, depressed, and pessimistic.
Despidadboy - i’m gonna be perfectly honest. As much as I was off putt by issue on at first, they were things about it that I did like. The next few issues had decent action. I think that’s the thing with Scott Snyder. He’s good at creating a hook, but sometimes his plot meander. At least that’s how it was for me with his new 52 Batman run. I’m intrigued to see what he’s going to do with the joker. But I feel like the series is starting to become a little padded.
I’d actually stop buying single dishes for a good long while. Occasionally, I would buy the digital trades when they go on sale for cheap. The recent Batman and Robin comic series pulled me back in. But I liked the run a lot better on the Joshua Williamson. That’s not to say that the new creative team is bad. But I’m not as preferable to them. I’m just hoping that absolute Batman starts picking up again with the kinetic action.