Absolute Batman, by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, has been giving readers Batman like they never imagined before. The sixth issue, the end of “The Zoo” story arc, takes that promise and kicks it into overdrive. Not only does Absolute Batman get downright brutal in his battle in his battle with Black Mask, but the book’s epilogue includes one of the most horrifying Joker panels of all time. The issue sees Bruce tell his friends about his double life, enlisting Ozzie — the Penguin in the mainline universe — and his plane to help him hunt down Black Mask and the servers he’s using to pay Gotham to do his twisted bidding. Batman succeeds, with Alfred returning to help him after last’s issue kerfuffle between them, saving the city from chaos unlike anything it had ever seen before. And then there’s epilogue.
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Absolute Batman has been amazing so far, partly because of how surprising it can be. Readers never know what’s going to hit them when they turn the page and this sixth issue gives readers the kind of surprises that have made this the most anticipated Batman book every month it comes out. Fans have been questioning just who the Joker will be in the Absolute Universe, and the answer is possibly the most twisted version of Joker ever.
This Joker Is a Monster Inspired by the Real World
Just take a second to look at the image above. That’s the Joker, looking quite cadaverous, covered in the bodies of babies, their blood seemingly flowing into his veins. Snyder and Dragotta found the perfect vein of horror to tap into with this new version of the Joker. It references one of the most chilling conspiracy theories of them all — that the rich use the blood of the young to keep themselves young and spry. Now, there’s actually scientific studies done with mice that show transfusing an older mouse with the blood of young mice is quite beneficial to the older mouse, and there are even humans right now who have allegedly received transfusions from the young in order to stay young and not die. Taking this and adding it to the repertoire of the Clown Prince of Crime makes this the most monstrous version of the Joker that readers have ever seen.
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Looking at what “The Zoo” has revealed so far, it’s easy to get a picture of who the Joker is in the Absolute Universe. For one thing, he’s the power behind Black Mask and the Party Animals, who have spread their crime-flavored chaos throughout the world, leaving the cities they target as burned out husks of what they once were, something that Alfred tells his daughter in this issue. That brings a very interesting idea into play — in the Absolute Universe, perhaps the Joker is the wealthy one. Imagine this — a man whose only belief is causing as much chaos as possible with billions and billions of dollars, using that money to burn down anything in the world he wants just because he’s bored with everything. Attaching this particular conspiracy theory to the Joker gives readers an idea of the kind of Joker we could be dealing with the months and years ahead. The Joker has always seen the world as his playground and the suffering of the people around him as his reward, but this new Joker takes that to the next level. He has the money and the power to make his twisted dreams a reality, burning the world all so he can laugh at something.
The Joker Is Bringing Monsters With Him
The final image of the book — the Joker’s hand reaching out with a tiny arm draped over his wrist — is pure nightmare fuel. However, the final words of the issue are just as chilling. Absolute Batman has teased the Absolute versions of Batman villains, and this issue ends with the Joker calling for Bane. Unlike the mainline Joker, this version of the villain doesn’t seem to do his own dirty work and has his own cadre of monsters at his disposal.
It’s very hard to shock anyone in mainstream superhero comics, but this last page and Joker reveal is one of the most shocking things I’ve seen in a comic in ages. It brings home that while this Joker is going to be quite different from what we’ve seen before, he’s perhaps even more monstrous than we can imagine right now. Absolute Batman has been one wild ride and if this Joker tease is any indication, it’s only going to get crazier.
Absolute Batman #6 is on sale where ever comics are sold.
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Image courtesy of Max
