There are many unique and compelling aspects to Batman, but one of the biggest is the relationship between The Dark Knight and his villains. You could arguably say that Batman wouldn’t be as popular as he is today if it weren’t for his rogues gallery. Names like Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, and Penguin are synonymous with Batman, and while you can have one without the other, they work best when they co-exist. So when DC announced it was launching a line of Absolute comics with Scott Snyder returning to write Absolute Batman, there was curiosity from the fanbase about what changes would be made to the Batman mythos. With the first issue of Absolute Batman now on sale, we learn how the comic has changed the way you’ll look at Batman’s villains.
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*WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Absolute Batman #1. Continue reading at your own risk!
Absolute Batman #1 comes from the creative team of Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Frank Martin, and Clayton Cowles. Fans of The Dark Knight will be surprised to see just how much of his origin story is changed in Absolute Batman, from only one of his parents being murdered to Bruce growing up without the big mansion or Alfred Pennyworth as a loyal companion. Absolute Batman does sprinkle appearances and references to some of his classic villains in the first issue, but not in ways that fans were probably expecting.
For example, the first villain readers meet is Waylon Jones, aka Killer Croc. Instead of being the massive figure that has the physical appearance of a crocodile, Waylon is in his pre-Killer Crock form where he’s the owner of Croc’s Gym. Bruce Wayne is there to knock around a heavyweight bag, and we see how much Waylon admires reptiles. He has a snake wrapped around his neck and is holding a crocodile in his arm. Waylon is “Ozzie,” who we know as Ozwald Cobblepot (Penguin) are starting a business together called “Waylon’s Scales of Gotham,” with Ozzie hooking Waylon up with an exotic pet license.
We then learn that Bruce has been skipping out on poker night. “Everyone’s in this week,” Waylon says before name-dropping Eddie, Harvey, Oz, and Selina. Of course, these are the civilian names of Batman villains Riddler (Edward Nygma), Two-Face (Harvey Dent), Penguin, and Catwoman (Selina Kyle). Waylon tries to talk Bruce into attending a meeting at town hall to discuss the recent attacks by a gang called “The Party Animals,” but Bruce walks off without answering. As Waylon yells to his friend about protecting their home, we get a closeup of a picture hanging on the wall of Bruce, Waylon, Selina, Oz, Eddie, and Harvey as kids.
Batman grew up with his villains in the Absolute Universe
This revelation in Absolute Batman #1 completely changes how Batman will interact with his (future) villains moving forward. We’ve seen Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent being cordial to one another in their civilian lives. And there was that time when Batman and Catwoman were going to be married. But once again, that’s Bruce Wayne / Batman dealing with these characters as an adult. The only time we’ve had to consider what life would be like if a young Bruce Wayne was friendly with his rogues gallery was on the Fox drama Gotham.
What will be interesting to follow in Absolute Batman is the interpersonal relationships that exist between the group of friends. We’ve gotten a glimpse of Batman and Killer Crock, but have there already been sparks between Batman and Catwoman? What were they all like as kids growing up on the mean streets of Gotham City? And how will Batman adapt to the people closest to him morphing into their iconic villain roles?
It’s these questions and more that will make fans tune into Absolute Batman and the Absolute Universe month-after-month.
