Batman fans are all too familiar with The Dark Knight’s rogues gallery, with villains like The Joker, Catwoman, The Penguin, Riddler, and Two-Face all having grown into breakout stars themselves. Its just as well established that Batman has a unique dynamic with each one of his rogues – sometimes even having a hand in their creation, or fall into villainy. It’s the familiarity with the Batman mythos that writer Scott Snyder is counting as he throws fans a major new twist, in which Bruce Wayne is now friends with most of the key villains in his rogues gallery!
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW!
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Absolute Batman #2 continues the bold re-invention of Batman lore, in DC’s newest reality of its multiverse. The second issue delves deeper into the day-to-day life of Bruce Wayne, as hes being observed by cover operative Alfred Pennyworth. It’s a big world-expansion chapter after getting the initial picture of who Absolute Batman is, and part of the spotlight gets put onto Bruce Wayne, and his innner circle.
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As it turns out, Bruce plays poker with some of his best buddies: Harvey Dent, Ozzie Cobblepot, Eddie Nygma and Waylon Jones – aka the civilian identities of Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler, and Killer Croc!
Snyder pumps the card game between Bruce and the rogues up with a mix of general camaraderie and the clear underlying tensions that often exists within groups of friends. We only get brushstrokes, but it’s made clear that Eddie is in tech; Harvey is just getting his foot in the door at the D.A.’s office, while “Ozzie” still runs a semi-legal and very shady business.
Bruce manages to play the game of poker while not so much talking with his “friends” as probing them for leads on the gang known as the Party Animals, who have been terrorizing Gotham. It’s a new spin on the kind of Batman going undercover moments we got with Bruce’s “Matches Malone” persona in the main universe, and a fun foreshadow of how Bruce Wayne’s personal life, and Batman life, could eventually collide.
Absent from the card game are Selina Kyle/Catwoman and The Joker. Selina is finally revealed in a flashback at the end of issue #2, which reveals she and Bruce have been close since childhood – and Selina has been ‘Catwoman’ since that young age. The conversation at the card game suggests Catwoman could still be on the run, as Waylong claims she popped up on his radar by sending a postcard from Cairo.
Joker, meanwhile, was introduced at the end of Absolute Batman #1. All we know so far is that he is a wealthy international man of mystery who Pennyworth tried and failed to track down. During the game, Bruce and co. make it clear: no Jokers welcome at their table.
Absolute Batman is now on sale.
