Absolute Batman #21 is Action-Packed, But It Might Play Its Hand Too Early (Review)

Absolute Batman is one of the hottest comics on the block right now. It shattered every expectation when it blacked onto the scene at the tail end of 2024, and it hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. If anything, this series just keeps ramping up. It’s intent on racing into the stars, and its newest, biggest arc is definitely covering far more ground than anyone could have seen coming. Already, this arc has given us Scarecrow, the Robins, a major shakeup about Batman’s origin, and the death of an essential ally. Absolute Batman #21 proved that it’s just as committed to setting everything alight with hype and action.

Yet, while speed and intensity are Absolute Batman’s biggest strengths, they might just prove to be its biggest weakness, too. This issue covered a lot of ground, but in doing so, it left me wanting more, and not in the way that the series usually does. Of course, the story is still well beyond worth buying, and today, we’re going to talk about exactly why this series is one of DC’s best ongoings, but also why its flaws might finally be starting to catch up to it. Absolute Batman is phenomenal at generating hype, but it might be getting lost in its own waves.

Rating: 4 out of 5

PROS	CONS
Tension that never stops ramping	Might be too much too quickly
Very dense, packed storytelling	The story definitely needs time to rest
Art that keeps you on the edge of your seat

Insane Developments that Come Just a Bit Too Early

The issue kicked off with Batman fighting the Robins, and it was just as bombastic as everyone knew it would be. The fight was definitely awesome and showcased Batman’s brutality and crumbling mental state spectacularly, but it was shorter than I imagined. I expected it to cover the majority of the issue, but it only took up a little less than half. Still a decent portion, but not as much as I expected. Ironically, the real action took place outside the battle. The most intense parts of the issue were definitely Bruce’s friends talking outside of Gordon’s funeral, and then Bruce’s first meeting with Jack Grim. In broad daylight, no less. 

Yet, those intense moments are where my problems with the series come in. Issue to issue, beat to beat, it’s an incredible read. The Joker’s first meeting with Batman was downright terrifying, establishing that he can appear anytime, anywhere, and ruin Bruce’s life, but he’s stringing him along because he wants to torment him until it stops being funny. Yet, while this moment made the issue end on a wonderful cliffhanger teasing yet another awesome villain, I kept help but feel like it came too soon. This arc has already given us so much, to the point where the constant introductions and rushing through Batman’s Family and rogues gallery is starting to get overwhelming.

The series never slows down, except to show a relevant flashback to Bruce’s younger years. Those moments, and this issue’s one especially, help anchor the story to an emotional core and deepen our understanding of Bruce. It’s the perfect breather for the issue, but the series as a whole definitely needs more of those. With so much constantly happening, and so much more on the horizon, nothing introduced has the room to sit. We need time to chew on and digest everything we’ve seen, and I can’t help but feel like saving the Joker and Batman’s first meeting for a different time could have hit even harder. Also, this could just be me, but I think the shoehorning of the villains’ names was kind of cringey.

Punchy Art that Makes Everyone Claustrophobic

Nick Dragotta continues to raise this series on an unprecedented level. His art and Scott Snyder’s story are a true match made in heaven, and this arc is the prime example of Dragotta’s insane technical skills. There are so many little things here that make up the amazing atmosphere. For starters, this arc is all about dread, and it shows that and helps stimulate that feeling in its readers with pages heavy with thin, small panels that are often close-ups of a given character. This strict panelling not only lets the story convey a huge amount of action, but also makes the reader feel confined and trapped, almost anxious, which makes the few full art pages and large-scale shots hit with a greater emphasis.

These panels may be small, using plenty of negative space to keep each one separate and lonely, but they are packed with details. The shot of Jason’s gun ripping a building apart and Harley’s last-ditch effort to save Batman are so cool that I just want to keep staring at them. The sepia coloring on the flashback pages is such a small thing, but the way it makes the pages look older is so much fun. Of course, we also have to give a massive shoutout to the character designs. The covers gave us proper looks at Two-Face and Penguin, and both of their looks are downright chilling. They perfectly resemble the original while making their unique mark. 

Overall, this issue is very good, but it does have a few hallmarks of small nitpicks that could become problems if they go unaddressed. The story is charging forward so quickly that it will start to affect characterization soon if it doesn’t slow down. Still, there’s no denying that this issue is a whole lot of awesome fun in a way that only Absolute Batman can be. It’s big, loud, and in your face, and I love it. I hope that it slows down just a bit for its own sake, but everything we have in this issue is definitely worth the price of admission. It continues to give us way more than the average issue, at the very least.

Absolute Batman #21 is on sale now!

Do you think Absolute Batman should slow down or keep things as is?

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