Absolute Batman Volume 1: The Zoo collects the first six issues from the DC Comics All In “Absolute” series by writer Scott Snyder with artist Nick Dragotta and Gabriel Hernández Walta, the latter of whom did issue four.
Many years ago, Dr. Thomas Wayne, a teacher, took his class, which included his son Bruce, to the Gotham City Zoo. Tragically, Thomas is gunned down by the mugger Joe Chill. In the present day, secret agent Alfred Pennyworth arrives in Gotham City to stop an organization called The Party Animals and their leader, Roman Sionis, from destroying the city. Mayor Jim Gordon and Deputy Mayor Martha Wayne are desperately trying to hold on. However, a new player is coming from the shadows. He is the Batman, and he will do whatever it takes to stop this gang from destroying the city.
I have to admit, I did not know what to think of this newer new take on Batman. They make some tweaks to the more traditional canon, such as Alfred being an active mercenary instead of a retired secret agent turned butler. Gordon is mayor instead of Commissioner. Martha is alive. Bruce is friends with many of his usual villains. Not to mention, Batman is as brutal as he is in Frank Miller’s tales. Oh yes, Barbara Gordon is race-swapped so DC can fill that diversity quota. The question is, did they help or hurt?
The artwork did help. Dragotta and Walta did an excellent job of illustrating it. I am not a huge fan of the gigantic look for Batman, again, made popular by Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. I prefer the muscular boxer style made popular by artists like Neil Adams or the tall warrior build done by Greg Capullo and Jim Lee. That being said, it does not look bad, just not my favorite design.
I did like certain aspects of the story. I liked that Bruce Wayne is a working-class fellow who gets his fighting skills from grit and resolve. I also liked how they upgraded Black Mask from a cult leader to a true enemy of the state. He needed an upgrade after the disastrous appearance in Harley Quinn: Birds Of Prey. I also liked the action overall. It was done very well and in tandem with the pace. Snyder is excellent at pacing and action.
However, making Alfred a reluctant ally, having Bruce’s friends be his enemies, and race-swapping Barbara were all things working against it. Having Nigma, Cobblepot, Dent, and Jones be Bruce’s gym buddies made it feel like it was an attempt to shove them in, so you do not have to make an elaborate origin. Not to mention, events within the last issue undercut it. And, I am not a fan of Batman maiming people. Beat up, sure. Knock out, definitely. Hang upside down, true. But, the whole cutting off hands and setting people on fire is not my thing.
I think that Snyder relied too much on Miller, Tom King’s disastrous run, and Sean Murphy’s “White Knight” Universe. I would like to see Snyder unencumbered by the latest DC reboot and not borrowing from those who went before him. He has already proven himself. Right now, I am on the fence about it, as there is a lot to like, but there is some I do not. I will wait for the next volume to make a judgment.
Check out the cover for the collection edition below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.