SYNOPSIS: Learn the origin of Bane! What drives the muscle-bound behemoth, and how did he arrive in Gotham?
“Abomination, part three” might be the boldest issue of Absolute Batman yet!
Or is it?
Scott Snyder opens the issue with Alfred narrating what he meant to tell Bruce in issue #9, a key point in considering some of the “events” in this issue. And what was it he hesitated to say? The origin of Bane.
Like his Prime Earth counterpart, Absolute Bane is from Santa Prisca. He is imprisoned from a young age, in part due to the actions of his father. He’s a leader of men. And Venom fuels his strength (and his brain).
However, as familiar as all the trappings are, there’s a key difference.
Absolute Joker is involved.
When thinking of this universe, it’s important to remember the negative energies that fuel it. This is a world powered by “Darkseid energy”, one where the odds are far more stacked against the heroes, challenges are far more insurmountable, which theoretically will make the heroes greater…if they can overcome.
Though we still haven’t seen much of him on this Earth, The Joker is one of the most malevolent forces in any fictional setting. And it’s this Absolute version of Joker that changes things for Bane. Joker is much more a Mephistopheles, seemingly living the good material life and offering the world…in exchange for something. As Bane’s father witnesses his son and Joker confer, even he can feel that something sinister is afoot. And that evil is just beginning.
It’s hard to imagine a Bane that is more ominous than the original, but Snyder pulls it off here. As we’ve seen throughout this entire arc, Absolute Bane is a force of nature, bereft of mercy. It’s hard to picture how Batman is going to come out on top this time, especially with the vision of what artist Clay Mann has dubbed “Absolute BatBane”.
I’ve long been a fan of Clay Mann, who fills in for regular artist Nick Dragotta this month. As this story is from Alfred’s POV and Bane-centric, the artistic change works extremely well, with the color by Ivan Plascencia and words of Snyder unifying it into the overarching story. I reread issues #9-11 to write this, and it held up very well. Mann’s layouts mirror Dragotta’s panel work, and because of that, you get so much story crammed onto every page. I definitely felt like I got my money’s worth.
Plascencia’s colors effectively put you in the environment of a warm, sunny day at the beach, the nauseating sickliness of the operating room, or the iridescent Venom running through a character’s body. If the visuals make you queasy, it’s in part due to Plascencia’s excellent job on colors.
This issue is not for the faint of heart. The violence (or imagined violence) goes for the jugular, but I suppose that’s to be expected in this “Ages 15+” book. There is a scene with Batman in particular that I found so daring and out there that I questioned if it was actually happening. Looking at it in the greater context of the story (again, I had to refresh myself. I read a lot of comics a month), it seems to be an imagined possibility, but a horrifying potential outcome nonetheless. It would certainly be one way to do a fresh twist on the Knightfall Saga!
I think the real loss is yet to come. We’ve seen how tight Bruce is with his group of friends, people we know to be his mortal enemies on the Prime Earth. How great will their loss be if they wind up being twisted against him? Part of the fun of this Absolute Universe is that it doesn’t have to follow past continuities and can make bold strokes. Could this Bane not break Batman physically, but emotionally? That seems to be what Snyder is hinting at.
Scott Snyder has always excelled as a horror writer and Absolute Batman has elements of that, playing off of modern societal fears and embellishing them with superhero trappings. Given that this is a parallel universe, it’s easy for me to sit back and have fun with it, no matter how crazy, outlandish, and extreme it gets. Batman takes a small step out of the spotlight for Bane to take center stage, but it makes for a worthwhile endeavor, although the narrative might cause some confusion. Throw your preconceived notions out the door and just enjoy the ride because this is absolutely a Batman story! – Javier E. Trujillo
GRADE: B+
