There were times during this “Abomination” arc in ABSOLUTE BATMAN that had me wondering/questioning where the hell this was going. Several “WTF?!” moments that left me scratching my head.
Yet, with the finale of this arc in issue #14, everything fell into place, made sense, and had me saying, “Yeah, that was pretty damn good.”
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #14 features the showdown between Batman and Bane; in fact, the entire issue is basically one long, brutal fight scene between the two. Writer Scott Snyder brilliantly weaves a flashback story of Waylon “Killer Croc” Jones that parallels the battle between Batman and Bane, providing a conclusion to one of the “Abomination” subplots.
We also get the answer to the big question from the previous issue: Would Batman use Bane’s Venom to defeat him?
I’ll let you read the issue and find out for yourself, but I will say, again, that at the very core, this ABSOLUTE version of Bruce Wayne/Batman is as “Batman” as you can get. As this world’s version of Alfred says, “Now, in hindsight, I understand how he won…Batman.”
Though this issue concludes the “Abombination” arc, Snyder teases a few things that we will see in the next arc, “Joker,” and down the line in ABSOLUTE BATMAN; like…
What happens next to Bane, and what does The Joker have in store for him? (His current physical state is a one hell of a shocker!)
Where is Selina heading, and why is she taking a vial of Venom with her?
What’s the future for Ozzy, Harvey, Eddie, and Waylon now that they’ve “transformed?”
We shall see.
Overall, ABSOLUTE BATMAN #14 goes down as one of the best issues of this book to date that satisfyingly concludes the “Abomination” storyline. Looking forward to what comes next. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
GRADE: A
