While I’m still not a big fan of the Poison Ivy character, I enjoyed ABSOLUTE BATMAN #18 better than the previous issue.
Batman’s investigation into Gotham’s recent disappearances leads him to a network of hidden grow‑labs powered by stolen WayneTech bio‑regulators. A strong sequence in The Narrows, where Bruce uncovers a makeshift greenhouse inside an abandoned tenement, brings back the grounded detective work that’s been missing.
This issue also deepens the Martha Wayne/Court of Owls subplot, with Bruce uncovering another fragment of evidence suggesting his mother’s past may be more entangled with Gotham’s secret history than he knew…or would admit. It’s still a slow burn, but the breadcrumb dropped here — a recovered ledger page linking a Wayne Foundation shell charity to an old Court front — is the most intriguing development yet.
Poison Ivy continues to stand out as a colder, more clinical version of the character. She’s not pushing an eco‑terrorist agenda; she’s cultivating something, and the abducted Gothamites are part of her design. Her brief encounter with Batman is stripped of the usual seduction or moral ambiguity, making her feel more unpredictable. Nonetheless, I’m still not a fan (I mentioned that before, right?), but the ABSOLUTE version of the character makes sense based on the whole Ark-M thing; what happened to Bruce’s friends; and, of course, the existence of Jack Grimm/The Joker.
Things are coming together, albeit slowly, and I’m ready to see where it ultimately goes.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #18 is a focused, engaging issue that gets the story back on track, advances the Court subplot, and delivers an interesting new angle on Poison Ivy. – Bill “Jett” Ramey
