ABSOLUTE BATMAN #22 Review

Even if it’s true, it’s not true…

We’re back on track, with “The Straw Man” storyline that is, in ABSOLUTE BATMAN #22!

Part 4, subtitled “The Crooked House”, is essentially the origin story of the ABSOLUTE universe’s Harley Quinn.

And what a total MIND F*CK it is!

The aforementioned Harley origin is told in flashback as she and Batman work together.

Harley opens up. Batman shuts down. That dynamic is the core of the issue. Harley tries to tell him who she really is and where she came from, but Batman wants nothing to do with it.

That cold shoulder eventually pushes her to say “Fu*k it!” and walk away; it hits hard because her story actually gives her some weight and humanity, instead of regurgitating the usual and expected Harley tropes. (They’re sorta in there, but I’ll leave that for y’all to find out for yourselves.)

The ending pivots hard back to Bruce with a dark, personal twist that sets up what comes next (I think?) in a big way. No spoilers here, but it’s the kind of “What the FU*K?” moment that makes you flip back a few pages just to make sure you didn’t miss something.

The Harley origin stuff? It is what it is, I believe. BUT…

Batman and Bruce’s dealings with The Scarecrow, I’m not so sure. Because even if it is true, it’s not true…unless it is…or isn’t. – Bill “Jett” Ramey

GRADE: A+