Bruce Wayne’s grip on sanity is always part of the Batman conversation. You know, “A guy who dresses like a bat clearly has issues”, right?
But in ABSOLUTE BATMAN #23, either Bruce Wayne is totally losing it or everyone else is.
Writer Scott Snyder leans hard into that crazy ambiguity where the world feels off‑kilter, reality bends at the edges, and every supporting character seems trapped in a BS reality that only Bruce knows is, well, BS. The tension comes from the fact that it seems as if Bruce is fully aware of the head game being played on and around him. He’s not confused or losing it — he’s operating on the “Batman Level” of perception.
That’s the fun of it — Batman is dealing with something that feels like a hallucination to everyone except him and the reader. It’s not Bruce losing his mind; it’s Bruce navigating a world that’s trying its damn best to make him question it. And because he’s Batman, he pushes forward with that trademark resolve regardless of what everyone around him is saying or doing. It’s like, “I’m Batman GD’it and I know exactly what’s going on even if y’all don’t!” (Does Bruce Wayne say y’all?)
Gotta say that I’m interested in where the “Robins” are headed in this title based on the events of this issue. Also — MILD SPOILER — a certain Batman rouge has made his/her debut in this issue…and would totally help aid The Scarecrow’s mindf*ckery.
All in all, the surreal tone, the creeping dread, the feeling that something is off — all of it reinforces the idea of this storyline is that Batman’s sanity isn’t the story…it’s everyone else’s. And Snyder lets readers sit right beside Bruce in that uncomfortable clarity and reality. We’re with Batman as he pushes forward while everyone else drifts through this Scarecrow-produced fog. – Bill “Jett” Ramey