The gap between issues has felt extra long as fans have waited patiently to read the conclusion to the Abomination storyline and the showdown between Bane and Batman. The wait has been worth it as Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman #14 does not disappoint!
Mayor Hill publicly imposes a curfew on Gotham and secretly relays orders from above to not let anyone near Batman and Bane so the two can fight. Their chosen arena for the battle: Gotham’s football stadium. In the build-up to this issue we knew that Batman had Venom inserted into his body at Ark-M. The plan for the fight was for Batman to wear Bane down before he could use his own Venom at the end to finish him off.
“Welcome to Gotham”
Batman
Nick Dragotta attacks the illustrations with glee in this issue. Bane reaches new, grotesque heights as he uses more and more Venom. The violence, as Batman savages Bane, is illustrated with almost childlike abandon with blood and organs flying. This issue is the epitome of what we have wanted from Absolute Batman; everything is on steroids.
Another storyline which had been simmering in the background of previous issues was the flashbacks to Waylon Jones’s big fight. A falling out between Bruce and Waylon had seen Waylon approach the fight without a coach. This storyline was resolved as we saw Waylon beat his opponent, with Bruce running to the octagon to offer some vital emotional support, giving Waylon the push to win at the end.
Like a lot of twists in Snyder’s Absolute Batman, almost none of them are surprising. There was no way that Bruce was going to have completely abandoned his friend for the fight. However, it is hard to point out any flaws in the execution, as it was completely appropriate for the storyline.
Similarly, the twist in the Batman and Bane fight was predictable. As Batman delayed and delayed using the Venom, it became more obvious that he was never going to use it. Again though, this is not a dig at Snyder, as thematically it was the right decision. Batman does things his own way and will not use the tools of his enemies.
What that Waylon fight storyline did was offer a rhyming plot for the Batman’s clash with Bane. Unlike Bane, Batman has friends and allies around him to help, like Bruce had helped Waylon. With Harley Quinn, leader of the Red Hood gang, and Pennyworth helping to whittle down Bane. Waylon, in his Killer Croc form, comes to savage Bane too, before even he is dwarfed by Bane’s monstrous size.
It was Catwoman who shot the extra Venom into Bane, overloading him with it. Batman had enlisted his recently mutilated friend, Eddie, to help extract all Venom from him. Batman turns this experimental drug on Bane to defeat him.
All in all, this was one of the best issues of Absolute Batman so far. With the further teaser of Joker and his cruelty, as well as upcoming issue with Wonder Woman, the future of the series is looking very exciting.
Buy Absolute Batman #14 – Forbidden Planet UK (I earn a commission)
Buy Absolute Batman Vol 1: The Zoo (Bookshop.org US – I earn a commission)
Buy Absolute Batman Vol 1: The Zoo (Bookshop.org UK – I earn a commission)
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