What we learned from Absolute Batman: Ark M

Cover of Absolute Batman: Ark M by Joshua Hixson

Scott Snyder, the force behind DC’s Absolute Universe, continues to take Absolute Batman to interesting places. Released as a one-off special and written with Frank Tieri, Absolute Batman: Ark M does not feature Batman until the epilogue, instead travelling back in time to look at a staple part of the Batman mythos: Arkham Asylum. This single issue has some incredibly revealing moments, answering many questions, while raising others.

Major spoilers ahead for Absolute Batman: Ark M

More Absolute villains incoming!

Snyder has previously stated that he aims for at least 35 issues of Absolute Batman meaning that there is plenty of room for more stories to tell, particularly at the breakneck speed the action is paced at. We now know some of the villains who Batman is going to face in these stories.

“There are other friends I’d like to introduce him to” – Joker

In the epilogue of Absolute Batman: Ark M, Joker is watching the caped crusader beat up some henchmen from some screens. In front of him are some files with the names of some of his “friends” on them.

Kirk Langstrom (Man-Bat)
Pamela Isley (Poison Ivy)
Hugo Strange
Jonathan Crane (The Scarecrow)
Basil Karlo (Clayface)
Jervis Tetch (Mad Hatter)

Some of these have already been hinted at, or revealed through upcoming covers, but confirm new villains for the Absolute Universe like Mad Hatter. Joker then proceeds to release two of the named villains from their biomes. Out of two open metal doors, we see snatches of both Absolute Poison Ivy and Absolute Man-Bat.

Interestingly, these two are at the top of the list – was Snyder giving us the order of appearances?

Major villain revealed

First apperance of Absolute Deathstroke — *Absolute Deathstroke*

As Joker is watching his obsession through the screens, he is talking to another, unidentified person. This other person is seemingly unimpressed with what they see of Batman fighting, insisting that he will be “no real threat“.

The final panel of the issue reveals this to be the first appearance of Absolute Deathstroke. Designed by artist Johsua Hixson, we see Deathstroke in a long black coat with read collar and lining. There is not much to go off from this image other than the strong vampiric vibes with the clothing and Deathstroke’s pallid complexion. The slicked-back hair looks quite reminiscent of that of Amadeus Arkham.

What is interesting is how Joker and Deathstroke communicate. Deathstroke does not speak to Joker with much deference, other than referring to him as “sir”, despite how terrifying Jack Grimm is. Joker’s responses in return are not dismissive of Deathstroke’s requests to be allowed to fight Batman, instead acknowledging them, if ultimately overruling them.

It will be interesting to see what Deathstroke can offer Joker that was not met by Bane or some of the new villains yet to appear. It might be a while yet before we see more of him however.

Ark M was not the first

Amadeus Arkham lies on the floor as Arkham Asylum burns around him — *Dr Arkham comes to a horrible realisation*

Perhaps in a slightly disappointing way, Ark M was not an original Joker institution. Like most versions of Gotham, there was Arkham Asylum. Ark M had been a refreshing take because it was a place where Joker experimented on people, even giving them venom to see the effects. Two subjects here were Waylon Jones and Batman, the former changing into his grotesque current form. Ark M was a place that created madness rather than treat it.

With the release of Absolute Batman: Ark M, we now know that Amadeus Arkham had built the original asylum on a patch of land where the British held revolutionary prisoners of war. Locals said the land he had purchased with donations from the Elliot Family Foundation was haunted and “soaked in blood and madness“. Nevertheless Amadeus was determined to build it and use it to help people.

Although the date was not confirmed, Amadeus must have had the asylum built towards the end of the 19th Century, c. 1880, and he ran it generally very well up until 1945 when he is trying to sell it on. The buyer is of course the Joker and their interaction sees Amadeus give into madness and burn Arkham Asylum down with everyone in it.

There is more to Joker’s origin

*Jack Grimm is held hostage by Jack Doe*

Absolute Batman #15 gave us a lot to discover about the origin to the Joker, with Pennyworth providing three slightly different histories; each more deranged than the last. The earliest part of this story sees a young Joseph “Jack” Grimm performing on the streets in 1888.

Absolute Batman: Ark M takes us back even further to 1885, when a young Joker, covered in blood, turns up on Amadeus’s doorstep. Amadeus takes the young boy under his wing, teaching him and showing him the ropes. Childless, Amadeus sees and treats the young boy like a son.

Young Joker was particularly fascinated with an incredibly violent, but always grinning, inmate who Amadeus refers to as Jack Doe. What Amadeus did not realise was that Joker was further corrupting the mind of Jack Doe, before going on a murder spree and escaping, framing the inmate in the process.

Amadeus never refers to either Jack Doe or the young Joker by their real names. Did Joker take the name ‘Jack’ from the inmate, if we can even assume Jack was his name? Another question left up to our imagination, at least for now, is why was the young boy covered in blood?

Joker was the Whitechapel Murderer

One of the early panels of Absolute Batman: Ark M sees Amadeus standing glumly in front of a couple of piles of books. Holding one of them as he poses for a photo, the title is readable: Who was Jack the Ripper?.

Jack the Ripper is the most famous serial killer of all time, responsible for at least five brutal murders of women in London between 1888-1891. Amadeus had originally believed that Jack Doe, the inmate at Arkham, was responsible for the murders and had published the book with this hypothesis.

We know now though that Jack Doe was murdered by the Joker, suggesting that it was Jack Grimm who was actually the one who committed the murders in Whitechapel. Although we cannot be sure of age for certain, particularly with Joker’s longevity, it is likely that Jack would still be a child when carrying out the murders. This is another disturbing layer in Jack Grimm’s story.

Absolute Batman: Ark M gave us a lot of background information, fleshing out the world and adding depth to characters. It also gave us a look at the future of Absolute Batman and, in the best way possible, it looks terrifying.