Absolute Batman is one of the most propulsive, compulsively readable DC comics out there right now. It gives readers little chance to catch their breath before plunging headlong into each action-packed storyline. It’s the cape book equivalent of the Safdies’ Uncut Gems or Marty Supreme—an adrenaline shot in the thigh of the genre.
A large part of the book’s success is due to writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta’s fresh take on the Batman’s rogues gallery. While not every Bat-villain is radically different from prior incarnations, each of them has so perfectly suited the story these creators are telling that they’re a breath of fresh air, despite the stench of their evil deeds.
While we wait to see which longstanding foe Snyder and Dragotta choose to revillainize next, we’ve compiled a list ranking each of the book’s five major baddies to date. Check it out below and let us know which one’s your favorite!
WARNING: Absolute Batman spoilers ahead!
Mister Freeze
Freeze earned one of the very best post-Crisis origin stories in writer Paul Dini’s Emmy Award-winning Batman: The Animated Series episode “Heart of Ice” (later adapted to comics as the 1997 one-shot Batman: Mr. Freeze, collected in Batman Arkham: Mister Freeze). It would be damn near impossible to top the tragic backstory of cryo scientist Victor Fries, who, while seeking a cure for his terminally ill “frozen” wife, is doomed to live a life at subzero temperatures. Thankfully, Snyder and guest artist supreme Marcos Martín don’t even try. In the two-parter “Absolute Zero” (beginning in Absolute Batman #7), Batman tangles with Victor Fries Jr., a spindly, super-strong victim of cryotherapy gone wrong, who keeps his parents frozen while he works for the mysterious Ark M. He also commands an army of ice zombies.
The Joker
Joker’s only in the #4 spot because we haven’t seen him go head-to-head with the Absolute Bat yet. But of all the villains on this list, he’s got the greatest potential. The one most likely to take the top spot in the not-so-distant future. What we know thus far is that the enigmatic “Jack Grimm” is responsible for the international Ark prison project. As revealed in Absolute Batman #15, Grimm is a centuries-old street performer turned tech bro who, like most of the book’s villains, is a literal and figurative monster. A man who never laughs, and who possesses the limitless resources this world’s Bruce Wayne lacks.
Killer Croc
Batman’s had his share of former friends corrupted into archenemies, including Hush and Two-Face. But Absolute Batman has given him a host of such frenemies, as this Bruce Wayne was childhood friends with the future Two-Face, Penguin, Riddler and Killer Croc, all of whom are mutated into monsters by Ark M. The most tragic of these is Croc, aka boxer Waylon Jones, Bruce’s best friend and sparring partner. He first appears in his giant reptilian form in Absolute Batman #10, in which he tries to devour the Dark Knight. Though they eventually join forces to battle…
Bane
The ultimate soldier, as cunning as he is powerful, Bane’s the Big Bad of the “Abomination” story arc, which kicks off in Absolute Batman #10. Of all the title’s villains, Bane most resembles his original incarnation, a hulking bruiser raised in a prison in Santa Prisca. But Nick Dragotta’s art proves as potent as Venom in taking Bane to his Absolute level, transforming him into kaiju-style nightmare fuel. Recalling John Carpenter’s The Thing (complete with eyes and teeth growing out of his torso) fused with Akira’s Tetsuo, he mutates to the size of a building inside Gotham Stadium, requiring the combined forces of Batman, Killer Croc and Catwoman to render him a stinking pile of meat and bone.
Black Mask
The Final Boss of Absolute Batman’s initial story arc “The Zoo” is still the book’s best bad-guy glow-up. Black Mask had his share of decent stories before Snyder and Dragotta reshaped him into the lethal, lanky leader of the “Party Animals.” But what sets this new Mask apart is his utterly relentless nihilism. “You drag recycling to the curb,” he tells Gotham’s citizens, “while they ride in private jets that tear the sky apart…” Listening to his view of our broken world is almost enough to bring the reader to despair. So, it’s that much more satisfying when Batman rams his armored Bat ears into his indigo skull.
Honorable Mention
The Neo-Nazi gang in writer-artist Daniel Warren Johnson’s Absolute Batman Annual #1 story. Because it’s more fun than ever to watch Batman smash fascists.
Look for Absolute Batman Vol. 2: Abomination in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers next Tuesday. You can also get caught up on the series in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Joseph McCabe writes about comics, film and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Instagram at @joe_mccabe_editor.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joseph McCabe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
