Absolute Batman, Vol. 1: The Zoo by Scott Snyder

Art by <b>Nick Dragotta</b> and <b>Gabriel Hernández Walta</b>

This is the first book in a new take on a familiar character. Imagine Batman, but without the money and privilege. A Bruce Wayne who grew up on the streets, and had to build himself up to become Batman, instead of relying on his money to pay for all those toys. What would that Batman be like?

Well, on the surface, this is very much a familiar Batman story, albeit a bit edgier and a bit darker than you might normally expect from Gotham’s Dark Knight. He still has all the toys though here he’s had to make them himself, and he still kicks ass with his own personal blend of mixed martial arts. But if you look below the surface, at what’s going on under the mask, you see a notably different story.

This Batman, this Bruce Wayne, is angry. And I mean seriously, white-hot, angry. Sure, he keeps it bottled up when he’s not wearing the cowl, but when the mask goes on, the gloves come off. He still avoids killing his targets where possible, still follows the same moral compass as every other Batman we’ve seen, but he doesn’t hold back when violence is needed to solve a problem.

As well as the changes to the character’s backstory, there’s also been a few changes to the supporting cast. The traditional villains are old friends of Bruce’s here, and still a part of his social circle, albeit in their civilian personae. So far there is no Two-Face, no Riddler, no Killer Croc, and no Penguin – just Harvey, Eddie, Waylon, and Ozzie. Even Selina Kyle makes an appearance, though she only turns up in flashbacks, with suggestions that she’s no longer a part of the group for some reason.

This first story arc encompasses the first six issues of the new series, and while it starts off a little slow it soon ramps up the action and the adrenaline, and by the end is a worthy addition to the ever-growing Batman canon as far as I’m concerned. The very brief appearance of the Joker at the end of the final chapter hints at something much darker to come, and I have to admit I’ve not been quite this excited about a comic book series for some time now. I will definitely be sticking with this one.