The second issue of Absolute Batman went on sale today and the series continues to redefine the Caped Crusader.
It opens with a young Bruce Wayne being enveloped by bats moments after his father was gunned down. In the present, Batman is waging war on Black Mask's twisted Party Animals and continues to use near-lethal methods to take down his foes.
That includes breaking an aquarium tank and using a chemically concentrated version of vinegar to turn the water into hydrochloric acid, burning off the skin and feet of the villains (crucially, the vigilante never takes a life).
Alfred Pennyworth observes all of this and figures out that his bases - or "caves" - beneath Gotham make the shape of a bat. His employers force him to remove the protection placed on Batman, but not to be fooled, he sets a trap for them...that's appropriately bat-themed.
Alfred also learns that Bruce Wayne has visited his father's killer, Joseph Chill, in prison and has ties to the Red Hood resistance group.
Things look bleak for Mayor Jim Gordan's reelection chances and Bruce meets for a poker game with Waylon, Eddie, Harvey, and Oz, non-supervillain versions of his classic rogues gallery who were also his childhood friends. The only member of their group missing is Selina Kyle.
After talking with them, Batman investigates former Mayor Hill's ties to the Party Animals and unearthing plans for "ArkM," he's greeted by Black Mask (via video) who sends his men and the GCPD after him.
Encountering Alfred on his way out, the two men agree to work together and escape...in Batman's massive Batmobile!
In one final flashback, we pick up with Bruce as a child and a young Selina entering his bedroom wearing an appropriately-styled hoodie. How their relationship develops - and why she's no longer in Gotham - remains to be seen.
Check out some pages from Absolute Batman #2 below.
Batman was born out of violence – a horrible tragedy that shaped the trajectory of his future. But when a vigilant MI6 agent starts tracking the lonely life of Bruce Wayne, he discovers the interconnectivity between a hero’s shell life and the many layers of the Black Mask Gang. It’s Batman versus Alfred Pennyworth!
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #2
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art & Cover by NICK DRAGOTTA
On Sale Now