The following contains spoilers for Absolute Batman #25, on sale now from DC
If not for the blockbuster success of The Exorcist, the top film at the box office in 1973 would have been The Sting, the first (and last) time that Paul Newman and Robert Redford reunited after their first film together, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, was the biggest box office hit of 1969), one of the rare hit films that was also a critical success (it won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and netted Redford his only Best Actor nomination in his long, distinguished career as an actor).
The film is about a small-time con man, Johnny Hooker (Redford) who is forced to go on the run when a con he ran with his partner, Luther (Robert Earl Jones, James Earl Jones’ father) accidentally results in them robbing a powerful bookie (Robert Shaw) of $15,000. Shaw has his men murder Luther, and Hooker has to team up with Luther’s old friend, Henry Gondorff (Newman) to take down Shaw to avenge Luther.
There are two major cons in the film. One we are told about, and the other is a surprise to us. I bring this up because the audience having foreknowledge about a con obviously changes the way that we see the story play out, and when there is a mystery about the con, then that changes things dramatically, as well. We see this with murder mysteries, as well. The TV series, Columbo, famously revealed who the killer was and how they did it RIGHT AWAY, and then fun was seeing how Columbo would solve these seemingly perfect crimes.
In the early parts of Absolute Batman’s “Strawman” storyline, we were kept in the dark about whether Batman was being conned by the Scarecrow or not. Last issue, we learned that he WAS, and Batman was finally able to break out of his Scarecrow-caused funk. The issue is, though, that only Batman and the audience knows that, and as we see in this major issue, that fact doesn’t do Batman a whole lot of good when his friends still believe the lies that Jack Grimm (the Absolute Joker) are telling them.
Image via DC
Absolute Batman #25 is from writer Scott Snyder, artist Nick Dragotta, colorist Frank Martin, and letterer Tom Napolitano, and it wraps up the “Strawman” arc by having Batman take on the Joker in a fight for the first time in the series, and boy did stuff get crazy!
How Does Batman Lose His Friends?
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Image via DC
Image via DC
One of the recurring subplots in this recent storyline is a flashback to the past, where Bruce Wayne went to go work for the mob to help protect his friends, and he soon found himself losing himself in his role as an enforcer (a “Bat Man,” as it were. There is one thing that is certain about this comic book. There will always be puns galore in this book). He hits rock bottom, and drags himself back, and he is thrilled to see that his friends welcome him back without (much) judgment.
That is why it is so brutal in the present day, when his friends all officially turn against him. The readers know that Jack Grimm is evil, and that he is manipulating all of Bruce’s friends, and yet, THEY don’t know that, which makes it such a frustrating, and yet utterly compelling exchange ot read.
Nick Dragotta goes balls to the wall in terms of action in this issue, but I am really impressed by how well he handles the emotions of the characters in these scenes, where the friends all explain why they think Grimm is NOT evil, and why their friend, Bruce, just needs help. Tough stuff. Martin’s colors help TREMENDOUSLY to set the emotional stage.
Of course, one issue after finally embracing life, Batman is not about to be convinced by his delusional friends, and so he heads off to confront Grimm in person.
Can Batman Hang WIth the Joker?
Image via DC
The fight between Batman and the Joker is epic, especially because we all know that this is a mismatch, and that there is no way that Batman could even BEGIN to defeat the Joker at this point in time. The Joker’s only concern about Batman at this point in time is what the Dark Knight can do to amuse him.
The rest of the world is basically a giant game of The Sims, and Batman is here for the Joker to break to see how fun it will be to break him. However, as we learned last issue, Batman isn’t GOING to break. The Joker was confident that he would, but he is learning for the first time that he CANNOT get everything he wants.
Batman’s new partnership with “The Bat” (Barbara Gordon, not called Batgirl in this universe) and his renewed partnership with Harley Quinn (the daughter of Grimm) give him some hope of maybe actually becoming a TRUE thorn in the Joker’s side. Don’t get me wrong, at this point in time, it is still a HUGE mismatch, and credit to Snyder for making sure that we get that point very clear, that right now, Batman has NO chance at defeating the Joker. But what he DOES get in this issue is the hope that maybe that will not always be the case.
Barbara Gordon also makes an excellent point where she notes that when you are dealing with psychological warfare twisting you apart, and breaking you to the core, it is sometimes nice to finally put a FACE to your torment, and just HIT/SHOOT something. That’s a great point.
Obviously, the issue also ends with a big twist, but I’ll be frank, while that twist is very intriguing, it is very much not of THIS issue. It is very much a “future plot” deal. This issue stands on its own beyond that cliffhanger ending, and it stands on its own really, really well. This is an “anniversary” issue that lives up to the hype in a big way.