Scott's Take: Absolute Batman Vol 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin (Illustrator), and Nick Dragotta (Illustrator)

 

Absolute Batman Vol 2: Abomination by Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin (Illustrator), and Nick Dragotta (Illustrator) collects issues 7 through 14. The previous issues in the series were collected in Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo which I reviewed here last September.

 

In this action-packed volume, Batman takes on Mister Freeze, Bane, and learns more about the mysterious man in white, aka the Joker. Bane has Batman in his sights and has plans for Batman that Bruce is not going to like. Batman investigates Arkham M, which is supposed to be treating the mentally ill, but instead is creating monsters to terrorize the world with.

 

This is a really interesting action-packed saga, but there is a lot of body horror and torture sessions. This book introduces new versions of Bane, Cat Woman, and Mister Freeze, and others. The new version of Killer Croc is pretty cool.

 

The art for the Mister Freeze section was not good in my opinion, but the art for the Bane story, which is the main story was excellent. This series will continue as Batman will face off with Poison Ivy. We will also meet the new version of Robin. The title of the volume and the release date have yet to be announced.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4rBlQL0

 

 

 

I read some of this through the DC Universe Infinite app and some through Hoopla by way of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta(Artist), Gabriel Hernández Walta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist), and Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

 

Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta(Artist), Gabriel Hernández Walta (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist), and Clayton Cowles (Letterer) is set in the new Absolute Universe. Darkseid killed himself and use his life force to become a universe which he controls. Despite his dark influence infecting this universe there are still heroes fighting back.

 

Who is Bruce Wayne without the money, the privilege, and the expensive education? Bruce Wayne is still Batman, but here Bruce is just an average joe living his life. Gotham is still a cesspool and Black Mask’s crew has targeted Gotham for terrorizing.

 

This is a gritty violence noir style action packed adventure. This Bruce is bigger and more violent. He has an axe and is not afraid to use it. He still has his toys and gadgets, but they are less high tech and more realistic. In this universe, his mother is still alive. His father was killed. One of several people killed in a mass shooting. His friends now are some of his villains in the main universe.

 

I am highly enjoying the Absolute Universe in general. I also enjoyed this read. I read some of Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo this through the DC Infinite app and some through Hoopla (Dallas Library System). I am looking forward to reading Volume 2 called Abomination which introduces Bane and Freeze.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4lRxrSj

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Scott's Take: Batman: The Court Of Owls Saga by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

Batman: The Court Of Owls Saga by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo collects the first 11 issues of the New 52 Batman run by Snyder and Capullo plus bonus material such as a script and sketches. This edition only includes the main issues and not the various tie ins that take place and add to the story. In this book, Batman and company face off against the Court Of Owls. They are a secret society that allegedly controls Gotham though many folks believe they are a myth. Even Batman believed them to not exist and be a myth until he is forced to reconsider as the Court of Owls make their move to take back Gotham city.

While that is the basic plot premise, far more is going on in the read. It is hard to go into much detail without ruining various plot points. One can say that the read is an action-packed tale that utilizes the history of Gotham and the Wayne family to tell a story full of intrigue and suspense. It will take Batman and his allies everything they have to stop the Court of Owls.

The art is amazing and the writing is spectacular. There is plenty of violence and cinematic battles between Batman and the assassins of the Court of Owls. The villains created in this tale are great.

I highly recommend Batman: The Court Of Owls Saga by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for Batman fans.

 

 

My reading copy came from the Arcadia Park Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple © 2022

Scott's Take: Batman: Last Knight on Earth by Scott Snyder and art by Greg Capullo

Batman: Last Knight on Earth by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo is a DC Black Label title that is an adult orientated tale and not for young kids or sensitive readers of any age. This graphic novel is by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. This creative team created one of the most well-regarded modern runs for a Batman series. They had an incredible decade long run with Scott Snyder writing the stories and Greg Capullo doing the impressive artwork. This book is billed as their last time working together on a Batman graphic novel, so they really pulled out all the stops.

 

Batman wakes up twenty years into the future in Arkham Asylum and quickly figures out things are way different then he remembers. He manages to get outside of the Asylum and ventures off into this broken new world to figure out what has happened to the planet and humanity. His traveling companion, who tells a good portion of the story himself, is Joker who is not all there literally or figuratively. Being decapitated can really screwup your memories and Joker has gaps. Joker was decapitated and had his still alive head stuck in a jar which was then subsequently buried deep in the sand for two decades. Batman and the bodiless Joker in a jar must faces various horrors to uncover the truth about this nightmarish world. They will encounter various heroes and villains and see some things.

 

Batman: Last Night on Earth is a great book featuring amazing art. I highly recommend pretty much any book by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo working together because they do a spectacular job when they combine their talents. This is a very good book, but it is meant as the epic finish to their prior work. While it could be read by itself, the read could be a bit confusing as it is meant for those readers who have been following on the entire series. Because it is designed as their grand finale, the book pretty much features every major hero and villain in the DC universe as well as everyone who is important to Batman whether they are a hero or villain.

 

It is a great read.

 

Batman: Last Night on Earth

Scott Snyder

https://www.dccomics.com/talent/scott-snyder

Greg Capullo

https://www.dccomics.com/talent/greg-capullo

DC Black Label

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Category:DC_Black_Label

April 2020

ISBN# 978-1-4012-9596-0

Hardback (also available in eBook format)

184 Pages 

 

My reading copy came from the Timberglen Branch of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2020

Review: The Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder

The Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder has a Batman known as “The Batman Who Laughs.” This is a version of Batman that killed the Joker and was contaminated by Joker toxin. The result was that he morphed in an evil version that was part Joker and part Batman. This evil version proceeded to murder his Bat family by killing Robin, Batgirl, Alfred and others.

Also at work in this graphic novel is the “Grim Knight.”  This is a Batman that has become like “The Punisher,” but way worse. His version does not have a Bat family. He kills all criminals and is hunted by the police who he is also trying to kill.

Both bad versions of Batman come from the “Dark Multiverse” and have come to what is all intents and purposes “Our Multiverse” where they seek to wreak havoc and must be stopped by our good Batman. This won’t be easy as the bad Batmans (Batmen ?) have lived the same lives for the most part, had the same trainings, and know all the faults and weaknesses as well as tactics.

This horror/mystery graphic novel pushes Batman, Jim Gordon, and Alfred to their limits as they face off and combat the evil Batmans in The Batman Who Laughs. The result is a good read that is complicated and sets up another series where Superman and Batman team up.

The artwork in the book is good though, at times a bit confusing, as anytime the Batman Who Laughs talks his font is red on top of black to emphasize how messed up he is. That way of doing things makes it hard to read since the story is very dark as it is.

While The Batman Who Laughs by Scott Snyder is a good story with plenty of action as well as mystery and horror elements, there is a large body count and there are horror aspects to the tale. So, this is not a book for young readers unless you just feel the need to freak them out.

The Batman Who Laughs

Scott Snyder

https://www.dccomics.com/talent/scott-snyder

DC Comics

https://www.dccomics.com/

ISBN# 978-1-4012-9403-8

Hardback (also available in digital format)

232 Pages

Material came by way of the “Central Branch” of the Dallas Public Library System.

Scott A. Tipple ©2019

Scott's Take: Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition by Scott Snyder

Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition by author Scott Synder and various artists is a cool hardback book. A “deluxe edition” is oversized so it is bigger than the normal comic book with larger than normal pages. It also has additional bonus or new material. That extra material is usually sketches, writer script (where a writer plans his story in just words without the pictures), and more. This is true in this case.

This story is one of the better Superman stories that came out during the “New 52” which is the organized effort to reboot all the heroes. In Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition, Superman faces off with various threats such as General Lane, Lex Luthor, a new terrorist group called Ascension, and a government super soldier from out of space called Wrath. Wrath claims to be a good guy, but, come on, he has a bad guy name. Luckily for Superman, he is not alone in facing these threats across the globe as he has friends. Allies and friends Batman, Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, and others all help out to save the day.

I liked this lot because of the author depiction of Superman. Many writers typically forget that Superman is a scientist. He is the son of a scientist and has access to a lot of advanced technology and information. Superman has to use his brain in this novel to defeat his foes and handle the various situations he faces. Whether it is outsmarting a stronger foe or stopping an international space station from falling to earth and saving the astronauts onboard, it isn’t just about what he can do physically.

Through the course of the book, the author draws a strong contrast between Wrath and Superman. Wrath works for the US Army and in the system while Superman fights outside of the system. Wrath fights for America only while Superman fights for the world. Why Superman does not work within the system is explained and debated throughout the book in interesting ways.

Lex Luthor is scary in this novel. He is a deranged genius that can do almost anything if he puts his mind to it. While Superman uses his smarts for good and to help folks, Lex Luthor takes the opposite tack. While Lex Luthor is not the main villain in this story, he has some of the most memorable moments in this novel. For example, he continues to read a book calmly while people are being murdered around him based on his orders.

Batman, Lois Lane and Wonder Woman have some cool moments that would be hard to discuss without heavy spoilers. Obviously, I won’t be talking about that as I don’t want to ruin the read with spoilers.

The action is awesome in Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition as is the artwork. The heroes have epic moments and the villains are terrifying and think they are right no matter how horrible their actions are. Superman has some great lines. The book dives deep into the mind of Superman and why he is the way he is. Superman is one of my favorite characters when he is written right, but he is very hard for many to write right. This story is one of the best that featured the New 52 banner. Though it is really good, with the way they took things after “Superman Reborn” I think most of this is no longer part of the canon.

Superman wins, of course, but not easily. This story requires him to use his full intelligence, resources, and his friends to win. I highly recommend this story for Superman fans or for those just interested in the glory of Superman.

Superman Unchained: Deluxe Edition

Scott Snyder

Various Artists

DC Comics

http://www.dccomics.com

December 2014

ISBN# 978-1-4012-4522-1

Hardback (also available in paperback and eBook formats)

352 Pages

$29.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Dallas Public Library System

Scott A. Tipple ©2019