Absolute Batman #20: The Hanged Man

Bruce is on the run and Gotham won’t let him hide for long as the Mayor sends the newly created Robin unit after him. As Batman searches for answers that were denied to him because of Jim Gordon’s death, an encounter with Joe Chill in prison puts Batman face to face with the face of death itself in more ways than one.

This issue is dire and desperate, and you feel it on every single page. Once an anomaly, nearly the entire city has turned against The Batman in the wake of the death of Jim Gordon. There is a foreboding sense of dread hanging over everyone, but there is a bit of light in the tunnel as Waylon tries on his own to reunite the old Gotham crew to help out Bruce, but Jack Grimm’s designs are already proving too strong to topple. Especially now that the Scarecrow has arrived in town.

Scott Snyder winds things down a bit with this issue, saving the action for the end as he continues to dive deeper and deeper into Batman’s sheltered psyche. Bruce truly feels like he is at his wits end, and enemies like scarecrow and the Robins aren’t making things easier for him. The conversation between Bruce and Crane highlights an earlier connection between the two that has yet to be explored as well as revelations dealing with Martha and Bruce’s own transformation into Batman. No matter what horrors Bruce faces, Snyder always manages to drag him lower, but in a way that feels natural to the character and his original origins.

Nick Dragotta’s art as always is a masterclass in visual storytelling that proves once again how perfect of a partner he is for Snyder. The sense of scale of Eddie’s screens is reminiscent of Batman’s monitoring system in Nolan films and the eeriness of the conversation between Batman and Crane is right out of Hannibal. The opening of the issue is particularly striking, with no words other than Grimm’s haunting maniacal laughter as he watches his plans unfold. Frank Martin’s colors also help highlight how harrowing the situation is.