THIS WEEK: Absolute Batman #7 and Batman Dark Patterns #5 are wildly different takes on gritty Batman stories, and in that is a very good thing. Plus, Fire and Ice make their comeback!
Absolute Batman #7 
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Marcos Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
With the release of Absolute Green Lantern last week, DC’s Absolute Universe has officially stepped into the unknown. For the first time since its launch, we’re beyond the initial wave of titles and characters, and that makes Absolute Batman #7 something of a milestone. It marks the beginning of a new story arc and, notably, a new guest artist stepping in for series regular, Nick Dragotta. In his place is Marcos Martín, whose style brings a very different texture to Gotham and this Bruce Wayne.
While the first six issues focused on establishing the foundation of this new Bruce, this issue pivots into a more grounded space: the detective story. What’s immediately clear is that Absolute Batman is about to get more personal. Snyder leans into that tone, opening the issue with Bruce nursing a busted arm and defying Pennyworth’s orders to stay off the streets. There’s a murder to solve. It’s someone close. Bruce, as ever, is the only one who can’t let it go.
However, the emotional weight doesn’t come solely from Bruce. What gives this issue its edge is how it reframes the supporting cast not as sidekicks or wards, but as peers. These are Bruce’s childhood friends, people who know who he is and care enough to call him out on it. Watching them struggle with his obsession, frustration, and guilt is what elevates the issue. Snyder plays those tensions masterfully: the dialogue is clipped, raw, and loaded with subtext. You can feel the history in every conversation.
Snyder makes those emotions stand out in his writing. You can genuinely tell that Bruce’s friends are pissed he’s doing this to himself, think he’s crazy for it and this bad for him. Simultaneously, you understand Bruce’s feelings and why he has to track down who killed their friend, especially because he believes that it’s his fault. Having that clash against Batman’s combat journal lets readers see into the mind of the Dark Knight, giving them a glimpse of how methodical he is in his planning.
It’s especially compelling to see these characters who, in the main DC Universe, would be part of Batman’s rogues gallery repurposed here as emotional anchors. They’re not antagonists. They’re the only ones who know Bruce’s secret, the only ones who fully grasp the cost of his crusade. That dynamic shift is what makes the Absolute Universe feel fresh. Bruce isn’t just a lone warrior in the shadows. He’s a man surrounded by people he could lose and already feels like he has.
Marcos Martín might not be the artist readers expected for this gritty new arc, but by the time the issue hits its midpoint, it’s hard to imagine anyone else setting the tone this effectively. His Gotham hums with neon energy (colored as it is by his regular collaborator, Munsta Vicente), casting silhouettes and throwing light across emotional exchanges. The early pages are a quiet conversation between Bruce and his friends, all in shadow except for the glow of the city, which set the mood perfectly. Martín’s Bruce is massive and brooding, yet moves with a kind of haunted grace. When he takes to the skies, wounded but undeterred, it’s not about spectacle; it’s only about survival.
And yet, Absolute Batman #7 delivers visual spectacle, too. From Batman launching himself into Gotham’s skyline to a disturbing new interpretation of Mr. Freeze, Martín makes the city feel simultaneously alien and familiar. The iconography is intact but twisted just enough to remind us this isn’t the Gotham we know. It’s a city where the rules have changed and Bruce is only starting to realize what that means.
The issue doesn’t end with a bang but with a slow, sharp twist of the knife. It’s a setup issue, but a tense one, steeped in dread and anticipation. Snyder and Martín aren’t just launching a new arc; they’re carefully cornering their hero. Bruce is hurt, alone, and spiraling toward something bigger than he realizes. The question isn’t whether he’ll survive; it’s what will be left of him when this is over.
This issue is a strong return to detective noir (more on that below in the section for Batman Dark Patterns), with rich emotional stakes, sharp tension, and a fresh visual voice from Marcos Martín. The mission is only just beginning, and Bruce may already be too late.
Final Verdict: BUY
The Round-Up
- Batman Dark Patterns #5 gives us the second half of this gripping tower arc. Dark Patterns has cemented itself as a noir crime thriller—part survival story, part psychological maze—as Batman navigates a hostile tower under the control of none other than Scarface. Crime noir is a crucial part of Batman’s history and character, but it hasn’t felt like a focus in recent Batman stories to me. That’s why I find Dark Patterns so refreshing; it feels like a new chapter in a detective novella every month.The opening to this issue is no exception. While the GCPD is outside debating what to do illuminated by red and blue neon lights, Gordon comes to one conclusion: “The Batman’s inside, he knows what he’s doing.” The reader is then ripped from this scene and falling–literally–with Bruce as he crashes through levels lit by electric purple and streaked with bursts of orange machine gun fire. The Dark Knight is a silhouette among the chaos; his yellow symbol the only constant, a flicker of purpose in an increasingly hostile, alien landscape.
Writer Dan Watters has, without a doubt, created a high-stakes story, and although the tone is serious, as a fan of Batman, I can’t help but be giddy. This book has action-filled moments, yet it still explores a deeper side of Bruce. The interactions he has with the tenants of the tower made those small moments of dialogue all the better. However, Watters does much more than that; he focuses on a story about trauma and what it does to people. Scarface isn’t just one person anymore; it’s an idea. An idea that has taken over the tower and infested its tenants. It comes as no surprise that it would give these people a false version of “hope”, poisoned into a misguided attempt to protect themselves.
That story is made all the more important with a visual voice like Hayden Sherman, who shows flawlessly how the tower is a maze of tight corridors and suffocating verticals. Every panel feels claustrophobic by design. You can feel the effort that Batman has to put into essentially crawling through each floor of this tower to get to the top, or as he puts it, Scarface’s brain. Then you have Triona Farrell’s uses of colors, which elevates this book into something special. The palette isn’t just atmospheric—it’s narrative. Orange when Batman is hunted, green when he’s safe, purple when the tower turns on him. It’s not just mood—it’s Scarface’s mood. When Batman regains control, he melts back into silhouette, claiming the shadows like armor. The effect is nothing short of hypnotic.
I’ve said this before: while Absolute Batman and the rest of that universe are doing unbelievable numbers, I can’t help but be drawn to Dark Patterns more than anything else out for Batman right now. I believe it still holds up as the best Batman run we have right now. What makes it stand out isn’t just the action or even the mystery; it’s how much of Bruce we are allowed to see in between. He’s overwhelmed, outmanned, and fully aware that every step in this tower is unknown territory to him. This issue doesn’t end with some big cliffhanger; it just builds up and foreshadows what’s coming. Discovering the truth behind the tower leaves you feeling remorseful for the tenants and seeing that they are just as much victims of Gotham as Bruce is. Watters and Sherman are firing on all cylinders, delivering a story that feels tight, brutal, and above all personal. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the finale, and you should too.
- The Bat-family is popular, and I mean wildly so. You’ll see the current All In Batgirl run getting a lot of mentions online, Absolute Batman being the highest-selling comic of 2024, selling just under 400,000 copies, and the list goes on. I feel that it is important to bring that to attention because, for myself, I feel that Batman and Robin have had some good mentions but overall hit sales figures because, After all, it’s Batman and Robin. It’s the closest thing people get to seeing the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder go toe toe-to-toe with their rogues gallery together, apart from major crossovers or the main Batman run. Not to mention that Damian is still a highly popular character. I don’t think that’s a bad thing either. Fans know what they want, and DC’s clearly paying attention. You could even say a lot of current runs are being built around that exact energy: feeding the fanbase stories that double down on what they love. But that doesn’t mean Batman and Robin haven’t carved out something for themselves. In fact, Batman and Robin #20 feels like proof of that. It’s one of those issues that quietly steps up and reminds you exactly why this duo works and why this book can hold its own.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson nails a version of Bruce that feels deeply human. He gives us a concerned father, not just a brooding vigilante, mobilizing the Bat-family to track down Damian with urgency but also with heart. Johnson brings Bruce down to earth and makes him engage with his son’s thoughts and feelings the way a dad should, not just as Batman. That gives Carmine Di Giandomenico and Javier Fernandez the space to bring Damian’s world to life in a genuinely compelling way. Damian expresses himself through his art by using visuals to communicate what words can’t and the creative team sells that beautifully. Johnson even gives Damian room to voice his fears and hopes, asking what life might look like if there wasn’t a Batman and Robin.
Overall, I think longtime fans of the series will find a lot to appreciate here. For me, though, this issue lands more in the “browse” category. As I said, the Bat-family can sell itself on name recognition alone. This issue is fun, thoughtful, and worth reading—but it’s not the end-all-be-all and honestly? That’s okay.
- Green Lantern Corps #3 is an issue I’ve been looking forward to, and once again, Morgan Hampton and Jeremy Adams deliver. This series continues to be one I’m thoroughly enjoying, especially for its dialogue, and it gives us a real window into the lives of not just the Lanterns themselves but also the people and forces that shape them, both friend and foe. The mystery at the heart of Thanagar pushes the story forward, but what really hits is how the issue explores the emotional weight each character carries.We get to see John Stewart, Hawkwoman, and Atrocitus confront their own views on anger and hate, all while navigating a mission that tests their limits. Stewart’s quiet intensity, Kilowog’s unwavering strength, and Razer’s raw willpower each bring something different to the table, yet all of them are under pressure. Hawkwoman especially stands out as she grapples with her grief and rage over her destroyed planet and what the future holds for her species. There’s a lot at stake here, and this issue doesn’t shy away from how heavy that feels for the Lanterns and the Corps as a whole.Fans of Green Lantern will definitely find a lot to appreciate in this series, but with the Fractal Lantern arc still developing and no clear resolution in sight just yet, this particular issue leans more toward a browse. It’s a strong, emotional installment, but it feels like a stepping stone, not a payoff.
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