8d • The Book Club
Absolute Batman is my current reading obsession
I have an interesting relationship with comic books. Growing up, I never really read or collected them in any meaningful capacity. Don't get me wrong, I loved superheroes. I was a kid when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just getting started, and I have fond memories of watching different superhero cartoons. I picked up a few small collections of one-offs or comic arcs as a kid, but I never really got too into them. Recently, I've been seeing a lot of discussion online about one of the new Batman comics: Absolute Batman. The most appealing part to me was how each issue was like 50 pages and only cost $5. I don't mind that kind of deal, so I decided to go check out my local comic book store. While they had some Absolute Batman, they were missing the first four or five issues. But what they did have was the first collected edition of issues, so I decided to pick that up. I got home, read the first issue, then set it down because I knew I had to limit myself to one issue a day or else I would run out of content to read in an afternoon.
As I've read more of Absolute Batman, I'm nearing the end of the Abomination Arc, which is the second collected edition. Unfortunately, the third collection doesn't drop until September, so I'll have to tide myself over on other reading material until then (good thing Absolute Green Arrow just started and I decided to pick up the first issue of that). I'm really glad that Absolute Batman is starting to get me back into reading for fun again because as a writer, I know that if I'm not reading, I'm not writing and passively improving my craft. One of the best ways to grow as a writer is to just read more works by other people. I need to do that more (and I think I'll talk more about that in this week's "Writing the Piano" chapter).
Batman has always been one of my favorite heroes. He was always so cool with his utility belt and special gadgets. I have fond memories playing the LEGO Batman video game as a kid with my brother back on my dad's PlayStation 2. Batman: The Brave and the Bold was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. I could go on. So when I heard there was a dark, and fairly deep, new Batman comic that changed up his origin and rogues gallery, I figured it might be worth checking out (also the fact that reading the story is incredibly easy because there aren't a bajillion side arcs and cross-overs you need to worry about). The art style is great. It's gritty yet stylized. Yes, it's violent and intense, but it works. The aesthetics of the art match the tone of the narrative. As for the story, it's still developing. On the one hand, it's your classic Batman vs. the bad guys who are tearing up Gotham. On the other hand, he's the underdog. His victory isn't guaranteed, and he will suffer if he's going to get it. I really don't want to spoil too much, but I just reached a point in the story where Bane does some pretty awful things (mentioning Bane isn't a spoiler because he's literally on the cover of the Abomination book). And as a writer, I think I gained a super valuable lesson from reading this book: it's ok to blow your world up and make your characters suffer because the consequences will be interesting and drive the story forward. In my current novel, I've reached a tough spot where I find myself holding back. I know that I can do some crazy things, and I've let myself do some of them, but I also find myself holding back to maintain an equilibrium. The end result feels... unsatisfying. My single biggest takeaway from Absolute Batman is that I should say screw the equilibrium and just let things burn. I can sift through the ashes later, and it'll make the characters and world more compelling as a result.
Absolute Batman, while having a compelling story, really excels with the character writing and gradual development of the world. The characters all feel different from what I'm used to seeing, and man is it fun, especially with the new horrifying designs (the Joker in particular is one of the major standouts). The character writing coupled with the artwork is just so unbelievably good. If you're a fan of comics, I would definitely recommend picking up the Absolute Batman run of comics. And if you're worried it might get overwhelming or confusing, just find the collected issues that run for $16-$19 or so. The collections make collecting and reading an absolute breeze (even if you have to wait longer for them to be compiled and released).
Have you read Absolute Batman? If you have, what do you think about it? Do you have any comic series you love and want to talk about?
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Absolute Batman is my current reading obsession
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