Absolute Batman #20 Review
Writers: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artists: Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin; Kris Anka; Fabrizio De Tommaso; Kyuyong Eom; Nick Robles; Javier Rodríguez; Rickie Yagawa & Alex Sinclair; Jahnoy Lindsay
1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Martin Simmonds
Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: May 13, 2026
After Jim Gordon realized Bruce Wayne was the Batman, he dug into the files at his disposal. What he discovered frightened him. The man who lost the Mayorship to Harold Hill vowed to help Martha's son learn more about his past and what was happening in Gotham. But when he heard a crow cry, Jim Gordon leapt off a tall building without a single bound. And when nearby residents record Gordon’s suicide, their cellphone videos suggest that Batman murdered Jim Gordon.
Slade Wilson may be new to Gotham. But after the constant battles that have rocked Gotham, Slade promises to banish the terrors of the night. How will Bruce Wayne continue after losing someone else important to him? And what difficulties will Batman encounter as he investigates the facts that frightened his family friend to death? Let’s leap into Absolute Batman #20 and see!
Story
When Alfred returned to Gotham, he found Bruce more committed to being Batman than ever. Yet he worried. Bruce was pushing away everyone in his life to make Batman the sole focus of his life. But as Alfred worried that Bruce could lose himself in his isolation from others, Jim Gordon also felt lost after studying the police files. As he contemplated all he had learned, Jim Gordon felt like he was caught in a maze, struggling to find the exit.
Bruce understands the dangers of isolation in Batman #20. But he also knows that his friends have suffered because of him. As Waylon Jones recovers, he discovers how his friends are faring after the Joker exploited Bruce’s friendships. Yet as Bruce acts on Jim Gordon's files, he remembers how Carmine Falcone exploited his loyalty to his friends.
While Scott Snyder's story checks in on Barbara Gordon and follows Waylon's journey, Bruce seeks answers to the greatest mysteries of his life. He uncovers links between the Scarecrow and the Joker. Yet, as hard as he works to learn the answers, accepting them proves harder. And as the Joker unleashes his next great scheme, Bruce feels compassion for those who have suffered from the villain's machinations in Absolute Batman #20.
Art
If you step through a hidden door behind a grandfather clock, you can descend winding steps through a vast cave. As you pass recognizable touchstones of a hero in another universe, you’ll notice a vast screen that portrays scenes of people and violence from the past and present. A chair, surrounded by a web of conduits, evokes the experiments conducted in Ark-M. Draw closer still, and a double-page spread suggests a less honorable reason for funding Grimm House.
As Nick Dragotta packs pages with panels and squeezes grand vistas into half a page, Frank Martin applies a limited palette to Absolute Batman #20. The colorful Robin symbol celebrates empowerment and diversity, while Batman kneels in a dark room wearing black and gray. Yellow embodies healing and revival, while orange symbolizes the power inherent in chaos and change. Yet fluorescent pink and green portray another man struggling to find his way forward.
Black uppercase dialogue fills white balloons and off-white narrative boxes as the story interweaves past and present. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices as a brown coat links Bruce with Barbara Gordon. Tom Napolitano’s white sound effects accompany Batman's search for answers, while yellow signals a way forward, and orange heralds an unexpected development. Red links cawing, wailing, and laughter with violence to entertain a man who feeds off the living to forestall his death. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
When Carmine Falcone tried to engineer a boxing bout, Bruce overturned his plans. Yet just as Bruce discovered that a crime boss could manipulate him into doing their bidding, he learns the forces that shaped a boy's future as carefully as he designed a bat-shaped bridge to safeguard his community in Absolute Batman #20.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside, see my preview of Absolute Batman #20.
For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Batman #19.
For insight into the creation of the series, see my post Scott Snyder on Writing Absolute Batman.
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