Absolute Batman #21 Review
Writers: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artists: Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin
Variant Cover Artists: Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin; David Nakayama; Doug Mahnke
1:25 Variant Cover Artists: Chris Brunner & Rico Renzi
Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: June 17, 2026
When Waylon Jones was struggling, he begged his friend to kill him. Instead, Bruce Wayne ventured into a strange realm, somewhere between Heaven and Hell, to help Waylon live. As he heals, Waylon tries to repay his friend. Instead, Bruce pushes him away. So, Waylon turns to Eddie for ideas on how to reform the gang. Sadly, his riddle-loving friend points out that Ozzie and Harvey have seen their lives shattered. And while Eddie would like to help, he feels just as broken.
While Waylon and Eddie ponder how to support their friend, dark forces swirl around Bruce. And the Scarecrow promises things will get worse than he can imagine. Can Bruce repel the combined might of Mayor Hill's new Robins? And will his Crime Alley friends support Bruce Wayne when everything else that has sustained him falls away? Let’s leap into Absolute Batman #21 and see!
Story
After visiting Joe Chill in Blackgate Prison, Batman is reeling. So, when the Robins swoop in and force him to the ground, Batman is itching for a fight. The Scarecrow reaffirmed everything Jim Gordon discovered when he dug into the Gotham City Police Department files. No one cared about Bruce's childhood engineering marvel. Instead, Bruce and his friends visited the Gotham Zoo because the Joker wanted his father to die there.
As Bruce battles the Robins, Alfred and Harley Quinn monitor the battle in Absolute Batman #21. Both want to help. Harley may call him Jeeves. But while Alfred struggles to find a solution, Harley demonstrates her ingenuity. Still, the odds are against Batman. When he battled Bane in the old arena, he only fought one giant monster. Now, he faces five Robins in their giant mech suits. And as Batman fights, Alfred wonders if the kid has his head in the game.
As Scott Snyder weaves Bruce's past into the present, all the actors battle beneath Jim Gordon's shadow. Waylon and his friends must reconcile their identities with their new circumstances. The Robins also grapple with their mission and how they fulfill it. Yet as Bruce Wayne struggles for perspective, Barbara Gordon faces her father's death. She may never forgive Batman for refusing to let her battle Poison Ivy. Yet as Bruce remembers how Jim Gordon watched over him, Barbara Gordon determines how she will let the world shape her in Absolute Batman #21.
Art
Monitoring the encounter in the control room, Harley smiles, and her eyes sparkle while Alfred looks on in shock. From a distance, the Robin mechs dwarf Batman. But when the camera closes in, a ground-level shot fills a two-page spread with a giant Batman. As the Robins battle Bruce across panel-packed pages, Jason’s actions provoke concern, while close-ups reveal what drives Slade Wilson.
While Frank Martin paints Nick Dragotta's action-packed art, red paint on the Robin mechs links with tracer fire, explosions, and Slade Wilson's face. Bruce remembers how Jim Gordon influenced him amid green backgrounds in Absolute Batman #21. Yet, the former Commissioner's white hair, mustache, and vehicle reaffirm his worldview as a crowd fills the radiant cathedral. Still, the red aisle and the red stripes of the American flag link with Ozzie and Harvey's thoughts, and Mayor Hill's hair.
Black uppercase conversations fill white balloons, while off-screen dialogue inhabits colored boxes. As Alfred watches the battle, lowercase words fill gray paper scraps, evoking Bruce's earlier entries in his Bat-journal. Intonation swells letters, while lowered voices shrink them. Sound effects may emphasize the blows, weapon fire, and explosions filling the air. Yet, giant red dialogue and large black laughter induce the Scarecrow's beloved dread. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.
Final Thoughts
How we view ourselves and the world around us shapes the people we become. But the Joker dreams bigger dreams. As he invests in the world around him, servants like the Scarecrow make people submit to his desires. But while Barbara Gordon vows to uphold her father’s standard, Bruce Wayne wonders what his parents stood for in Absolute Batman #21.
Rating 9.8/10
To look inside, see my preview of Absolute Batman #21.
For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Batman #20.
For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Batman #19.
For when Bruce encountered Poison Ivy, see my review of Absolute Batman #17.
For Bruce's battle with Bane in the arena, see my preview of Absolute Batman #14.
For insight into the creation of the series, see my post Scott Snyder on Writing Absolute Batman.
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