Absolute Batman #22 Review
Writers: Scott Snyder
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Cover Artists: Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin
1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Variant Cover Artists: Dan Quintana, Brett Bean &
Derrick Chew
Editors: Sabrina Futch, Katie Kubert & Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock
Release Date: July 8, 2026
His father's death shook Bruce Wayne to the core. Then, once
he forged a new path to prevent other children from losing their parents,
Eddie, Harvey, Waylon, and Ozzie's closeness to Bruce ruined their lives. His
mother may be dead. Jim Gordon, who looked after him following that terrible
day at the zoo, is dead. Bruce has even lost Joe Chill, the last person who
linked him with the events that changed him forever.
As Mayor Hill's high-powered mechs tear the city apart while
hunting down Batman, someone else arises to help him protect Gotham. Her
abilities surprise Alfred Pennyworth as she aids Bruce Wayne. But is Harley
Quinn another of Jack Grimm's creations? And how far can Bruce Wayne trust her?
Let’s leap into Absolute Batman #22 and see!
Story
As a child, Harley Quinn wrote letters to a father she
didn't know. While the dark frightened her, the bedroom light seemed too
bright. And then there was the closet. Something about it frightened her. So
her mother gave Harley a hammer to whack the ghost hiding in the closet. While
the girl wished for a father, she didn’t believe in ghosts. And even if she
did, Harley didn’t believe a toy hammer could hurt one. But her mother
suggested that if Harley believed both were real, then she could use the hammer
to banish the ghost.
In Absolute Batman #22, Batman trudges resolutely toward a
goal. Police patrolling the streets in riot gear try to stop him. And while others
also hunt for the Batman, Harley urges him to turn back. As Scott Snyder weaves
the Robins search for Batman into Bruce's search for the truth, Harley plays
her final card. Desperate not to lose Bruce, one of the brightest lights in
Gotham, Harley Quinn tells him her story. Yet Bruce doesn't want to listen.
As the two trek through the darkness, Jack Grimm's shadow
hangs over them. Bruce can't forget the Scarecrow's revelation about his youth.
Nor can Bruce forget how he contemplated his life while standing on a beam that
extended beyond the building he engineered. Then Jack Grimm appeared and
refused to let Bruce walk the plank.
Bruce has built his life around the truth. He believed that
his actions as the Batman imposed order over the chaos at the zoo. Instead,
Jack Grimm's decisions impose order on the world, and Bruce's actions create
chaos. If this is true, not only has nothing he has ever done mattered, but
Bruce has ruined his friends' lives for no reason. So, as Bruce Wayne
undertakes a journey to determine his future, Harley tries to protect him by revealing
her childhood in Absolute Batman #22.
Art
After Harley Quinn draws a picture of her family and the
danger lurking in her crooked house, inset panels stretch across a two-page
spread. These small windows reveal the events inside the house while the
grasses sway in the surrounding plain. Then the art moves to the present. As
Batman knocks aside assault rifles, Harley leaps over the armored police,
wielding her Electrochemical Thunder Mallet. Then, Batman knocks her against a
wall, covering her mouth with his hand, and shielding her with his body, as a
mech haunts the night.
Frank Martin lavishes two separate palettes on Werther
Dell’Edera’s portrayal of events in Harley Quinn's and her present. While green
electrifies the present, it provides a comforting environment in Harley's
youth. Her red jacket and shoes evoke her toy hammer and her mother's hair. But
they also link with Jason's mech and the view through his visor. Amid the
bluish-gray combat officers and mechs, Harley's blue hair links her with her
surroundings. Yet splashes of yellow threaten to derail Batman's future in
Absolute Batman #22.
Black uppercase conversations fill white balloons, while off-screen
dialogue in colored boxes narrates events 13 years ago. Intonation swells
letters, lowered voices shrink them, and raised voices enlarge them. Creaking,
slamming, and cracking haunt Harley’s past, while roaring and crashing follow
Batman’s search for the truth. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with
us.
Final Thoughts
In our childhood, we set goals for our lives. Later, in our
teens and adult lives, we determine what matters to us. Like Jason Todd, Batman
thought he knew who the enemy was. And like Dick Grayson, he sought to heal
Gotham. Yet as the Scarecrow's promise about the discoveries awaiting him rings
in his ears, Bruce Wayne fears that the best he can hope for is to throw a
wrench in the works like Harley Quinn in Absolute Batman #22.
Rating 9.7/10
To look inside see my preview of Absolute Batman #22.
For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Batman #21.
For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Batman #20.
For what happened even earlier, see my review of Absolute Batman #19.
