Review: Absolute Batman Vol. 1: The Zoo

Author: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta, Gabriel Hernandez Walta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Released: August 5, 2025
Find it on Storygraph | More DC Comics | Graphic Novels
Series: Absolute Batman 1-6

Summary:

Bruce Wayne didn’t have the luxury of growing up with expensive gadgets or access to great resources. What he did have were two amazing parents. Well, he did, right up until a horrible tragedy.

That moment changed Bruce’s life. Since then, he’s been working from the ground up, learning the city piece by piece so that he can protect the city. He will be Gotham’s hero, no matter what it takes.

Review:

Let’s be real: we all knew that the Absolute Batman series was going to be phenomenal. Scott Snyder was tasked with finding a new (but still somewhat familiar) take on the beloved hero, and he nailed it.

Absolute Batman Vol. 1 introduces us to a different version of Bruce. He doesn’t have access to loads of money, technology, or the typical gadgets. Everything he had he had to earn, and that made his story hit even harder, if you ask me.

There’s a lot I could say about Absolute Batman Vol. 1 (and a lot I want to say). The universe has taken well-known characters like Bruce and Alfred and changed up their stories. It’s also grabbed up dozens of Batman’s secondary characters and shaken up their worlds, to varying degrees of extreme. It’s brought fresh perspective, new stakes, and plenty of surprises with it, and I’m excited to see where it leads.

Artwork:

In addition to enjoying the story of Absolute Batman Vol. 1, the artwork is phenomenal. Nick Dragotta and Gabriel Hernandez Walta have a way of making the world look gritty and dangerous. In other words, it looks and feels like Gotham, through and through.

Frank Martin’s colors help to set the tone, helping to push that grittier and more visceral feeling the series has going for it. Altogether, the artists help tell a story of a young hero going through hell, and it reads accordingly.

Highlights:

• Absolute Universe
• A New Take on Batman
• Middle-Class Bruce Wayne
• Variant Heroes & Villains

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