Alright, it’s here, the much-anticipated first issue of the first series from what could could sort of be called DC Comics’ version of Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe. Writer Scott Snyder and artists Nick Dragotta give us a new alternate version of Batman. Does it live up to the hype? Read on!

Well, this is a much more brutal Gotham City than even the one Frank Miller wrote in The Dark Knight Returns. It’s dirty, we see homeless encampments on the streets, and it’s in the middle of a crime wave as a masked group called The Party Animal Gang has been going around committing increasingly large acts of random murders, killing civilians and police officers alike. This is causing panic in the streets, and the public is turning on its mayor, former police officer James Gordon, for his administration’s failure to curb the violence.

The POV character for this issue is Alfred, except instead of being a butler, he’s some kind of secret agent/soldier of fortune/international assassin. It’s not clear exactly yet whom he works for, but he has a history in Gotham City and has been sent back after at least five years away, specifically to track the Party Animal Gang. He’s ordered not to engage them, just to gain intelligence on them.

But, of course, the real star is Bruce Wayne. He’s a 24-year-old tall, muscular, and brilliant engineer. Through flashbacks, we learn of his origin. His mother (MARTHA!) was a social worker, and his father was a school teacher who was killed during a mass shooting at the local zoo, where he’d taken Bruce and his classmates on a field trip. This is what led Bruce to dedicate his life to fighting crime, and we see how he could amass the skills and resources he needed despite not having the traditional Wayne fortune. I have to say that the explanation feels plausible, even more so than the traditional Batman origin story. Finally we have a Batman that almost anyone really could become, if they tried.

Batman makes his first public appearance during a press conference that Mayor Gordon is holding at City Hall. Through some very impressive fighting skills and use of his own weapons he takes down the gang and prevents what was sure to be a massacre (all without killing anybody, I might add). Alfred’s boss orders him to engage Batman, but Bruce quickly disarms him and gets away. But Alfred’s detective skills allow him to figure out Bruce’s identity and track him down for another confrontation, which leaves this issue on a riveting cliffhanger.

So, to answer my own question, yes, this issue lives up to the hype. I was riveted from the first page to the last. Scott Snyder’s pacing of the story was perfect, from the way he introduced the new characters to knowing when to insert the flashbacks and contrast them with the current action. Speaking of new characters, this issue also introduced versions of characters like Killer Croc (here a normal human who owns a gym and is a childhood friend of Bruce’s) and Barbara Gordon (here a police officer and a Black woman), and a brief introduction of a radically different version of a classic Batman villain).

Many questions still need to be answered, such as who Alfred’s employer is and why they ordered Alfred to leave the Party Animal Gang alone and confront Batman. Also it appeared that they were aware of Batman’s existence before the incident at City Hall, so does that mean that Bruce has already been active as Batman before this? Perhaps on a lower scale? Also, we get a glimpse of a new figure in Gotham City’s organized crime underworld, who has ties to the Party Animal Gang, but exactly who he is remains a mystery, and I’m eager to learn the answers to all of these questions.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the artwork of Nick Dragotta (and inker Frank Martin). He has a clean and detailed style that fits the tone of this story, and his action scenes, in particular, are absolutely beautiful (pun intended). Absolute Batman is a new Batman for a new era, I can’t wait for the next issue.

Chacebook rating: FIVE STARS

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