This new series copped a lot of flak from online trolls (like myself) before it was released. Stupid chest logo, very small head, bat symbol converts into an axe, the bat ears are knives. Ick.
But it ended up being pretty good.:
https://www.worldcomicbookreview.com/2024/10/11/absolute-batman-1-review/We have:
a. Thomas Wayne saving is class of students during a shooter incident at a zoo: he gets the kids into the bat enclosure and then goes off to stop the shooter.
b. Martha Wayne is alive and well. She's a social worker.
c. Batman is very working class. He can't afford to fix a boxing bag at a gym (operated by a completely sane and normal Killer Croc).
d. The Joker is the rich dude.
e. Batman's cape is like the cape from The Dark Knight movies. He can cause it to change shape and stiffen with an electric current. But this is to another level: he can use it as hooks and stilts.
f. The Bat-villains and Bruce all grew up together, and are a crew of best friends. Only Cobblepot has gone into crime.
g. Alfred is a retired British spy. He's been tasked to stop Batman interfering in his observation of a huge and increasingly ruthless crime wave (run by the Black Mask's gang - only, he isn't called the Black Mask). But he starts to admire and respect Bruce - he easily works out who Batman is and starts tailing him - and finds himself finding reasons not to kill him.
I thought it was great.
