Copyright slashfilm
"Absolute Batman" is currently in its second arc, "Abomination," which features Batman fighting against a terrifying new version of Bane. But let's look at the story which made "Absolute Batman" a bestseller. What makes "The Zoo" so good? How does it compare to other Batman origin stories, like Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's foundational "Batman: Year One," Snyder's own "Batman: Zero Year," or films like "Batman Begins" and "The Batman"? Is there really anything new to say about Batman's character or his beginning now? There sure is! "The Zoo" is set during Bruce's first days as Batman, when Gotham is under siege by a ruthless gang, the Party Animals, led by Black Mask/Roman Sionis. The book cuts between present and past, when Bruce's childhood changed forever. This time, Batman isn't born in Crime Alley, but at the Gotham City Zoo. As a child, Bruce won a young engineers contest (with a bat-wing like device) and earned his class a field trip to the zoo. Then, a gunman opened fire into the crowds; Bruce's dad and teacher Thomas gave his life to stop the shooter Joe Chill. Mirroring his father's sacrifice, Batman's public debut is stopping the Party Animals from shooting up Gotham's city hall. Bruce's trauma now isn't a mugging gone wrong, it's a mass shooting. That already makes Batman feel more like a normal guy because in America, mass shootings have become ordinary. Bruce losing his father wasn't an extraordinary stroke of bad luck, but something that could happen to anyone. "Absolute" Batman is built out of a palpable fear and pain too many people feel, which makes it a more honest plea to rise above that fear. Issue #2 opens with Bruce, locked in the zoo's bat exhibit for protection by his father, seeing the shape of his destiny. Compare "The Dark Knight Returns" by Frank Miller's (the man who made Batman what he is today) where a young Bruce fell into his future Batcave. Snyder has said "The Dark Knight Returns" is his favorite comic ever and that bleeds through "Absolute Batman." Dragotta's page layouts of smaller, often cross-cutting panels echo Miller's talking heads from "Dark Knight." Snyder (who has a teaching background) once used "Dark Knight Returns" for an impromptu lesson on Twitter. Recalling some advice from a teacher of his, Snyder explained how the first page of "The Dark Knight Returns" tells the comic's whole story. If we apply that same standard to "The Zoo," what does it tell us? The opening page depicts the poster of the zoo's bat enclosure, with a "Batty" mascot. The poster invites us to observe all the "crazy" things bats can do, which we will as Batman does the impossible. Then Thomas calls Bruce away, because "there'll be plenty of time for bats later." The next page is a close-up of Chill's hand holding the gun pointed in the direction of the preceding page; later is now.
