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Absolute Batman (2024) (Single Issues)
Absolute Batman (2024-) #8
Batman is in the fight for his life against this icy new threat. But in the end, what terrifying truth will be unearthed about Ark M and…Joker?
Kindle Edition
Published May 14, 2025
96 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,753 books5,281 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
March 1, 2026
not my fav but enjoyable!!!!
February 14, 2026
They really reinvented Mr. Freeze by removing the bulk armor and freeze gun and giving him the manic agility of a Mr. Zsasz with that crazy man strength.
It's a treat to see Marcos Martin work on a character from DC or Marvel. Even if its just a two-part arc Martin makes the most of it to remind readers that he's still a creative force, continuing the solid run of excellent Absolute Batman issues.
It's a treat to see Marcos Martin work on a character from DC or Marvel. Even if its just a two-part arc Martin makes the most of it to remind readers that he's still a creative force, continuing the solid run of excellent Absolute Batman issues.
January 15, 2026
Reimagined origin of Mr. Freeze.
Kinda weird, but I dig it.
In the last issue, Bruce is investigating the death of his childhood friend, Matches Malone, by posing as a night worker at a cryogenic facility in Gotham. Almost as soon as he's in the building, he runs into the director, Victor Fries Jr., who proceeds to tell him about his family.
And boy oh boy, do things go off the rails from there.
But I don't want to give any spoilers.
We keep seeing snippets of the Absolute Joker recurring throughout the issues as this ominous force behind...? Whoknowswhat kind of nefarious organization? He's off and odd and maybe not even completely human anymore.
But! This issue seems to be sending us toward Bane, and maybe pushing a twist onto the Waylon/Killer Croc character. So, I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Recommended.
Kinda weird, but I dig it.
In the last issue, Bruce is investigating the death of his childhood friend, Matches Malone, by posing as a night worker at a cryogenic facility in Gotham. Almost as soon as he's in the building, he runs into the director, Victor Fries Jr., who proceeds to tell him about his family.
And boy oh boy, do things go off the rails from there.
But I don't want to give any spoilers.
We keep seeing snippets of the Absolute Joker recurring throughout the issues as this ominous force behind...? Whoknowswhat kind of nefarious organization? He's off and odd and maybe not even completely human anymore.
But! This issue seems to be sending us toward Bane, and maybe pushing a twist onto the Waylon/Killer Croc character. So, I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Recommended.
May 14, 2025
Batman Absolute issue 8 remains a strong read, delivering intense visuals and some truly kickass fight sequences. It's also a welcome moment to see Bruce acknowledge his need for help. However, the absolute standout is that final page, which masterfully sets the stage for Bane's arrival and hints at the even more horrific challenges Bruce will face.
September 28, 2025
ABSOLUTE ZERO
" but the ice isn't salvation..it's the memory of what we want to forget...it's vengeance"
an interesting arc...that maybe could have been expanded?
" but the ice isn't salvation..it's the memory of what we want to forget...it's vengeance"
an interesting arc...that maybe could have been expanded?
May 22, 2025
Just finished Absolute Batman #8 was solid, but the Mr. Freeze arc wasn’t my favorite - cool moments, but just okay overall. Batman pushing through the pain and the strained team dynamics keep it interesting, though. Looking forward to Bane stepping in next!
January 4, 2026
Bruce is almost turned into a frozen zombie by Doctor Freeze but he manages to escape. His friends forgive him for keeping Batman a secret, but scold him for being reckless with his life. Some guys capture Waylon and take him to Ark-M.
Marcos Martins art her is very refreshing, too bad he’ll only be handling it for two issues, I heard things start getting really dark when Bane shows up, which starts in the next issue. Can’t wait.
Marcos Martins art her is very refreshing, too bad he’ll only be handling it for two issues, I heard things start getting really dark when Bane shows up, which starts in the next issue. Can’t wait.
April 25, 2026
mr freeze is the scariest mofo I’ve ever seen
April 17, 2026
[3,5]
Este arco con el nuevo y reinventado Mr. Freeze no fue particularmente mi favorito aunque el diseño del personaje me gustó bastante. Con un lado más monstruoso y con el que casi podía oír el sonido de sus extremidades al moverse. Así como dicho sea de paso, ver a Bruce caer "tan fácil" fue inesperado aunque disfrutable ver que no es un ser omnipotente y ultra poderoso aun dentro del mismo universo Absolute.
Lo que me conmovió fue más que nada una vez más la amistad que se tiene ese grupo, incluído Matches y cómo se culpó todo este tiempo por la muerte de Thomas Wayne al igual que Bruce, sin embargo, ambos llevando su dolor por lados distintos. Ahora, esa parte de "¿Quieres vivir, Bruce?" UUUUUY toca fibras especialmente sensibles en mi persona, sobre todo cuando va acompañada de grandes escenas de acción, adrenalina y la gran respuesta: "Sí".
Lo que me tiene con el pendiente ahora es qué le va a pasar a Croc ahora que se lo llevaron a Ark M, cómo va a afectar eso al grupo y por supuesto, al desarrollo de Batman y Bruce.
Este arco con el nuevo y reinventado Mr. Freeze no fue particularmente mi favorito aunque el diseño del personaje me gustó bastante. Con un lado más monstruoso y con el que casi podía oír el sonido de sus extremidades al moverse. Así como dicho sea de paso, ver a Bruce caer "tan fácil" fue inesperado aunque disfrutable ver que no es un ser omnipotente y ultra poderoso aun dentro del mismo universo Absolute.
Lo que me conmovió fue más que nada una vez más la amistad que se tiene ese grupo, incluído Matches y cómo se culpó todo este tiempo por la muerte de Thomas Wayne al igual que Bruce, sin embargo, ambos llevando su dolor por lados distintos. Ahora, esa parte de "¿Quieres vivir, Bruce?" UUUUUY toca fibras especialmente sensibles en mi persona, sobre todo cuando va acompañada de grandes escenas de acción, adrenalina y la gran respuesta: "Sí".
Lo que me tiene con el pendiente ahora es qué le va a pasar a Croc ahora que se lo llevaron a Ark M, cómo va a afectar eso al grupo y por supuesto, al desarrollo de Batman y Bruce.
July 31, 2025
More and more I am delighted with this reinterpretation of facts. Dr Fries's design is disturbing, it reminds you of the look of The offspring alien, in the film Alien Romulus, or the frightening design of The Crow in the Skinning The Wolves comic.
Read
July 30, 2025This just keeps getting darker and darker, and wow. It is starting to be a horror comic book. like genuine horror. I guess that is how batman should be protrayed as though...
May 15, 2025
Good issue and I think it is better than seven with the way it ties in things with Bruce’s friends with the past. The Mr. Freeze arc could’ve been an issue longer but the way they are setting up Ark M and Bane for the next arc it will most likely be heavily tied to these issues.
September 27, 2025
9/26/25
Pretty damn cool... pretty damn cool.
Pretty damn cool... pretty damn cool.
May 21, 2025
The weakest issue so far.
May 9, 2026
Absolute Batman #8 feels like the issue where the series finally begins confronting the long-term consequences of Batman’s existence rather than simply documenting his emergence. Earlier chapters focused on formation, escalation, and stabilization, but issue 8 is about entrenchment—Batman is no longer changing Gotham temporarily; he has become part of the city’s underlying structure, and the city is beginning to evolve permanently around him.
One of the biggest shifts in this issue is how normalized Batman’s presence has become. In earlier installments, much of the tension came from uncertainty: rumors, reactions, fragmented perception, and the gradual realization that something new was forming inside Gotham. By issue 8, that ambiguity has mostly disappeared. Batman is no longer treated as a question. He exists as a known force, and the narrative focuses on what happens once fear and adaptation settle into routine. That change gives the issue a colder and more mature atmosphere. Gotham no longer reacts with shock—it reacts with expectation.
Bruce Wayne himself feels increasingly consumed by the operational logic of Batman. The divide between Bruce and Batman, which earlier issues explored as unstable and still forming, now appears almost inverted. Bruce increasingly reads like the remaining fragment of a life that Batman has overtaken. His actions are efficient, controlled, and emotionally compressed to the point where the series begins questioning whether there is still a meaningful separation between the man and the system he created. The comic doesn’t portray this as empowerment so much as erosion. Batman works, but the cost of making him work is becoming more visible.
Issue 8 also deepens the idea that Gotham is adapting in dangerous ways. Criminal elements no longer simply fear Batman—they reorganize around him. Institutions begin recalibrating their behavior with Batman treated as a permanent variable in the city’s power structure. This creates one of the issue’s strongest themes: escalation breeds escalation. Batman’s existence may suppress certain forms of chaos, but it also intensifies the city’s psychological atmosphere. Gotham becomes more rigid, more paranoid, and more reactive because everyone is now operating under the assumption that Batman is always present somewhere in the system.
The pacing reflects this growing inevitability. Earlier issues lingered on uncertainty and atmosphere, but issue 8 moves with greater momentum and consequence. Scenes feel interconnected in a more direct way, as if every action now immediately feeds into a larger cycle already in motion. There’s less introspection because the story assumes Bruce’s psychology is no longer mysterious—the real tension comes from watching how fully Batman has integrated into Gotham’s ecosystem.
Another subtle strength of the issue is how myth and reality begin merging. Earlier chapters treated Batman as either an internal identity or an emerging urban legend. Here, those layers collapse together. Batman becomes simultaneously a real physical force and a psychological condition affecting the city at every level. People behave differently because they believe Batman exists, even in moments where he is absent. That’s the point where the myth fully transcends Bruce Wayne as an individual person.
What makes issue 8 compelling is that it refuses to frame this evolution as entirely heroic. The comic consistently maintains an uneasy tone around Batman’s effectiveness. Gotham may be changing because of him, but the city is not necessarily becoming healthier. Instead, it feels like Gotham is entering a new equilibrium built around fear, surveillance, anticipation, and permanent instability. Batman is less a savior here and more a catalyst that fundamentally alters how the city functions.
Overall, issue 8 feels like the moment where the series stops focusing on Batman’s creation and fully commits to examining the world that his existence produces. The transformation is complete-not in the sense of a costume or declaration, but in the sense that Gotham itself can no longer separate its identity from Batman’s presence.
One of the biggest shifts in this issue is how normalized Batman’s presence has become. In earlier installments, much of the tension came from uncertainty: rumors, reactions, fragmented perception, and the gradual realization that something new was forming inside Gotham. By issue 8, that ambiguity has mostly disappeared. Batman is no longer treated as a question. He exists as a known force, and the narrative focuses on what happens once fear and adaptation settle into routine. That change gives the issue a colder and more mature atmosphere. Gotham no longer reacts with shock—it reacts with expectation.
Bruce Wayne himself feels increasingly consumed by the operational logic of Batman. The divide between Bruce and Batman, which earlier issues explored as unstable and still forming, now appears almost inverted. Bruce increasingly reads like the remaining fragment of a life that Batman has overtaken. His actions are efficient, controlled, and emotionally compressed to the point where the series begins questioning whether there is still a meaningful separation between the man and the system he created. The comic doesn’t portray this as empowerment so much as erosion. Batman works, but the cost of making him work is becoming more visible.
Issue 8 also deepens the idea that Gotham is adapting in dangerous ways. Criminal elements no longer simply fear Batman—they reorganize around him. Institutions begin recalibrating their behavior with Batman treated as a permanent variable in the city’s power structure. This creates one of the issue’s strongest themes: escalation breeds escalation. Batman’s existence may suppress certain forms of chaos, but it also intensifies the city’s psychological atmosphere. Gotham becomes more rigid, more paranoid, and more reactive because everyone is now operating under the assumption that Batman is always present somewhere in the system.
The pacing reflects this growing inevitability. Earlier issues lingered on uncertainty and atmosphere, but issue 8 moves with greater momentum and consequence. Scenes feel interconnected in a more direct way, as if every action now immediately feeds into a larger cycle already in motion. There’s less introspection because the story assumes Bruce’s psychology is no longer mysterious—the real tension comes from watching how fully Batman has integrated into Gotham’s ecosystem.
Another subtle strength of the issue is how myth and reality begin merging. Earlier chapters treated Batman as either an internal identity or an emerging urban legend. Here, those layers collapse together. Batman becomes simultaneously a real physical force and a psychological condition affecting the city at every level. People behave differently because they believe Batman exists, even in moments where he is absent. That’s the point where the myth fully transcends Bruce Wayne as an individual person.
What makes issue 8 compelling is that it refuses to frame this evolution as entirely heroic. The comic consistently maintains an uneasy tone around Batman’s effectiveness. Gotham may be changing because of him, but the city is not necessarily becoming healthier. Instead, it feels like Gotham is entering a new equilibrium built around fear, surveillance, anticipation, and permanent instability. Batman is less a savior here and more a catalyst that fundamentally alters how the city functions.
Overall, issue 8 feels like the moment where the series stops focusing on Batman’s creation and fully commits to examining the world that his existence produces. The transformation is complete-not in the sense of a costume or declaration, but in the sense that Gotham itself can no longer separate its identity from Batman’s presence.
December 10, 2025
One of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, elements of this arc is Bruce’s relationship with his friends. Watching them finally confront him, telling him outright that he’s intentionally throwing himself into suicide missions because he wants to die like his father, is absolutely heartbreaking.
The moment they explain that Thomas Wayne’s death wasn’t what made him a hero, but that it was his choice to act and to protect others from the shooter, was incredibly impactful. That, they argue, is what Batman should be. This version of Bruce is clearly carrying an enormous amount of demons, and his personal journey feels exciting and deeply emotional all at once.
It’s also so refreshing to see a younger Bruce who is still undeniably Batman, yet has strong, genuine relationships with the people around him.
Also, I thought last issue’s cliffhanger was wild, but this issue’s surprise involving Waylon? Yeah. I think we all know where this is heading. And I absolutely cannot wait.
The moment they explain that Thomas Wayne’s death wasn’t what made him a hero, but that it was his choice to act and to protect others from the shooter, was incredibly impactful. That, they argue, is what Batman should be. This version of Bruce is clearly carrying an enormous amount of demons, and his personal journey feels exciting and deeply emotional all at once.
It’s also so refreshing to see a younger Bruce who is still undeniably Batman, yet has strong, genuine relationships with the people around him.
Also, I thought last issue’s cliffhanger was wild, but this issue’s surprise involving Waylon? Yeah. I think we all know where this is heading. And I absolutely cannot wait.
July 12, 2025
I liked this one—it’s action-packed. Batman gets captured by a mutated Mr. Freeze in Arkham and is forced to relive painful memories while frozen. He manages to escape, takes on Freeze in a brutal fight, and discovers he's been using people like puppets. The issue ends on a tense cliffhanger: Bruce finds out his friend Waylon has been kidnapped.
October 18, 2025
Excited to see where this series leads. It’s weird seeing Batman so young yet so chungus but I also don’t dislike it. He even has a Spawn cape! Would def watch as an animated series for sure too. Time for Bane next
March 22, 2026
This issue was better than the last one as far as the art and story go. It’s setting up something big.
This new take on Mr. Freeze is my favorite iteration since the Arkham game series. We also got Batman fighting ice zombies which was interesting.
This new take on Mr. Freeze is my favorite iteration since the Arkham game series. We also got Batman fighting ice zombies which was interesting.
May 15, 2025
I’ll be real absolute Batman isn’t my favorite of the absolutes but it’s not bad. I like the route they’re taking with some of the characters.
I like this issue has Bruce choosing to keep fighting and find a way back to life. That was good.
I like this issue has Bruce choosing to keep fighting and find a way back to life. That was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2025
Va cada vez mejor. Cada vez más bruto
November 4, 2025
Never thought Mr. Freeze could be this creepy, and unsettling. Also that tease at the end! I'm excited and scared.
November 29, 2025
Really dives into the importance of being vulnerable
Great 2 issue story arc
Amazing
Great 2 issue story arc
Amazing
March 2, 2026
Batman vs Freeze
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 26, 2025
Reallyyyyyyy enjoyed this one, although I did feel a little bit disorientated by the two storylines being told at once.
May 12, 2025
Huge shout out to my comic store for giving this to me early! Absolute Batman more like ABSOLUTE PEAK
May 25, 2025
MR FREEZE IS SCARY IN THIS 😭😭😭
August 23, 2025
"Then LIVE."
An odd book. Will this carry over into the Bane arc? Will I see more of Victor Jr.? This one just seemed to end without wrapping what happened within. Art still wasn't my favorite but it really grew on me.
Overall, liked it, cannot wait for Bane.
An odd book. Will this carry over into the Bane arc? Will I see more of Victor Jr.? This one just seemed to end without wrapping what happened within. Art still wasn't my favorite but it really grew on me.
Overall, liked it, cannot wait for Bane.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews