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Absolute Batman (2024) (Single Issues)
Absolute Batman (2024-) #7
It’s about to get icy cold in Gotham City…as we reveal the connectionsbetween a young, up-and-coming scientist named Victor Fries, his historywith the Ark M experiment, and what it all has to do with the mysteriousJoker. A bombastic two-parter with a guest artist, the one and only super-star Marcos Martín, starts here!
Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2025
78 people are currently reading
209 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,753 books5,280 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 139 reviews
February 28, 2026
this is the start of the second arc and it already has great potential. the coloring changes are really cool, i loved the vibrant and more saturated colors in the fight scene.
February 5, 2026
Reimagined origin of Bruce's alias Matches Malone.
Only this time, Matches is a real person.
The issue flashes between Bruce's vigil held by his group of friends from the old neighborhood (Ozzie, Waylon, Harvey, and Ed), and Bruce's retelling of his last meeting with Matches, where he explains that he was the last one to see him alive. And whatever happened to him was due to his association with a strange cryogenic storage building in Gotham.
The last part of the issue, Bruce poses as a worker to try and see what is going on in this cryogenic facility, where he runs into the director, Victor. As far as Freeze goes, this is the first part of a two-part arc called Absolute Zero, so I'll have to wait till the next issue to see how this all shakes out.
But so far, he's creepy, and I want to see where this is going.
Recommended.
Only this time, Matches is a real person.
The issue flashes between Bruce's vigil held by his group of friends from the old neighborhood (Ozzie, Waylon, Harvey, and Ed), and Bruce's retelling of his last meeting with Matches, where he explains that he was the last one to see him alive. And whatever happened to him was due to his association with a strange cryogenic storage building in Gotham.
The last part of the issue, Bruce poses as a worker to try and see what is going on in this cryogenic facility, where he runs into the director, Victor. As far as Freeze goes, this is the first part of a two-part arc called Absolute Zero, so I'll have to wait till the next issue to see how this all shakes out.
But so far, he's creepy, and I want to see where this is going.
Recommended.
April 12, 2025
The art of this arc is not my favorite, but this version of Mr. Freeze being the son while Victor and Nora Fries are locked in some strange ice suspension technology certainly achieved the creepy effect it was going for.
This Mr. Freeze is less a man and more a monster, and I’m curious to see how Batman will deal with him. Especially considering that he might be grievously injured already.
“Hell, Bruce. Look at you. You’re already dead.” -Waylon
This Mr. Freeze is less a man and more a monster, and I’m curious to see how Batman will deal with him. Especially considering that he might be grievously injured already.
“Hell, Bruce. Look at you. You’re already dead.” -Waylon
January 4, 2026
I loved Bruce’s relationship with his childhood friends from the start, but apparently he also built Batman using his friend help, knowledge, and resources, without them even knowing.
Due to the whole fiasco with Black Mask, Gotham is now under martial law, and Bruce is still investigating the Ark-M black site, which leads him to a freakishly mutated version of Doctor Freeze. Loved the art change in this chapter, the guest artist is doing some good work.
Due to the whole fiasco with Black Mask, Gotham is now under martial law, and Bruce is still investigating the Ark-M black site, which leads him to a freakishly mutated version of Doctor Freeze. Loved the art change in this chapter, the guest artist is doing some good work.
April 9, 2025
Oh my god, this is incredible and just what I’ve been wanting from this series. The first arc with Black Mask and the Party Animals was fine, but not something that really interested me. This, however, is perfect. Fantastic panel work and the tension was amazing. I’m so excited to see where this goes
April 10, 2025
Marcos Martín and Munsta Vicente on Absolute Batman…oh boy! This is a perfect match for the story arc introducing Ark M as Marcos and Munsta bring some unreal body horror. The peak level art across the entire Absolute line, including the fill-in artists, is the secret sauce for why the entire Absolute universe is must-read stuff.
September 28, 2025
ABSOLUTE ZERO
Second arc sees a mysterious building Ark M rise in Gotham...a son taking over from where his father left of and a death close to home
Second arc sees a mysterious building Ark M rise in Gotham...a son taking over from where his father left of and a death close to home
May 7, 2025
This version of Mr. Freeze using an ancient bacterium from ancient icebergs is more interesting than any other Mr. Freeze antics that I’ve seen (which isn’t much, admittedly). Still boils down to “science gone wrong and turns into monster”, but I’m looking forward to the next issue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2025
Monstrosity at the end
July 12, 2025
In this issue, Batman digs into the mysterious death of Matches Malone and uncovers a creepy conspiracy involving mutant bacteria, and a reimagined Mr. Freeze. The vibe is dark and detective-heavy, with eerie art that amps up the horror. It’s slower than earlier issues but builds toward something big, with a disturbing yet gripping new take on Freeze’s origin.
January 4, 2026
I found myself wanting more from this issue towards the end but I still gave it 4 stars, finding my love for reading comics again so I’m easily impressed right now, give it a month It’ll be soooo strict round here
April 11, 2025
I’m digging Scott Snyder’s radically different take on Mr. Freeze, not to mention one panel in particular that would make Junji Ito proud.
August 2, 2025
I take it all back, I love this mr freeze, yes please. More.
May 9, 2026
Absolute Batman #7 feels like the point where the series fully transitions from “formation story” into a true Batman narrative. The earlier issues were obsessed with process—how Bruce Wayne’s trauma, discipline, and environment slowly compressed into the existence of Batman. Issue 7 is where the comic finally starts exploring what happens after that compression has stabilized. The question is no longer whether Batman exists; it is what Gotham becomes now that he does.
What makes this issue especially interesting is how much less attention it gives to Bruce’s internal uncertainty. Earlier chapters spent a lot of time inside his emotional and psychological fragmentation, constantly emphasizing the unstable process of identity creation. In issue 7, that instability has mostly disappeared. Bruce operates with a colder certainty now, and the narrative reflects that shift. His actions feel procedural, intentional, almost ritualistic. Batman has stopped being something he performs and has started becoming the default structure through which he experiences the world.
That change dramatically alters the tone of the series. Gotham no longer feels like a city Bruce is trying to survive or understand—it feels like a battlefield whose rules Batman is beginning to rewrite. The issue repeatedly reinforces the idea that Batman’s existence has forced everyone else into adaptation. Criminals, institutions, and ordinary citizens no longer react to him as an isolated vigilante event. They behave as though Batman is now a permanent environmental factor, something that must always be accounted for.
The most compelling aspect of issue 7 is how it handles escalation. Earlier issues escalated through atmosphere and perception; this issue escalates through normalization. Batman’s methods are becoming expected, and that expectation changes the psychological texture of Gotham. Fear becomes more systemic. The city starts operating around anticipation rather than surprise. That is a subtle but important transformation because it shows the myth finally stabilizing socially, not just personally.
Bruce himself feels increasingly detached from ordinary human rhythms. The comic doesn’t present this as a triumphant evolution into heroism—it presents it as a narrowing. Every issue has gradually removed pieces of Bruce Wayne that once connected him to a more recognizable emotional life, and issue 7 makes that loss feel more visible. He is more effective than ever, but also more consumed by the structure he has built. Batman is no longer simply protecting Gotham; Batman is becoming the organizing principle of Bruce’s existence.
Another major strength of the issue is how it treats Gotham as an evolving organism rather than a static setting. The city is now actively reshaping itself in response to Batman’s presence. Institutions begin recalibrating around fear, power, and instability in ways that suggest Batman has unintentionally accelerated transformation rather than merely interrupted corruption. Gotham doesn’t feel safer in a traditional sense—it feels more tense, more aware, more reactive. That ambiguity gives the series much of its identity. Batman is not portrayed as a clean solution; he is portrayed as a force that changes the equilibrium of everything around him.
Structurally, the comic also feels more confident and mature than the earlier installments. The pacing is tighter, scenes carry more immediate narrative weight, and the story spends less time explaining emotional context because it assumes the reader now understands the machinery driving Bruce forward. This allows the issue to focus more heavily on consequences and momentum instead of setup.
What issue 7 ultimately accomplishes is the transformation of Batman from a developing symbol into an established system of influence. Earlier issues treated Batman as a process of becoming; this issue treats him as an undeniable reality whose effects can no longer be contained to isolated encounters. Gotham has fully entered the “Batman era,” and the comic’s tension now comes from exploring what that reality costs both the city and the man responsible for creating it.
What makes this issue especially interesting is how much less attention it gives to Bruce’s internal uncertainty. Earlier chapters spent a lot of time inside his emotional and psychological fragmentation, constantly emphasizing the unstable process of identity creation. In issue 7, that instability has mostly disappeared. Bruce operates with a colder certainty now, and the narrative reflects that shift. His actions feel procedural, intentional, almost ritualistic. Batman has stopped being something he performs and has started becoming the default structure through which he experiences the world.
That change dramatically alters the tone of the series. Gotham no longer feels like a city Bruce is trying to survive or understand—it feels like a battlefield whose rules Batman is beginning to rewrite. The issue repeatedly reinforces the idea that Batman’s existence has forced everyone else into adaptation. Criminals, institutions, and ordinary citizens no longer react to him as an isolated vigilante event. They behave as though Batman is now a permanent environmental factor, something that must always be accounted for.
The most compelling aspect of issue 7 is how it handles escalation. Earlier issues escalated through atmosphere and perception; this issue escalates through normalization. Batman’s methods are becoming expected, and that expectation changes the psychological texture of Gotham. Fear becomes more systemic. The city starts operating around anticipation rather than surprise. That is a subtle but important transformation because it shows the myth finally stabilizing socially, not just personally.
Bruce himself feels increasingly detached from ordinary human rhythms. The comic doesn’t present this as a triumphant evolution into heroism—it presents it as a narrowing. Every issue has gradually removed pieces of Bruce Wayne that once connected him to a more recognizable emotional life, and issue 7 makes that loss feel more visible. He is more effective than ever, but also more consumed by the structure he has built. Batman is no longer simply protecting Gotham; Batman is becoming the organizing principle of Bruce’s existence.
Another major strength of the issue is how it treats Gotham as an evolving organism rather than a static setting. The city is now actively reshaping itself in response to Batman’s presence. Institutions begin recalibrating around fear, power, and instability in ways that suggest Batman has unintentionally accelerated transformation rather than merely interrupted corruption. Gotham doesn’t feel safer in a traditional sense—it feels more tense, more aware, more reactive. That ambiguity gives the series much of its identity. Batman is not portrayed as a clean solution; he is portrayed as a force that changes the equilibrium of everything around him.
Structurally, the comic also feels more confident and mature than the earlier installments. The pacing is tighter, scenes carry more immediate narrative weight, and the story spends less time explaining emotional context because it assumes the reader now understands the machinery driving Bruce forward. This allows the issue to focus more heavily on consequences and momentum instead of setup.
What issue 7 ultimately accomplishes is the transformation of Batman from a developing symbol into an established system of influence. Earlier issues treated Batman as a process of becoming; this issue treats him as an undeniable reality whose effects can no longer be contained to isolated encounters. Gotham has fully entered the “Batman era,” and the comic’s tension now comes from exploring what that reality costs both the city and the man responsible for creating it.
December 10, 2025
I was so excited to dive into this issue after how strong the first arc with Black Mask was, and so far, it has not disappointed me.
Gotham is placed under a citywide curfew, officially to “keep people safe,” but really to make it easier to hunt down the Bat. We’re also introduced to Victor Fries—except this isn’t the Victor we know. This is Victor Jr., his son, and his version of Mr. Freeze is genuinely chilling. He’s frozen both his mother and father, along with countless other victims, keeping them trapped in a suspended state of torture for as long as he wants. It’s a wildly unique and disturbing take on the character.
His origin, growing up with a rare terminal disorder, is incredibly compelling. Watching him essentially get cured himself, only to become a literal monster in the process is both fascinating and horrifying. The eerie tone surrounding everything about him works perfectly.
The ending was an excellent cliffhanger, with Bruce being sent to the land of ice, literally frozen. And the ongoing arguments between Bruce and his friends about him being Batman, and the danger it brings into all of their lives, remain one of the most compelling emotional threads of this entire run for me.
Gotham is placed under a citywide curfew, officially to “keep people safe,” but really to make it easier to hunt down the Bat. We’re also introduced to Victor Fries—except this isn’t the Victor we know. This is Victor Jr., his son, and his version of Mr. Freeze is genuinely chilling. He’s frozen both his mother and father, along with countless other victims, keeping them trapped in a suspended state of torture for as long as he wants. It’s a wildly unique and disturbing take on the character.
His origin, growing up with a rare terminal disorder, is incredibly compelling. Watching him essentially get cured himself, only to become a literal monster in the process is both fascinating and horrifying. The eerie tone surrounding everything about him works perfectly.
The ending was an excellent cliffhanger, with Bruce being sent to the land of ice, literally frozen. And the ongoing arguments between Bruce and his friends about him being Batman, and the danger it brings into all of their lives, remain one of the most compelling emotional threads of this entire run for me.
June 2, 2025
The city of Gotham is now under martial law following the black mask incident, and Bruce and his 'friends' come to morn a loss whilst they also come to terms with who Bruce really is... but crime never stops, so Batman continues to investigate and stumbles into a new foe that is as cold as ice!!!
An interesting start to a new arc that shows how Batman's work is interferring with Bruce's life or is that how Bruce wants it... he is now Batman, and that may be all he wants to be!
Guest artist Marcos Martín provides a disticnt switch up in style and feels more classic comic art and with a more colour saturated scenes by Muntsa Vincente provide a unique light to the panels where the firat arc was muted and dark... just how I like it, but I can appreciate the artists' work here and am happy to see this style continue throughout the 'Absolute Zero' arc, which is written by series mainstay Snyder!
An interesting start to a new arc that shows how Batman's work is interferring with Bruce's life or is that how Bruce wants it... he is now Batman, and that may be all he wants to be!
Guest artist Marcos Martín provides a disticnt switch up in style and feels more classic comic art and with a more colour saturated scenes by Muntsa Vincente provide a unique light to the panels where the firat arc was muted and dark... just how I like it, but I can appreciate the artists' work here and am happy to see this style continue throughout the 'Absolute Zero' arc, which is written by series mainstay Snyder!
May 25, 2025
Don’t get me wrong, I’m effing with ts very hard. But Snyder’s “interweaving two scenes at once because thematic parallelism” stunt is starting to get a little repetitive.
The new art by Marcos Martin is good, I love the use of colour with his style much more than Dragotta’s. But Dragotta’s exaggerations of human anatomy sort of made Absolute Batman Absolute Batman to me. The art is a bit better and a bit worse, but overall as good to me.
The new art by Marcos Martin is good, I love the use of colour with his style much more than Dragotta’s. But Dragotta’s exaggerations of human anatomy sort of made Absolute Batman Absolute Batman to me. The art is a bit better and a bit worse, but overall as good to me.
December 9, 2025
omfg these biblically accurate demons Bruce is fighting 😭😭😭😭😭
broo the way his friends want to be by his siddside but is lone bat self doesn't want them too, broke my heart
I get why he is pushing them away but dude they're apart of who Batman is now, I love that
broo the way his friends want to be by his siddside but is lone bat self doesn't want them too, broke my heart
I get why he is pushing them away but dude they're apart of who Batman is now, I love that
May 4, 2025
9/10 (Percebi que não dá pra dar nota quebrada aqui)
começo muito interessante de novo arco, A nova origem do senhor frio é interessante, porém a nova arte é TERRÍVEL.
começo muito interessante de novo arco, A nova origem do senhor frio é interessante, porém a nova arte é TERRÍVEL.
May 25, 2025
Well that’s terrifying
Read
July 30, 2025I just want to tell Batman to stop. I get it, but like dude watch out.
September 26, 2025
9/26/25
Structured so beautifully and written so brilliantly, the quality (😬 yikes!) of the artwork matters less than it otherwise might have.
Structured so beautifully and written so brilliantly, the quality (😬 yikes!) of the artwork matters less than it otherwise might have.
November 29, 2025
Absolute Batman vs absolute Mr freeze ..?? HERE WE GO
April 9, 2025
The framing sequence with the alley was quite cool, and Victor was cold as ice. Did Bruce survive or is he going the wat of Matches?
September 26, 2025
Oh I think Mr Freeze is my fave villain redesign so far!
April 18, 2025
very cool idea of reimagining Mr freeze
August 14, 2025
and this issue we meet Victor fries and matches Malone.
October 8, 2025
Mr. Freeze … horrifying
August 4, 2025
freeze was cool as fuck but isley mention is all i need for a 5 stars truthfully. bro wasnt even there it was just an offhand but the anticipation is enough
October 5, 2025
Not sure if one issue counts as me reading a whole book but whatever!!!! I love this series. This small 2 issue arc was the weakest point so far but it’s still great
Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews