In the new, "Absolute Batman Annual," #1, there are a number of stories, but the first one is a humdinger. Written and illustrated by the incredibly talented Daniel Warren Johsnon, it features the Absolute Batman stopping a group of White supremacists (some of whom are local police as well) from attacking an encampment of immigrants. As this is the, "Absolute," iteration of Batman, he does things quite violently. I, personally, had little complaint with seeing a man about to shout, "White power," have his arm broken in multiple places by Batman.
That said, some on the internet (mainly Twitter) took offense to a comic where people who clearly identify as racist fascists are beaten to a pulp by Batman with their headquarters burned to the ground. If watching Batman hurt people with this kind of ideology upsets you and you even declare it angers you, perhaps you are both incredibly dense and need to take a long look in the mirror about who you're siding with in this fictional scenario.
Intriguingly, the comic does call out Batman a bit, not for attacking violent racists, but for how Batman is, in essence, a blunt instrument that hurts people--even if they're bad people. A pacifist priest points out how he can't make things better, but he can try to stop them from getting worse as Batman wails on one racist gang member before being stopped by the priest. Bruce also thinks back to his Father talking about compassion and teaching others as a means for stopping violence before it even starts. These memories of happy and quiet moments stand in stark contrast to the brutal panels of Batman and the racists brawling. DWJ's art and writing are firing on all cylinders for this Annual, with the fact that it upset the right people (racists, fascists, and so forth) being icing on the cake. Oftentimes, these, "Annuals," contain throwaway stories of little importance or interest. The, "Absolute Batman Annual," #1 completely bucks such a trend and is undoubtedly worth a read.
5 out of 5 Stars.
I’m excited to read this!
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