“The Straw Man” Part Four
Artist: Werther Dell’edera
Color Artist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Review by Eric Lee
Mild Spoilers Warning!
Absolute Batman #22 sort of takes a pause on the action of the “Straw Man” arc to spotlight Harley Quinn’s origins.
Writer Scott Snyder wisely uses the issue as a mid-arc break between the breakneck pacing on “The Straw Man”. We finally get an origin on Harley Quinn in the Absolute universe. While it is very different from her mainstream universe’s counterpart, she is no less tragic. This version of Harley is significantly younger than the traditional one. So Snyder takes the time to give her a childhood and back story that is traumatic, while taking another unique spin on her connection with the Joker.
Yes, the Joker has ties to Harley here. But no, they are not romantically entangled. But this remix of ideas and concepts shows just how adept Snyder is at spinning Batman lore.
Beyond Harley’s Origins
Even more impressive, despite the heavy focus on Harley, there is a surprising amount of story still moving forward for the overall plot. But these are not just plot points where Harley and Batman have to jump from Point A to Point B in the plot. This issue also takes time to really flesh out their relationship, while evolving it based on all of the craziness that has been occurring. We’re seeing Bruce really start to buckle under all of this pressure.
Perhaps this issue just barely goes over the barrier to being overstuffed. With all of these plot threads going on, some are bound to get lost or not picked up on in this issue. In this case, Scarecrow does not appear. While it is not necessarily a problem, it can be a concern since we are still not clear on what Scarecrow’s plans, motives, or even power set are yet. Some impatient readers may find that tedious.
This issue did not have regular artist Nick Dragotta penciling. However Something Is Killing the Children’s Werther Dell’edera did an admirable job stepping into the artist role. In fact, Dell’edera’s art style fits the subject matter of Harley’s childhood extremely well. It has a whimsical touch to it, but then can switch to a darker, more disturbing style when the story takes a turn. Given how this is also a “break” issue, Dell’edera’s artistic inclusion slots in the ongoing story line really neatly.
Conclusion
While Absolute Batman #22 can feel a tad over-stuffed, it does a brilliant job balancing plot advancement, character moments, while highlighting Harley’s origin story. Another great issue from a title that continues to go strong.
All images are courtesy of DC Entertainment.