I just read Absolute Batman #20 that came out yesterday (5/13/2026). Unfortunately, the release news is plagued with the printer errors and spine ticks on the physical copies, but the book itself is very good!
The Setup
It opens with a glimpse (or two eye fulls) of Absolute Joker, then jumps back into the present where the city’s propaganda machine is pushing hard: Batman is bad, the Robins are good (even though they haven’t fully rolled out yet). People actually believe Batman killed Gordon (see Absolute Batman #19).
The Cool (and Interesting) Parts
- Bruce has gone full lone wolf — no more distractions, no more friends. He has very little interaction with Pennyworth and Absolute Harley Quinn on comms or otherwise.
- We also get Edward (the Absolute Riddler) talking to Waylon (Absolute Killer Croc) while hooked up to a machine — he’s a little off-kilter and talking about how it feels like a core piece of his mind is missing.
- Flashing back to what happened after Bruce refused to rig the Waylon fight in the past — we see that he ends up in jail and working for Falcone. The prison he’s visiting in the present is the same one he was locked up in back then. Batman is visiting his father’s killer, Chill.
- Between talking to Chill and after a chilling Strawman/Scarecrow entry, he starts uncovering what might be a massive conspiracy. Is everything Batman/Bruce has done just part of an experiment?
- Finally, we also get the first interactions with the Robin Initiative (Tim, Steph, Jason, Duke, Dick)!
The artist is spot on the entire issue.
Final Verdict
Epic issue all around! If I had one gripe, it’s that all the Robin hype on the covers and variants led to very little of the Robins actually in this issue. Scarecrow played a much larger role and absolutely stole the show. Still, this one felt really strong and has me excited for what’s coming next.
What did you think?
Did Absolute Batman #20 hit for you? What was your favorite moment — the Scarecrow entry, the conspiracy teases, the flashbacks, or something else? Tag me on X!
Originally posted as a thread on X — check out the original conversation here:
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