In Batman #151, Batman and Catwoman must team up in search of Amanda Waller’s Mother Box in this Absolute Power Tie-In.
Batman 151 cover by Salvador Larroca & Matt Herms
Title: Batman #151 / Absolute Power Tie-in — “Into The Unknown”
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artists: Mike Hawthorne
Colors: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Cover: Salvador Larroca & Matt Herms
Variant Covers: Guillem March, Jill Thompson, James Harren & Stevan Subic
Release Date: August 7, 2024
Please Note: This comic book review may contain spoilers
Batman #151 opens in the midst of DC’s “Absolute Power” event that sees Amanda Waller hunt down superheroes with her Amazo-powered machines. Batman enters Selina Kyle’s hideaway and asks her to help him stop Waller. While she pours freshly brewed coffee, she talks about a cat she had as a kid who would hide in a drawer until the threat was over. When Batman says that he needs her help, she throws back that Batman doesn’t need anyone’s help. Bruce, however, does.
Artist Mike Hawthorne takes over pencil duties in this issue, giving Selina Kyle a Mae West-style mischievous glow. Bruce is more chiseled and distinguished than we’ve seen him lately, with a jaw that gives Jay Leno’s a run for its money. Batman’s suit is also a strange combination of the hyper tech-inspired look from video games like Injustice and notes of Batman’s comic book history, namely the purple gloves, which are a callback to his original appearance.
Later, Selina and Bruce go undercover as Mr. Blackwell and Ms. Tessworth, two private military operators. While Mr. Blackwell tries to rob the general on the Okinawa base, Ms. Tessworth sneaks around, looking for the key to Waller’s strangehold — a mother box!
Selina follows some of Waller’s Suicide Squad out into the jungle, but she’s caught by Black Alice. As Deadeye and Clock King (who is drawn to look like the Batman: The Animated Series Clock King and not William Tockman) move to engage, Batman intervenes. It looks like the fight is turning in the heroes’ favor when Bizarro shows up, powered by Brainiac tech.
Batman and Catwoman get away and find Waller’s boom tube. Before they leap in, Batman tells Selina that she can leave and go back underground, that she doesn’t need to risk her life. Against the backdrop of a bright, near-blinding boom tube, these two lone figures face each other. Batman grabs Catwoman’s shoulders, and it’s a moment of heart in an issue that serves as a functional point A to point B for the “Absolute Power” event.
Catwoman tells Batman she’s done crazier things, and the two take the leap of faith together. They find themselves in a tomb with Waller’s family members, and as Batman explores right outside the tomb, he realizes that they’re on Czarnia, the home planet of Lobo.
Gunsmith, a villain from way back in James Tynion IV’s run, shoots Batman, and the rest of the Suicide Squad arrive to apprehend both heroes.
The best word to describe this Batman #151 tie-in issue is “functional.” If you’re invested in the “Absolute Power” event, this is another piece of the puzzle meant to fill in the gap between issues, like all tie-ins. Beyond that, it serves no purpose, and readers who aren’t up to date on Amanda Waller’s takeover will be lost. Having Chip Zdarsky stay on as writer, however, helps keep the flow and voice consistent across the main Batman title and this interlude.
Batman 151 variant cover by Guillem March. Image: DC Comics
Title: “Absolute Power Plant!”
Writer: Tini Howard
Artists: Marianna Ignazzi
Colors: Giovanna Niro
Letters: Clayton Cowles
While Batman and the heroes are fighting Amanda Waller, Harley Quinn is keeping an eye on Gotham City. During her patrol, she finds out that Riddler has hijacked the nuclear power plant and is threatening to irradiate the city. Harley finds Riddler, and much to his dismay, solves his riddles, saving Gotham from a nuclear fallout.
The issue is pretty straightforward, but Tini Howard brings a bubbly energy that moves the story along. It feels like Harley, delivering some much-needed fun to a comic book whose main story was a bit of a bust. Even better, Marianna Ignazzi’s art paired with Giovanna Niro’s absolutely gorgeous colors is a match made in heaven. There’s a classic style at work here, one with realistic depictions set to vibrant colors reminiscent of 80s films (or even cascades of 70s Italian horror).
Editor’s Note: DC Comics provided TBU with an advance copy of this comic for review purposes. You can find this comic and help support TBU in the process by purchasing this issue digitally on Amazon or a physical copy of the title through Things From Another World.
