Absolute Batman # 24 Cover B Clay Mann Variant First Printing 2026 BN

Absolute Batman #24 brings the chaotic six-part "The Straw Man" story arc to a phenomenal and definitive climax. Released on September 23, 2026, the issue is written by Scott Snyder with visceral interior art and main cover pencils by Nick Dragotta, colors by Frank Martin, and letters by Tom Napolitano.

The narrative acts as a crucial turning point, pulling a framed and isolated Bruce Wayne out of his psychological rock bottom and officially kicking off the expansion of the Absolute Bat-Family. 

Plot Summary & Key Developments

The story delivers breakneck pacing as Batman overcomes the crushing, manufactured paranoia orchestrated by his enemies.

• Gotham's Most Wanted: Following the shocking cliffhanger in issue #23, the media officially declares Batman an enemy of Gotham, publicizing him as the murderer of both Mayor Jim Gordon and the teenaged Tim Drake.
• The Mother's Sanctuary: A mentally compromised Bruce Wayne stumbles into the abandoned Gotham Zoo tunnels. Instead of a trap, he is met by his mother, Martha Wayne. She delivers massive lore updates: she details that the Court of Owls was originally a grassroots resistance movement rather than a corrupt elite cabal. Urging him to survive, she gifts him a false, untraceable identity to flee the city alongside a map tracing Scarecrow's hidden operations.
• The Rise of "The Bat": Rejecting the false identity to finish his mission, Bruce leaves his tech and sanctuary behind. Stepping into the void, Barbara Gordon discovers his abandoned Batcave. Equipped without her badge or her father, she suits up in heavy-duty tactical gear to formally debut as The Bat (this universe's fierce adaptation of Batgirl).
• The Cornfield Crucifixion: Armed with his mother's map, Batman tracks down Dr. Jonathan Crane (Scarecrow) to a remote cornfield. Crane triggers a massive trap, igniting the field and unleashing an concentrated wall of fear toxin. Undergoing extreme, nightmarish hallucinations, Batman taps into absolute resilience, shattering his inner demons and overcoming the chemical dread. In a brutal final show of force, he overpowers Crane, stabs him, and leaves him bound like a literal scarecrow on a wooden stake for the crows to swarm.
• The Final Move Toward Grimm: With Scarecrow broken and Gotham's street-level fear neutralized, Batman maps his final trajectory straight toward Grimm Manor, setting the stage for an all-out war against the Absolute Joker.

Issue Specifications & Collecting

• Page Count: 28 pages
• Age Rating: Rated Teen Plus (15+)
• Key Collector Milestones: Features the official first appearance of Barbara Gordon as The Bat and the final defeat of Absolute Scarecrow.