In this review of Batman #11, in Gotham’s boardrooms and criminal conspiracies, rumblings of rebellion awaken, as Batman three formidable women in a day – Dr. Zeller, the Ojo, and a surprise!
Batman #11 main cover by Jorge Jiménez (DC Comics)
BATMAN #11
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Main Cover: JORGE JIMENEZ
Variant Covers: DUSTIN NGUYEN, JORGE MOLINA, RYAN SOOK, JORGE JIMENEZ, KRIS ANKA, DAVID AJA
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 7/1/26
This review contains spoilers
The Shadow Board, including Mr. Blake, the hostile member of the Wayne Enterprises board, bickers about assassinating Bruce Wayne, since the Ojo did not kill him when Blake hired her initially. Later, on a rooftop, Blake tells Ojo, and she slices him in half and vows to kill all assassins as well as Wayne. Batman watches as the police examine Blake’s body
At the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin incites his fellow gangsters to revolt against the Minotaur.
At the Wayne Experimental Sciences Building, Bruce tries to explain to Dr. Zeller the reason his son is Robin, and asks her not to leave Wayne Enterprises.
At the funeral of the cop Savage murdered after he refused to lie and say Batman killed his partner, the cop’s widow yells in grief at Officer Gordon, who says quietly to his partner Espinoza that Savage has his daughter. Harvey Bullock meets the old newspaper editor and the boy who tags along with him, begging him to hide them from Savage.
In Little Tokyo, Batman is surprised when the Ojo materializes out of birds next to him on the rooftops. They fight into a skyscraper, and Batman manages to grab Ojo by the neck and growl that Dr. Zeller is protected. Ojo doesn’t know who Dr. Zeller is, and the police arrive, blasting away at Batman on direct orders from Savage. Batman leaps back out of the skyscraper and Ojo vanishes into a murder of crows.
Damian and Bruce debrief in Bunker 1, theorizing (as Damian rereads Great Gatsby) about Ojo, the Triple Zeros, Bruce, and Dr. Zeller. The doorbell rings, and they dash upstairs, shocked to discover Verity Pennyworth, Alfred’s great-niece, arriving to be Bruce’s new majordomo.
Analysis
After last month’s action packed issue where Batman struck back against Vandal Savage, this issue focuses on three plotlines from several issues ago – the Minotaur’s grasp on established Gotham gangs, Bruce and his relationship with both Wayne Enterprises and Dr. Annika Zeller. The Minotaur’s issue is disposed of in just a few pages of the Penguin proposing mutiny against their new murderous overlord (in keeping with the theme of the title), something that will clearly keep simmering as the Minotaur plotline continues. My guess for the next stage of that plotline is that Penguin’s rebellion will be nipped in the bud and many MORE gang associates will be murdered, to show the Minotaur’s foresight and ruthlessness.
Bruce’s relationship with Dr. Zeller evolves as he tells her a version of his history with Talia and Damian in an attempt to convince her to stay, after her resignation letter last issue.
The Ojo, revealed to have been hired by the obnoxious Wayne Enterprises Board member Mr. Blake, sets about a campaign of blood and terror against other assassins who would dare to try to kill Bruce Wayne before she does. The revelation that Mr. Blake is part of another secret society – the Shadow Board – but this one a bit comically incompetent in its evil – is amusing, though there’s still so many balls in the air that Fraction will need to start passing SOME of them to keep the juggling going.
But of course the ending reveals the character on the cover of next issue is Daphne Pennyworth, a blonde woman in frock coat who appears to be a butler (majordomo). The note that Alfred was her great-uncle, and thus possibly that she is the daughter of Daphne Pennyworth, a character from long, long ago, hints at many cool storytelling possibilities. Hopefully there won’t be too much Aunt Harriet style secret identity hijinks – we have enough of that with Dr. Zeller – but it will be fascinating to see the difference between Daphne and the last “new” Pennyworth – Julia, introduced in Batman Eternal, and last seen in Santa Prisca hunting down Bane in James Tynion’s Joker series – Alfred’s daughter and British spy. Hopefully some reflections on Alfred between Bruce, Damian, and Verity will be some fun moments in the issues to come as well! Her membership in the mysterious Society of the Midnight Key reminds me of another story, perhaps by P. G. Wodehouse, where butlers around the world team together to help a butler in need.
Jorge Jimenez’s cover features the Ojo vs Batman in wild pose – perfectly representing their skyscraper fight inside (also available in a more expensive virgin foil variant)! Dustin Nguyen continues his gorgeous watercolor variant series with a grey rendering of Ra’s, Talia, and Damian, reflecting Bruce’s tale of his son and former love in the issue. Jorge Molina produces a more Japanese painting style variant featuring Batman and the Ojo. Ryan Sook continues his series of variants with Batman surrounded by Ojo’s murder of crows form – a nice subtle hint at the action inside. Kris Anka’s Swimsuit Variant features an extremely scarred Bruce in a bubbling spring pool in the Batcave. And David Aja’s 1 in 25 issue incentive variant features his appealing cartoon style version of the Ojo, with a “Welcome to Gotham” trade dress beside her humorously.
Final Thoughts
As Batman faces an increasing number of ongoing challenges, might our new Blonde Pennyworth be an ally…or antagonist!
