In this review of Absolute Batman #10, Bruce finds himself trapped and experimented on behind the walls of Ark-M. Is there any way to escape? Does he want to?
Absolute Batman #10 main cover by Nick Dragotta (DC Comics)
Absolute Batman #10
Writer: Scott Synder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Release Date: July 16, 2025
Absolute Batman #10 opens with an incapacitated Bruce knocked out on the ground as one of Bane’s doctors speaks into a tape recorder about how it took six people to carry Bruce to run tests and how many traps and weapons Bruce had not only on his costume but his body. The doctor says that Bruce will be out for another 48 hours. Just then, Bruce wakes up.
Bruce pulls a lock pick from his mouth and escapes his room. A naked Bruce begins walking around the facility where he is being held. Bruce makes his way to a K.L.A.Y. center. There Bruce steps onto what looks like the floor of a clay man. Bane then sees Bruce and knocks him out again.
Cut to flashback of Bruce and Waylon training for his big fight with Bibbo. Then the next scene states that it is July as Martha is seeing Harvey because Bruce has been missing for over a month. The doctor’s log is commenting on how Bruce seems to have given up and has even stopped eating so they had to put a feeding tube in his stomach. The staff believes him to be fully broken. Just as doctors come in to move him, Bruce fights back and kicks ass. Bruce took out some teeth to create some brass knuckles. He has also fashioned his feeding tube to shoot stomach acid (gross) and has used his bowel movements and urine to create a flammable substance to explode the wall in his cell (grossest). This time Bruce makes it to the Isley Ecosystem before being caught by Bane again.
Another flashback shows Selina asking Bruce to come along to rob a museum but he is watching a film on Bibbo for Waylon. Selina tells Bruce that he has to tell Waylon that he doesn’t stand a chance against Bibbo but he can’t.
Martha is putting up posters in hopes anyone can provide information on Bruce. It is day 91 and Bruce has woken up and his body is scarred from multiple surgeries and his head shaved. The Doctor and her log says that staff believe Bruce to be fully broken but decides on one more test. Showing him his Bat suit. Bruce suits up and makes one last run for it before running into a group of man/animal hybrids known as the Langstrom experiments. Just then as Bane is about to take him in, a giant lizard/croc shows up and takes out Bane. Batman recognizes that the croc is Waylon. He hopes on his back and they ride off together.
As Absolute Batman #10 comes to an end, the doctor behind the log reveals herself as Dr Arkham and she gives Bane the go ahead to break Batman.
Analysis: A lot to unpack here. The Dragotta art is still strong. Even though this seems to have become a borderline cartoonish world with the size of certain people and animals. I guess I should expect everything to be bigger and better in this Snyder/Dragotta world. I did not expect things to get gross. The stomach acid and poop bomb (best name I could come up with) was a bit too much to read in a Batman comic. I know it’s the Absolute world but it’s something I’d rather not have to think about Batman doing. I know he is one of the world’s greatest escape artists but still. Let’s do better.
It is also unclear what Dr Arkham and Bane want with Bruce. What type of surgery did they perform on him? He has green surgical lines all over his body. Did they pump him full of Venom? Is he going to grow 42 feet tall like Bane? Or did Langstrom experiment on him and is going to turn into Man-Bat? It is also unclear if Waylon can talk. He clearly recognized Bruce because they rode off together. Can he change back? It is also going to be a massive stretch to call him “Killer Croc” because he is the size of a dinosaur from Jurassic Park. He looks like Doc Connors Lizard. There is nothing particularly Croc about him.
This arc has been off for me. I liked the previous arcs by Scott Snyder here but it seems to be that arc is based on “lets just make everything bigger and crazier”. There’s poop, giant lizards, creepy clay men, small head Bane, and Bruce is missing teeth. There is no way that Bruce is just going to be normal after this. I think it would be interesting for Snyder to explore some post traumatic stress with Bruce. But I feel like it might get ignored or hand waved away because its cool. I hope I’m wrong.
The most interesting things to me remain the Selina flashbacks and Bruce with the boys. Snyder has those relationships and character interactions on point. Selina has been teased more and more throughout the issues and I assume that we are going to meet her in the present at some point. Perhaps she is going to help Batman and the big green croc/lizard. Chances
