In this review of Batman #10, as Vandal Savage claims victory against Batman, the Caped Crusader plots to show Gotham just how wrong the evil commissioner is.
Batman #10 main cover by Jorge Jiménez (DC Comics)
BATMAN #10
Written by MATT FRACTION
Art and Main Cover: JORGE JIMÉNEZ
Variant Covers: DUSTIN NGUYEN, JORGE MOLINA, RYAN SOOK, JORGE JIMÉNEZ, DAVID AJA
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: 6/3/26
This review contains spoilers
As Batgirl Stephanie Brown, Robin Damian Wayne, and Signal Duke Thomas decompress from last night’s mission, Vandal Savage laughs crazily at the burning remains of Wayne Manor. While in public declaring victory against the Bat, Savage frantically tries to press the attack at the police station, while running into an icy cold Jim Gordon along the way.
In a Little Tokyo skyscraper, Minotaur visits one of the Yakuza bosses mourning the woman Minotaur murdered several issues ago to demonstrate his power. Minotaur explains that Hugo Strange declared war on the Yakuza for a failed assassination, and Minotaur’s organization Torus took Strange out in retaliation – showing the benefits as well as the costs of being in Torus.
At Wayne Enterprises, Bruce complains to the board about the bodyguards assigned after the assassination attempt on Dr. Zeller, continues to reject attempts to push Wayne Enterprises into military and weapons projects.
Bruce wonders to his Alfred hallucination whether Minotaur is attacking Gotham as a market rather than a criminal, focusing on money instead of blood. Though he needs to follow this financial trail, Batman must be seen still active after Savage’s raid last night, so Batman spends a night taking down very visible crimes all over the city. After stopping a fire, Batman sees Catwoman across a street on another rooftop.
As Batman shows himself to Gotham, Steph, Damian, and Duke all get a message from Babs – that her capture was part of her plan with Bruce, and we see, all over Gotham, boxes that Batman left at each crime he stopped opening and releasing light drones which form a Batsignal in the sky. Batman’s family looks in tears and joy as the light shines over Gotham.
Analysis
As Jorge Jimenez returns triumphantly to the Batman after a two issue absence (we believe to draw the Spider-man/Superman crossover story), we see once again why he is the defining and absolutely gorgeous artist for Batman and DC of the modern age. Rendering a complex story full of carefully dropped information, all building to a classic rendition of Batman’s symbolic importance, Jimenez doesn’t drop a beat, packing information into panels and layouts, always highlighting the information beautifully and in a way that hides the complexity of what he’s doing. From the carefully constructed 9 panel grid of the opening reactions to the last issue, providing both continuity and a self contained framing device for this issue, to the slowly increasing panel tempo leading to the final splash page, Jimenez just does what he does best – draw some of the most energetic, thoughtful, and gorgeous comics known to man.
Fraction, meanwhile, meets Jimenez beat for beat – providing a complex, interesting, story full of layers and character. From the drawn out silent moment of Batman and Catwoman seeing each other hinting at things to come, to the carefully constructed character interactions between Steph, Damian, and Duke (the little nuance in how Damian’s fierceness combined with vulnerability towards Steph adding just that element of history to their interaction), Fraction pays attention to the little and big things. The revelation of Minotaur’s overall strategy of financial power rather than murderous force promises to pay off in the future, as does Dr. Zeller shutting down her rehabilitation program, but the overall structure of the issue is the same as seen in many other great Batman runs – the build up to the revelation of the Batsignal, showing that Batman’s spirit, our spirit alongside his, will never be defeated. While classic, Fraction and Jimenez handle it so assuredly and so beautifully it still proves very powerful. Long may this team continue!
Our main series artist, Jorge Jimenez, is back, though he never left the covers – his main cover here provides Batman on the tippy top of a narrow spire in the night sky, a batarang on a line hanging below him (also available as a foil virgin variant for an upcharge). Regular variant artist Dustin Nguyen gives us Batman, face in shadow, falling from the moon with cape in expressive jagged spread, done in Nguyen’s trademark watercolors. Jorge Molina’s finely detailed Batman on a gargoyle against a red sky is nicely dramatic. Series fill-in artist Ryan Sook draws a gorgeously neon noir Batman and Catwoman looking across an urban canyon at each other, mirroring their encounter in this issue. David Aja’s beautifully appealing series of 1-in-25 incentive variants continues with the Minotaur standing alongside a Greetings from Gotham City logo.
Final Thoughts
Fraction and Jimenez team together once again and show just how great a standard Batman story can get.
