In Batman & Robin #10, the Dynamic Duo thwarts Man-Bat with a little help from their friends.
Batman and Robin #10 main cover by Simone Di Meo
Title: Batman and Robin #10 – “Bat vs. Bat”
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artists: Nikola Čižmešija & Simone Di Meo
Color Artists: Rex Lokus; Giovanna Niro
Main Cover Artist: Simone Di Meo
Variant Cover Artists: Gleb Melnikov, Guillem March & Serg Acuña
Release Date: June 11, 2024
This comic book review contains spoilers.
Robin manages to free Batman from his chains inside the Man-Batcave, but Man-Bat and his horde of bats escape. The Dynamic Duo make short work of the remaining Man-Bat cultists. They soar off into the night, but not before Robin reminds Batman that they are not to harm the poisoned bats. He has a plan to stop them without harming them.
Meanwhile, Flatline supports a grievously injured Ms. Hall (who is Shush) to Gotham General Hospital. She leaves Ms. Hall there, but not before Ms. Hall gives Flatline a vial and tells her to get it to Batman and Robin.
Elsewhere in Gotham, Man-Bat is riffing to his bats and denigrating Langstrom. Batman interrupts him, and they battle. Down in the Robinmobile, Robin meets up with a speeding Flatline who hands him a particular kind of firearm. Robin hurls it up to Batman and informs him that it holds gas pellets rather than bullets. Batman catches it and fires it in Man-Bat’s face. The descending horde of bats sweeps parabolically into an attack on Man-Bat. Batman, Robin, and Flatline watch as the bites transform Man-Bat into Kirk Langstrom. He is confused and has no memory of his actions.
The bat-horde is still angry, but Robin blasts them with a freeze gun, so that they can be cured using the formula provided by Ms. Hall.
Back at Gotham City High School, Chase Meridian takes Principal Stone, aka Mistress Harsh, into custody. Her trained bullies are also apprehended. Batman acknowledges that Robin was essentially right about everything and apologizes for disbelieving him. Batman explains that Dr. Kafira managed to save all of the poisoned bats, but that Langstrom now appears to have multiple personas and is in need of greater assistance. He exits stage left as Flatline appears.
They banter playfully and then Flatline rushes off abruptly. She argues with Ra’s Al Ghost and explains that she plans to protect Damian from him and from her.
Back at home, Bruce ushers Damian to the rooftop for a candlelit vegan meal. They chat but are interrupted by Goliath, who comes with a message: Maya appears and informs Robin that in fact an important Rogue did not die in the attack on Arkham Asylum. Bane is alive on Dinosaur Island.
Battlin’ the Man-Bat Cult. (Credit: DC Comics)
I’ve enjoyed the Man-Bat arc, though there’s little that’s truly original in it. For this reader, that is justifiable, as writer Joshua Williamson has appropriately left the focus on Batman and Robin and his dialogue and character development has been first-rate. The resolution and denouement of the arc feels a bit flat, however. It reminds me a bit of how a tie-up might work in Batman the Animated Series, but there is usually some added complexity or discomfiting leave-behind to suggest to the audience that The Batman Universe is as multi-dimensional as ‘real life.’ Perhaps the notion of Kirk Langstrom having multiple personas qualifies, but the ending of Man-Bat’s plan feels a bit flat and two-dimensional. I think it might have been possible for Williamson to do a bit more with it, to somehow play further on the always-fascinating dynamic of Bat vs. Bat involved in Man-Bat arcs.
Would doing so risk destabilizing the emphasis on the Dynamic Duo that has been the hallmark of this book so far? Perhaps! But I want to think there is enough light between a flat ending and a needlessly-intricate resolution, and it would have been nice to see the issue do more than simply resolve one arc and set up the next.
Still, transition books are necessary and a legitimate part of any comic run, so there’s no need to be overly harsh on Williamson for his choices in moving the audience from one arc to the next. The dialogue and relationship between Batman and Robin remain the beating heart of the book, and it is just as compelling here as it has been in the series.
What is less compelling is the continued practice of having two artists illustrate the book. This does not work well because Nikola Čižmešija just has a wildly different style from Simone Di Meo. Di Meo’s horror tones and sweeping panoramas are lush and stunning, and his covers on this book and on Batman: The Brave and the Bold are full of vibrancy, movement, and emotion. I really hope Di Meo is able to take over the book completely, as the discordance in hand-offs between the two artists here is obvious and jarring.
Still, this remains a high-quality book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Williamson does with a more prominent Rogue – and how Di Meo illustrates him!
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.
