“Batman always wins. And that means we always win.”
Coincidentally enough (John Blake learned there are no coincidences), THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS turns 40 this year, and this month’s BATMAN #10 has used that story as a bit of an influence.
After the Batman raids by Commissioner Savage, he’s all over the airwaves in Gotham, spreading the news and instilling confidence that his police force is eliminating The Dark Knight. But, as we all know, Batman has a plan, and it’s all playing out as it should.
Writer Matt Fraction keeps our main story interesting, while checking in on some subplots that will surely add up in the future. Some of those beats felt quick, and I had to try and remember how these pieces have been adding up. But, it all mostly connects. Batman is working in the shadows, trusting Barbara Gordon in Supermax, and putting on a drone show.
Admittedly, I still don’t like the Alfred hologram, and I think we need more connective tissue with Minotaur, Hugo Strange, and Bruce Wayne. These were the pieces that I felt were lacking, and took some extra time to reconnect with the groundwork Fraction has been laying the past 9 issues.
Bad?
By no means is it that.
I think there’s a little bit of “cram everything in” where elements are a little underserved.
Artist Jorge Jiménez is back on the book, and brings a ton of energy with him. We do hop from smaller moments to larger throughout and, as always, the artist does it swimmingly. He’s clearly influenced by anime and that helps with the energy for sure. Batman fighting from the shadows is done with style, never showing too much, but always showing just enough.
Overall, a successful issue. It’s gathering more pieces for Fraction’s big story, albeit a few pieces being underserved. I feel like the end result is getting Gordon back in the commissioner’s office, but we still have a long way to go until that happens. I’m invested enough to continue the journey. – Ryan Lower