Batman #10: Look Up

Jorge Jiménez’s panel design feels like a whole new art team in this issue. Whether it be the cellphone-styled framing or the pages stacked with several panels mostly devoid of dialogue, the artwork tells most of the story in Batman #10, and what a story it is.

Issue #10 should and does feel like a mini-milestone in Matt Fraction’s run on the Caped Crusader, which began last September. After the disastrous Operation Peregrine, both readers and Vandal Savage alike would expect Batman to retreat for a moment to plan his next move. I went into this issue expecting to see Bruce on the ropes, struggling with Barbara’s incarceration as seen in Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 and at the end of May’s Batman #9. However, Batman is a character who has always been defined by his resilience and innovation, which is exactly what this issue sets out to remind us of.

He is labeled as a thing of the past by Savage, who goes from political platform to media platform, informing the world of his “great” successes against the Bat family. But this is undercut almost immediately as Bruce patrols the streets, like any other night, in defiance.

While Bruce Wayne keeps his company on the straight and narrow by day, Batman glides over Gotham City by night. The two halves of the same man meet in his continued hallucinatory conversations with Alfred. We only see the ghost of Alfred briefly in this issue, especially compared to his more lengthy conversation about fatherhood with Bruce in the last issue, but Matt Fraction uses his presence as a way to reinforce the unbending morality of the Batman even as Vandal Savage and Torus are closing in.

The issue’s eventual buildup moment in the last few pages is a slow progression of everything Fraction’s Batman has been made to represent: defiance against tyranny. The seeds for this moment, which I won’t outright spoil in this review, were planted long ago in Batman #2 last October when Batman stood against police officers breaking the laws they’re supposed to uphold. It doesn’t land with a big splash or as dramatic bait for the next issue; instead, it feels like a midpoint achievement that sets the tone for the coming months.

Tomeu Morey brought their A-game, as this particular issue relies more heavily on its visual representation than most single issues do. Where the effort and effect are most visible is in the panel transitions and page turns that slowly blend one scene into the next. This issue uses this storytelling technique several times, such as showing Bruce Wayne at a board meeting transitioning to Batman in just two panels where the subtle change in lighting prevents a janky transition.