Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Batman And Robin #10Batman and Robin #10
DC Comics
Morrison, Clarke & Hanna

The beginning of the return of Bruce Wayne seems to have begun in this issue. Dick Grayson (as Batman) and Bruce's son, Damian (as Robin), begin to unravel the mystery of what kinds of clues Bruce left behind in the past as to his whereabouts. It's a very clever issue that really puts on display how a detective would go about solving this mystery. The issue doesn't contain a lot of action but is still a great Batman read nonetheless.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsBatman, Robin and Alfred begin their tracking of Bruce Wayne's clues at Wayne Manor. The only annoying thing about this entire issue is that it references from whom they learned to assume Bruce was sent in the past but not how, when or why. I don't blame the writer here but editorially and DC for that matter. I'm not reading Justice League or any of the other Bat titles so to find out about this revelation as a footnote was a problem.

Batman starts to find clues hidden in the pictures of the Wayne family from the past. Some of the portraits are looking at a specific direction and some are holding important objects while posing for the portraits. All of this was an excellent way to involve the reader in on the chase of how clues are discovered and followed up on. It was referenced in the issue and it seems to be true that this was like playing a human game of Clue.

The entire issue wasn't as simple as following along the hunt for clues. There is another dimension to the book as the character of Oberon Sexton gets a lot of play. It's hinted that perhaps this character might in fact be Bruce Wayne in a few subtle ways. On the other hand he could simply be a character that is meant to mislead the readers while playing some other role. If you read along closely you will find there are some hidden nuggets in his dialogue and words that he emphasizes. It's all good stuff.

The final element in this issue is the apparent brainwash of Damian. It seems his mother has some of her influence imbedded in his brain that is now coming out in a hostile way. The character of Damian comes across as a confused, but still loyal, character with many layers to his personality. I'm amazed at how much this character has grown and evolved in such a short amount of time. It's a great addition to the comic.

The artwork delivers a detailed visual of the manor, the clues and the hidden items that may be important. This was hugely important in making this story effective. The entire art team really stepped up to make this story all it could possibly be. I was very pleased to see how easy the clues were to pick up in this issue. This was as strong an art effort as this title has seen and that is saying something.

Batman and Robin has launched the apparent return of Bruce Wayne in this issue. I can't say this issue is essential to the storyline but it certainly was an entertaining read. There is a lot going on in this comic that will be discovered upon subsequent reads. Really, that's all you can ask for from a comic book. This is definitely recommended.

4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles