Absolute Batman #10 - DC Comics

ABSOLUTE BATMAN No. 10, September 2025

Chock-full of body mutilation and some truly terrific examples of just how ingenious Bruce Wayne can be when the circumstances warrant it, Scott Snyder’s narrative for Issue Ten of “Absolute Batman” probably kept its audience repeatedly guessing as to whether the Dark Knight was ever going to escape “the horrors of Ark M.” In fact, one of the few concerns some bibliophiles might have with this particular twenty-page periodical’s plot is just how the upcoming crimefighter is ever going to recover from removing many of his own teeth, and undergoing a number of near fatal surgeries – including a painful sounding “craniotomy and subsequent brain-stem insertion.”

Also somewhat disconcerting is the fact that no-one seems to actually care just who Subject Twenty Seven is, with the institution’s hierarchy seemingly doing no research whatsoever into the six foot nine inch tall vigilante’s secret identity. True, this inactivity could simply demonstrate a complete disinterest in just where the experimental facility gets its hapless stooges from. But considering just how much attention is subsequently paid to the titular character as he repeatedly attempts to break out from his cell, this lack of interest into someone who has previously defeated the Black Mask could strike some readers as being a little too convenient – especially when his mother Martha is so desperately trying to track him down on the outside.

Quite possibly this comic’s only other quibble is that Bane apparently always knows that Wayne is going to escape, as well as where to locate him within the massive maze-like complex. The American author does a good job of using Bruce’s various exploratory exploits to drop-in all manner of Batman’s (alternative) Rogues Gallery, such as Clayface and Poison Ivy. However, due to it soon becoming clear that the super-strong villain is apparently always one step ahead of his increasingly brutalised prisoner, any sense of suspense as to the possibility of the young man's escape is quickly diminished.

Definitely assisting in making this book as successful as it is has to be Nick Dragotta, whose ability to pencil the increasing physical toll being placed upon the (now) Capeless Crusader’s frame should genuinely disturb many within this publication’s audience. In addition, the sheer creativity employed to depict the other Ark M inmates is incredibly well done, with Waylon Jone’s Killer Croc persona probably being the best of the bunch.

The regular cover art of "ABSOLUTE BATMAN" #10 by Nick Dragotta & Frank Martin