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Batman: Streets of Gotham #10

Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Cover: Dustin Nguyen

-Minor spoilers ahead!

“The Heroes”: Paul Dini returns to Streets of Gotham, and he’s picking right back up where he left off. Mr. Zsasz, that crazy mo-fo, is up to his sick games again. For weeks he’s been the ringleader of an underground fighting circuit pitting some of Gotham’s more unfortunate children against each other in brawls to the death. One of the city’s newest heroes, Abuse, is taking this particular caper extremely personal, and we get a really good look at why.

Meanwhile, Damian is on the hunt for clues to Zsasz’s whereabouts when a couple of Zsasz’s thugs nab Damian and another boy as fresh contenders for the underage upper card; and even Damian’s years of League of Assassins training isn’t enough to prepare him for his first opponent.

What a great comeback for the Batman veteran, Paul Dini! For a Batman title that doesn’t even have Batman in it, or very many capes period, this issue was very good. Recently we’ve been slowly getting more and more layers added to Damian’s character in all the bat-books, and this issue just adds more. For months since his debut as the new Boy Wonder at Dick Grayson’s side, Damian has been a little psychopath with a big mouth and bigger attitude, and Dini is rounding out the son of Bruce Wayne by showing us just how human he is underneath. And for a side kick who we all pretty much agree just needs a good punch in the face, we’re left genuinely worrying about, and fearing for, Damian.

As masterful as Dini is with the pen, I’m a little on the fence about Dustin Nguyen’s pencils. There are lots of gritty textures, and some abstract city skylines which are great, and exactly what I want my Gotham City to look like; but some of the characters, especially near the end of the story, just look sloppy. I’m having a hard time with some of his giant chins, and constant squinty eyes, but i can’t get enough of his beautiful painted covers.

The short feature by Marc Andreyke and Jeremy Haun staring Kate Spencer, attorney by day, Manhunter by night, was, as far as DC’s short features go, pretty good. Spencer has had a long standing feud with Two Face, and things get very nasty when Harvey Dent is finally in the courtroom. For a story that’s only nine pages long, it has me as anxious for the next issue as the main feature. This sub-story is probably the highest of quality you’ll find in both writing and art in any DC book. It’s definitely not the main reason you’ll wanna pick up Streets of Gotham, but it sure makes the title that much more worth your $3.99.

Andrew Hurst
andrewhurst@comicattack.net