DC Comics
Batman: Streets of Gotham #10
By Dan Horn
March 29, 2010 - 09:35

DC Comics
Writer(s): Paul Dini
Penciller(s): Dustin Nguyen
Inker(s): Derek Fridolfs
Colourist(s): John Kalisz
Letterer(s): Steve Wands
Cover Artist(s): Dustin Nguyen
$3.99 US




bsog10.jpg
BSOG #10 cover by Dustin Nguyen
After Jeremiah Arkham went absolutely bonkers and seized Gotham City by the short hairs as the new incarnation of Black Mask, he offered up a slice of his newly appropriated kingdom to the sadistic Mr. Zsasz. Zsasz's men begin kidnapping Gotham's runaways for high-stakes gladiatorial knife-fights to the death, which proves to be quite the windfall. There's one problem, though. Zsasz's goons are running out of strays to pit against each other in the arena.

Meanwhile, a new hero called Abuse has been stalking the darkest corners of Gotham's underworld. Abuse is finally revealed in #10 to be a rather obscure character from Batman's crime-fighting annals, and you never would have guessed who it is in a million years.

In this latest issue, the enigmatic Abuse and the petulant Damian Wayne, the new Boy Wonder, inadvertently cross paths while investigating the deaths of Gotham's orphans and stumble headlong into a trap set by Zsasz's gang.

Paul Dini has been taking his sweet time building up to this climax, creating this dark new Gotham in the wake of Black Mask's takeover, and it's looking like it's definitely been worth the wait.

Batman: Streets of Gotham has consistently been one of the best series of the Bat-Family titles since Dick Grayson donned the cowl. The fan-favorite team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen offers up some of their best work since their acclaimed run on Detective Comics. These guys are the Dynamic Duo of Batman storytelling. Their combined vision of Mr. Zsasz is the definitive embodiment of this disturbed and disturbing character from the Rogues' Gallery. This series has been churning out great re-imaginings of classic-yet-minor villains since its inception.

Apart from Dini's archetypal work, this series has showcased the writing talents of some other scribes in DC's extensive Rolodex. #10 comes hot off the heels of a solid two-issue run written by Mike Benson. The way the editorial team of Streets of Gotham has been breaking up the monotony of otherwise plodding arcs with fresh stories, writing, and characters every few months has been profoundly effective. Marc Andreyko and Jeremy Haun's quirky and gritty Manhunter  features are just icing on the cake. This is a title worth adding to your monthly pull-list, as you're guaranteed to never grow weary of BSOG with its ever-changing cast of characters and creative lineups.
Rating: 8.5/10

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