Batman #11 Comic Book Review/Recap

Batman #11 – The Belly of the Beast

Batman #11 Comic Book Recap (Script)

Back then, Batman didn’t know what to do. Selina had killed so many people… bringing her in would mean certain death for the woman… but what was he supposed to do? What could he do?

In the present, he, Selina, and the Ventriloquist move through Bane’s facility. Reaching a certain point, they will need to split up from here. Batman sends Catwoman and the Ventriloquist after their target – Psycho Pirate, while Batman moves to meet with the other members of his Suicide Squad.

Outside, Jewlee, Punchee, and the Bronze Tiger wait, until they are let inside. Bane will see them now. Meanwhile, Catwoman takes Wesker through a series of tunnels and sewers. She asks if he does everything he is told to, and he replies, yes. Scarface was the source of all his horrible deeds. Selina is amused at this, but also a little jealous. Wesker’s monster comes and goes. Without that puppet, he gets a break from it all. But Catwoman’s monster… it has it’s claws deep inside of her, and it will never let go.

They reach their target, but Selina isn’t done here. They’re going to strap her to a table and put a needle in her when they get back. Batman thinks this mission will change things. But after what she’s done… there’s no saving her. She tells Wesker to stay put, and goes off on her own. In another part of Santa Prisca, Batman watches as the Bronze Tiger presents Jewlee and Punchee to Bane. Punchee is the only man to ever escape from Bane’s domain of Santa Prisca, while Jewlee is the reason the clown fled in the first place. Bane assumes this gift is in exchange for a favour, and it is – Bronze Tiger claims the League of Assassins has tasked him with killing Batman. As the only man to ever get close, Bane could be an invaluable source of!

Catwoman leaps into the room and declares this is all a trap. She tells Bane that Batman escaped from his cell and is waiting in the ceiling to strike, and with the help of this Suicide Squad, they plan to break Bane’s back. The clown couple attack Selina so she slices their throats open, and snaps the Bronze Tigers neck. She has a deal for Bane – give her safe passage out of here – with some money and the means to disappear, and she will tell him how to finally, once and for all, break Batman.

Batman #11 Comic Book Review

Well this was excellent! A really fun read overall that impressed me start to finish. These Batman comics have been going strong and this one didn’t disappoint. I loved, loved how brutal it was. A common complaint I’m seeing that will no doubt echo here is that this ruthlessness is out of character for Catwoman, but I don’t see it.

This is the difficulty of defining comic book characters, as their traits tend to ebb and flow based on who is writing them. As such, the stories I read and grew up with can define my interpretation of her in a way that others don’t see things. It’s subjective, in other words, but personally, this is the side of Catwoman I like the most – aggressive and strong, commanding and deadly.

She’s not a hero. Granted, her ways, relatively neutral morality, and relationship with Batman tend to sometimes put these two on the same side, but she is a thief, and she can be aggressive, especially in defence of those she considers under her protection. So her going on a crazy revenge quest in the past because of an affinity to an orphanage, or betraying Batman in the present, both feel in line with the Catwoman I think of – the one who can play both sides and serves her own interests and those she considers worth protecting, like the orphans. Even in death, she found it worth sacrificing everything to exact her revenge. I get that.

So, I don’t know, I like this comic. I like how dangerous Selina is proving to be. I love how half the squad is now just dead. That’s Suicide Squad for you. And the art really sells this whole thing. The facial expressions of Bane and Selina, the colours and design of the action, I just love this thing. The writing adds a lot, too. There are lots of great moments because of it, like Batman at a loss over what to do in the past – after Selina has killed so many. He knows turning her in will end whatever is left of their relationship and will most certainly mean her death… but he does it anyways. He’s sworn a moral oath to uphold certain principles and will not waver, and that makes him so different from Selina, who functions in pretty much the opposite way – no principle is above breaking if it serves her purposes. And there is reasoning behind that and why she is that way – tragic reasoning, to be sure, but this is who they are. This is who they’ve become.

Yes, this comic is recommended. It is awesome like so much of Rebirth these days. You should totally check it out for yourself.