All-Star Batman #10 Review

Miami Nice

Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: Rafael Albuquerque, Jordie Bellaire and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 10, 2017

Hello party people...that's right, I am taking over All-Star Batman from Eric!  He just hadn't been enjoying it as much as I have and so I gave him Red Hood and The Outlaws (which is a great book) so that I could be the All-Star Batman man going forward.  It should be an easy transition since this issue starts a new arc, "The First Ally" and while the idea of an Alfred-centric story sounds cool, I am more excited that one of my fav artists, Rafael Albuquerque, has jumped on as well.  So, did my trade pay off big time?  Let's find out...


The issue opens in London and while it's Alfred Pennyworth doing the narration, there are hints that we are seeing the first (mis)steps of someone other than Bruce Wayne.  It seems like Scott Snyder is winking at the reader the whole scene and it's just one of the hints that he seems to be having a lot more fun here than he has in the recent past.

The opening scene shifts to Miami and  it's the art team that winks a bit here as the color pallette turns a bit day glow like a certain 80's TV Show with Miami and Vice in it's name.  The fun continues with Batman chasing Hush through the city...Batman in an Alfred driven Batmobile and Tommy Eliot in a helicopter!  The chase goes through the Miami Marlins' baseball stadium and if that isn't fun enough, it's Bat Day!

Of course, Batman catches his look-alike and gets some information in a dark way that really felt like something out of a James Bond movie...but from the villainous side of things.  The information is big and after another glimpse at the past, we head off to the aptly named Fort Dexter to see if Bruce can just walk in and take it.

This is where Scott Snyder shows he can tie things together that you didn't realize needed tying together.  Seriously, this whole scene comes together so well as the Bad Guy wants to kill Bruce because he thinks he's Tommy Eliot pretending to be Wayne and the gift that Bruce brought for the bad guys protects him and takes them out.  This is all because the villains don't want trouble with Batman. Too late for that, fellas! It all ends with a gruesome sight that means more to Alfred than anyone else at this point and one last look at the past to see whose origin story we were getting all along.

I really enjoyed this issue and it only got better with each read through.  Over everything else, it was just fun and that's something I can always get behind, especially in a Batman story where that sort of thing is often ignored.  This is more than just a Batman story and fans of Alfred should love everything about this opening issue.

Of course, Rafael Albuquerque's art is great and makes everything flow smoothly, especially the fight scenes which are a huge highlight.  Snyder and Albuquerque show that their time on American Vampire has made them a tight team that's hard to beat!

Speaking of Rafael, there is a backup written (yep, written) by him and Rafael Scavone with Sebastian Fiumara on art.  It's an undercover case for Bruce as he infiltrates the Russian Mob disguised as one of their own.  It turns into a Russian version of Every Which Way But Loose in this setup story that is a quick read and looks great.  It's hard to rate fully as it's only a handful of pages, but the story and art are good enough to have me wanting more.

Bits and Pieces: 

No matter what you thought of All-Star Batman up until now, I suggest you check out this issue.  It's a really good start to an Alfred story that still has plenty of Batman as well.  Scott Snyder is having fun here and so was I.  Plus, Rafael Albuquerque's art (and backup story) only made things better.

9.0/10