Azrael #10 : Arena Writer : Dennis O'Neil Penciler : Barry Kitson Inker : James Pascoe Colourist : Demetrius Bassoukos Seperations : Digital Hellfire Letterer : Ken Bruzenak Assistant Editor : Chuck Kim Editor : Archie Goodwin

A man dressed as Az-Bats turns up at a fighting arena and challenges all comers to a fight. After disposing of two opponents he reveals that he is the False Azrael from Azrael #4. After he almost kills another man Robin steps in and checkmates the False Azrael before being decked by a sucker punch. As the False Azrael prepares to kill Robin, Batman intervenes and soundly beats him. At the end we see that the real Azrael has arrived in Gotham

Review :

Denny has taken artistic risks with Azrael that have paid off well. Azrael has not said a word for three issues and almost didn't appear in this one. This has led to a pleasing innovativeness in scripting and story telling, Archie Goodwin has a tendancy to attract books with a differant style of writing and these books are highly readable (Starman, Azrael, LOTDK, all excellent books). The individuality of this title sets it apart from every other book out there. The menagerie of characters that make an appearance in this issue provide a treat for long time readers and also showcase Denny's understanding of these characters.

Rant :

What's with the armour that the False Azrael was wearing, It showed only a resemblence to the real Az-Bat's costume. While this wasn't really a problem that diminished my enjoyment of the story it did bug me. Also what happened to the Azrael on the run story arc, it lasted one part and now it's over, I don't think Denny was planning on this crosover but he seems to have dealt with it well.