Batman #140 - Comic Review

 

I was really enjoying the Zdarsky Batman run until Gotham War. I was hoping that Gotham War was some kind of editorially mandated event that Zdarsky had to do, and that's why it's quality was a big dip on what came before. But this new story just continues to make me groan and lose interest in the title. Not only did we have the Joker addressing Batman as Bruce last issue, something I truly believe the Joker would never actually care about, but this issue is all about Zur-En-Arhh again. If it wasn't for the fact that the character existed before I'd be sure Zdarsky was pushing him so much for royalties.

At the end of the previous issue Batman is gone, his body taken over by the Zur-En-Arhh personality, a 'pure' Batman, who's currently busy beating the ever loving shit out of Joker, determined to leave him so broken and maimed that he needs machines to be kept alive. So, Batman is stuck inside his own head as Zur does what he wants. But, he's not alone in there. Several other Zur-En-Arrh Batmen have made his head home, somehow having jumped out of their own Batmen and into him during Bruce's universe hopping anniversary issue of Batman #900.

There's Zur versions of Adam West, the Arkham game Batman, The Dark Knight Returns, the animated series, Gotham by Gaslight, vampire Batman, and of course, Michael Keaton. And probably more. I simply stopped caring about references and callbacks at a certain point. And that's what this issue feels like, a long, long, long conveyor belt of call backs and winks to the audience with an almost 'do you remember that!?' energy to it. 

Whilst Zur fights the Joker in the real world, Bruce battles the other Batmen across his 'mind palace', an Escher type depiction of the Wayne Manor. It's here that we get some of the more egregious moments of weirdness and 'oh remember this' as Bruce takes them on one by one. Adam West has bat-gadgets to counter what Bruce throws at him, Micheal Keaton is taken down because he can't turn his head, and TDKR Batman is old, and surly and gives speeches about how he's the true, most dangerous Batman because of how old and surly he is.

Batman visiting other versions of himself during the 900th issue was fine, because it was an anniversary issue. It was even good and entertaining at times. But here, it's just a bit too much, and kind of sad in some ways. It feels like Zdarksy is despertely trying to draw upon nostalgia to get you invested. It's Adam West, but Zur-En-Arhh! Oh, Batman is fighting Michael Keaton's Batman, and he won because Keaton can't turn his head! When you take these moments out what is really in this issue? A man trapped inside his mind and having to fight physical representations of his captors to escape; which we've seen many times before. And the Joker getting a beating of course; which we've also seen many times before. 

The only true surprising moment is when Bruce wakes up back in control of his body. Did he beat the Zur personality? No, as Zur is standing in the shadows talking to him. he steps into the light to reveal that Zur has somehow jumped out of Bruce's head and is now controlling Failsafe, the unstoppable robot. Now Zdarsky pushing Zur so hard makes sense, because putting him into Failsafe and making him a big villain he'll get the residuals that way. And whilst this moment is surprising, is it interesting? Not really.

Bruce didn't beat Failsafe first time round. He got lucky by giving the machine a conscience. But now that's gone, and the 'pure' Batman is in control of it. Which feels like we're setting up for a second round of the Failsafe arc with the only way of surviving now removed from play. It also raises a ton of questions. How did a personality in Bruce's head get into a machine? What about the other Zur's, did they go too or are they still in Bruce? And how the hell did they get into Bruce anyway? That last one looks like it has an explanation at first, with TDKR Batman saying Zur invited them in when Batman's mind touched the other Batmen, but if that was a thing in that issue it was something I missed, because I don't remember any psychic connections. I hope coming issues might try to explain things, but I'm starting to think that even if they try to, the answers won't be worth the wait.

Whilst the writing in the issue is, for me anyway, borderline terrible, the art is superb. Every single Zur inside Bruce's head has their own look and style that resembles their origin. Keaton and West look like a comic, sure, but they're surprisingly accurate translations. The animated versions look like they've jumped off the screen, and Gotham by Gaslight and TDKR Batmen both look like their original artists drew them. All of that, and they're being used in dynamic fights and fast paced panels half the time. Jorge Jiménez is firing on all cylinders here, and the book look fantastic. Sadly, great art can't save a bad comic.

The back-up feature continues to follow Vandal Savage as he gets involved with a group of rich Gothamites who love his style and his cruelty, and want to make him the leader of their little group to help him attain the total domination of Gotham that he wants now that he's stuck in the city. It's, fine, I guess. There's nothing here that's super exciting, but there's also nothing here that's so terrible it puts me off. And compared to the contents of the main story it's a nice little pick-me-up to end things on. It's surprising that both stories are by Zdarsky, and at first I assumed it had to be a different author.

The art is by Mike Hawthorne, with Ivan Plascencia doing colours, and whilst it doesn't reach the highs of the main story it's decent. The comic has a bit more of a cartoonish look to it than the main story, but considering it's dealing with cartoonishly evil billionaires the tone kind of fits. This issue seems to be setting up for the next stage of Savage's story, but I kind of don't care about it.

I don't think I've ever been turned around on a run before as much as I have with Zdarsky's Batman. I'm hoping this is just a lull, that something spectacular happens in coming issues that has me looking back at this as a blip, rather than the norm. But that hope grows slimmer.

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