(W) Chip Zdarsky (A) Belén Ortega
Since Chip Zdarsky Came onto Batman at issue 125, it has been a title that has moved at a breakneck pace. From alternative Gotham, to Batman falling from Space (something of course he has a contingency plan for), it has been a blockbuster series that has barely paused for breath. Until now. With Issue 136, Zdarsky slows the pace down, and manages to catch readers up on everything that has happened in his run so far.
In other words, this is a perfect jumping on point for new readers.
Batman #135 was a love letter to all things The Dark Knight from the last 80 years (it was a legacy #900 oversized issue), and it was largely a lot of fun to read, despite the high stakes. It was almost light-hearted in places.
Well, Batman #136 is the opposite of that as Zdarsky starts to weave all those threads he’s been playing with so far together. We find The Dark Knight at one of his worst points. He’s lost his hand, Zur-en-Arrh is still there as a backup in his mind, and worst of all, he is keeping all this information to himself. Batman has always been a loner, no matter how many allies he surrounds himself with, but keeping everything to himself puts everyone around him in f danger.
With Zur-en-Arrh, it’s impossible as a Naruto fan not to draw comparisons with the Jinchuriki sealed inside of Naruto. The 9 tails beast gives Naruto extreme powers and also the ability to push him further and faster than he ever should. However, the 9 tails is also dangerous and it’s possible at any point that Naruto could lose himself completely to the tailed beast. This is what Zur-en-Arrh’s function is. It is a more dangerous version of Batman. He even has a conversation with Bruce within his head, that he knows he can’t destroy him, because he’s going to need him for what’s coming. Zur-en-arrh is even locked behind bars in the same way as the 9 tails. This cannot be coincidence…
Bruce is filled with doubts as to his effectiveness as a Hero as he has returned to his Gotham. So of course, he overcompensates and attacks Penguins minions, as well as confronting a Catwoman who has broken out of jail and is a on the run. But despite this, she is bringing a form of peace to her area of Gotham. Maybe her methods are more effective than Bruces? These are the kind of questions rattling around Bruce’s mind as he continues to doubt himself.
This leads to Bruce being tricked into a family dinner, which gives us some wholesome imagery of the Bat-Family being together, beautifully drawn by Ortega, and I may have already ordered a print of it….but even amongst all the laughter and this seemingly positive moment, it’s clear that Bruce is racked with guilt, self doubt and has never appeared so alone.
Knight Terrors really interrupted these titles at the wrong time, I can’t wait for #137, and to jump back into the excellent run that Zdarsky and the likes of Jorge Jimenez, Mike Hawthorne and Belen Ortega have been serving up.