Batman #131 is published by DC Comics and written by Chip Zdarsky. The main story features artwork by Mike Hawthorne with inks by Adriano Di Benedetto and colours by Tomeu Morey. The backup story artwork is by Miguel Mendonca and Roman Stevens. Letters for both stories are by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Jorge Jimenez.
Batman #131 is available now in print and on digital where all good comics book are sold.
Synopsis
Gotham City has never been darker or deadlier. And after Failsafe, there is no Batman to save it. Can the fractured ghost that roams the streets survive? Whatever happened to the man known as…Bruce Wayne?
Review
In the aftermath of the Failsafe arc there’s a lot of ground to cover in 2023’s first issue of Batman. Handily, Chip Zdarsky is utilising both the main and backup stories to keep the reader tantalised at both ends of the Batman problem currently plaguing Gotham.
Picking up from the cliffhanger in issue #130, Bruce Wayne wakes up in Crime Alley following his climactic battle with Failsafe. He’s disorientated but at least he’s in Gotham… right? Zdarsky gives us a whole two pages of relative normality before absolutely pulling the rug out from underneath Bruce and also us.
I had an inkling about what was to come but hadn’t anticipated the circumstances around Bruce’s return to Gotham. Confronted by a skeletal version of Jim Gordon was a huge surprise and given the festive period almost felt like a Ghost of Christmas Past moment. Understandably, Zdarsky isn’t revealing all his cards right away and so context is a little sparse this issue.
It seems that Failsafe had one final gift for Bruce, sending him to a version of Gotham City without a Bruce Wayne or, more importantly, a Batman. There’s a lesson for Bruce to learn in all of this but Zdarsky isn’t quite ready to tell us what it is just yet. First we need to learn the landscape of this new Gotham and this issue lays those foundations perfectly. It certainly feels like Bruce is going to need an ally, although he now has Julia (Pennyworth?) I wonder if there’s a Dick Grayson or a Tim Drake lurking out there in the wider world.
Speaking of Tim, he’s fronting the brilliant backup story which catches us up to date on our version of Gotham. Tim has become a real central focus in Gotham over the past year and it’s great to see him shouldering the loss of Bruce. In just a few short pages that wonderful sense of family shared between Tim and Bruce is brilliantly reaffirmed. The emotional connection between the two was so beautifully communicated during the last issue, it’s great to see that carry over in to this new story.
Mike Hawthorne and Adriano Di Benedetto take over from Jorge Jimenez to provide the artwork on the main story this month. Whilst Tomeu Morey’s colour palette keeps a level of familiarity from previous issues, the overall style feels a little more classic than Jimenez. It would be like comparing apples to oranges. Both styles are excellent in their own way.
The backup story features artwork by Miguel Mendonca and Roman Stevens. There’s a strong visual definition between the two stories with Mendonca’s pencils more angular and anime inspired. The focus is squarely on the characters with less detail put in to some of the backgrounds in order to highlight the action. Both stories look great and find script and art working harmoniously.
Verdict
A well structured and intriguing first chapter for a brand new arc. Both stories perfectly compliment each other to create an overall narrative that picks up right where Failsafe left off.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
