Batman #136 is published by DC Comics with a both stories written by Chip Zdarsky. Artwork is by Belén Ortega, colours by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles. The backup story features art by Jorge Corona, colours by Ivan Plascencia and letters by Cowles. The main cover art (left) is by Jorge Jimenez.
Batman #136 is available now, in print and on digital, where all good comic books are sold.
Synopsis
Failsafe and Red Mask have forever changed Batman, and Gotham isn’t as welcoming as it once was. Can Batman remind them who he is? Can he remind…Catwoman? The future of the Bat-books starts here, and everyone’s world is about to explode!
Review
As if I hadn’t already heaped enough praise on Chip Zdarksy’s Batman run, today it’s time to heap a little more. After two huge arcs, Zdarsky is grabbing at the various plot threads from Failsafe, Zur-En-Arh and Bruce’s trip to another Earth and threading the needle ready for some huge stories to come.
With issue #136 Zdarksy is rightly bringing the focus back to Batman. The scale is pulled back drastically from the past handful of issues as Bruce looks to reestablish himself in his own Gotham. #136 is low key in that really it’s mostly Bruce patrolling the city, making his presence known and touching base with elements of the plot which are key to the future. With the announcement of the upcoming Penguin series and the Gotham War event, there’s plenty to cover off.
Zdarsky makes it clear that Bruce has been rattled by recent events. Though he shrugs off attempts by the Bat-Family members to support him. It’s obvious that he’s not quite ready to talk about what happened so it’s business as usual. That, firstly, means stopping in to visit Penguin’s children as they try to take up their father’s empire. It’s a typical drop in, intimidate and move on moment for Bruce but even the simplest of Bat-actions is underpinned by his shaky resolve to return to duty.
Then it’s on to a gut-punching exchange with Selina, still on the lam after escaping prison. After a period of relative calm for these two it’s clear that DC wants to shake up their relationship again. Thankfully with Zdarsky at the keyboard it feels like a natural trajectory for both characters. This issue nudges both characters towards the head on collision which will be the Gotham War. It’s only laying groundwork for now but you can feel the storm is coming.
This month artwork is handled by the more than capable Belén Ortega. Her art style is perfect for the shift in scale within Zdarsky’s story. Visually it pulls the focus of the reader back to Bruce, keeping him central at all times. Though it never forgets the world around him there’s no denying where we’re meant to be putting all our energy. Likewise the supporting cast, especially Selina and members of the Bat-Family all look great.
Delving deep in to the psyche of Bruce, the main story of issue #136 comes to an incredibly fiery conclusion that certainly leaves us hanging for next month. Could Bruce be on a path of self-destruction?
The backup story, also written by Zdarsky, takes us neatly back to continue both the Zur-En-Arh and Failsafe plot lines. It acts as somewhat of a crossroads between the two previous arcs and explores more of Bruce’s thought process behind creating both backups. I was stoked to see that Jorge Corona was handling artwork duties on this backup and he doesn’t disappoint. It looks great and deserving of a spotlight equal to that of the main story.
Verdict
Things are brewing in Gotham City and with Chip Dzarsky barreling towards the Gotham War it certainly seems like the pieces are lining up for something incredibly exciting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
