Batman #147 is written by Chip Zdarsky and published by DC. Artwork is by Jorge Jimenez, colours by Tomeu Morey and letters by Clayton Cowles. Main cover art (left) is by Jimenez and Morey.
Batman #147 is available from today, in print and in digital platforms where all good comics books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
With no allies, no weapons, and almost no hope…can Batman fight back before Zur makes a true devil’s bargain? The world is about to know Zur’s true power! Him and…his new sidekick? “Dark Prisons” continues!
Review
Something is brewing in the DC Universe. With the Absolute Power event on the horizon you can feel the tension building across the entire line of main universe books. None more so than in Batman where Bruce is on the ropes against Zur-en-Arrh who might as well now be holding Gotham hostage in his war on crime.
Whilst this is very much the “Dark Prisons” arc it’s clear that it’s taking big steps towards a head on collision with Amanda Waller’s plans to wipe out all powered people and heroes. Waller even looms large on artist Jorge Jimenez’s latest blockbuster cover. This issue the Bat-Amazo robot, inhabited by Zur-en-Arrh, comes face-to-face with Waller for the first time in a vain hope to warn her off encroaching on to Gotham territory. Meanwhile it seems that Damian might finally be coming to the realisation that the robot isn’t the father he thought it was and Bruce, desperate for a win, find solace in the woods and reconnects with one of the Robins.
Chip Zdarsky has so much ground to cover this month. It’s incredible he’s able to fit it all in and make issue #147 feel as mobile as it is. From start to the finish the book just keeps going. Whether it’s Zur-en-Arrh waging his one man robotic war on crime or Bruce coming to terms with his own issues it just keeps rolling until the turn of the final page.
This month’s issue picks up on some of the points left lingering from last month. Mainly Damian’s blind acceptance that this Amazon robot is really his father. It seems Damian really was all in, never questioning where Bruce’s body actually happens to be hiding. It feels a little out of character for him to do so. But when the other shoe drops and he realises what’s really going on it sets up an interesting direction for the character. We’ve seen his blind rage before. But knowing Zur-en-Arrh has taken Bruce’s place seemingly sets a red hot vengeful fire in the young Boy Wonder. Given developments elsewhere in the book and who is now helping Bruce, it’s going to be interesting to see if and how this impacts the relationship between the Dynamic Duo.
The actions of the Zur-en-Arrh bot are really the crucial factor in Batman tying in to what’s going on in the wider DC universe right now. Dzarsky shows the character, despite his mechanical origins, escalating and – as pointed out by Captio – falling in to a similar trap to so many other Bat-villains. It seems the character isn’t immune to becoming too dedicated to the mission and I wonder if that may be his undoing. Part of this ties in to Zdarsky’s wider attempt and pulling at plot threads from across his work on the Batman character. Dipping back to the Vandal Savage storyline, the character has now landed himself the job of Gotham City Police Commissioner, a job that Zur is not happy about at all. It’s impressive to see so much of the supporting cast still involved when there’s so much going on elsewhere.
With Bruce now free from Blackgate he’s able to cover a little more ground this month. Including an interesting flashback to an encounter with Barry Allen when the two were much earlier in their hero careers. All credit to Zdarsky for digging deeper in to the side of Bruce who both relies on and regrets working with other heroes. It feels like a side to his personality which hasn’t been dug in to much in the recent past but has become a recurring theme across Zdarsky’s run. Perhaps the The Gotham War event was really a precursor to help push Bruce to where we find him now. It feels authentic to Zdarksy’s run on Batman that it’s Tim Drake who reaches out to his former mentor. The two reconnecting at the Wayne cabin, regrouping ready for the next fight honours all of the recent storylines that have lead us here. It adds a sentimental layer to the story which beautifully counterbalances the shed load of tension.
Perhaps the final panel of the main story will be the most controversial. Whilst I’m sure this is only a temporary change to take on Zur-en-Arrh, no doubt every Bat-fan will have something to say about the Dark Knight’s new look. It certainly plays in to Jimenez’s skills as a dynamic artist able to bring texture and drama to the design of any hero.
Verdict
A blistering issue from Zdarsky and Jimenez. The story is leaping forward in huge bounds with the Zur-en-Arrh threat ramping up and Bruce forced to confront his own shortcomings as a leader to the rest of the Bat-Family.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
