Batman #127: When Contingency Plans Go Rogue

When last we wandered through Gotham City, a super-robot called Failsafe emerged from the Batcave, triggered by reports that Batman had murdered the Penguin. Of course -that was just Oswald being a vindictive bird via frame job, but a robot can’t tell that. Failsafe made an attempt on Batman’s life and beat much of the Batfamily within an inch of their lives. Meanwhile, Batman retreated to trigger the emergence of his other backup, the Batman of Zurr-En-Arrh.

Now, in a scene referencing the classic JLA story, “Tower of Babel,” we examine the logic behind the creation of Failsafe. The name is something of a dead giveaway, but essentially Failsafe is Batman’s answer to his anti-League plots – a plan to take down the man who can take down the Justice League. However, because Batman cannot create a puzzle that is unsolvable by Batman, it fell to Zurr-En-Arrh to design a countermeasure for Bruce himself.

That said, the fact that Zurr-En-Arrh created this threat doesn’t necessarily imply that he can stop it. If Zurr-En-Arrh is, as he is presented, Batman without Bruce Wayne… then does it make sense for him to be better able to fight an anti-Batman weapon? It’s a good question and, as it happens, Chip Zdarsky has that one covered as the singularity of Zurr-En-Arrh’s focus puts Robin in danger and forces him to reconsider his approach.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Gotham, Nightwing and Oracle reach a mutual conclusion that it may be impossible to manage Failsafe on their own. This implies that… maybe they need to call for backup. The question is, who will answer that call?

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a little tired of the “Can Batman be happy/Is he cold/Does he see his kids as soldiers” storyline and how it seems to perpetually repeat in the Batman title. This remains true, and it does seem to be what Zdarsky is looking to explore. Zurr-En-Arrh’s references to the Robins as soldiers, for example, dismisses Bruce’s personal and emotional relationship with them, echoing the habits Bruce has fallen into of late, himself. It makes one pause and wonder whether Bruce has begun to lose his humanity to his mission.

Honestly… I could go a few decades without getting into this topic again. That said, I’m not going to pretend this isn’t one of the better iterations of that angle. It’s also handled in an off-standard way, by confronting Batman with the consequences of his myopic mindset when all his paranoia and mission-obsessed thinking coalesces into a physical embodiment of his more extreme approach to that never-ending battle.

From the opening scene – a flashback to Tower of Babel, through the end of the lead feature, with a prominent line referencing Tom King’s Rebirth Batman run – the references and callbacks make it clear that Zdarsky is cognizant of the ground he’s treading and how worn it is. Zurr-En-Arrh as a concept also touches on his question, and the way Zdarsky has chosen to incorporate various attempts to address this gives it the feeling of a “final word,” meant to lay this issue to rest for good. Or, well, at least for a few years.

Jorge Jimenez’s brilliant artwork hardly needs an introduction – his work is dynamic, stylish, and moody. His ability to convey motion is top-tier – at times you could almost believe that the images on the page will start to move around. He even manages to make the Zurr-En-Arrh costume look less ridiculous… though I’m still wondering how Batman-without-Bruce ends up in such a bright, multicolored costume. Well, that has nothing to do with Jimenez.

It also has nothing to do with coloring wizard Tomeu Morey, whose work continues to lend richness, depth, and atmosphere to Jimenez’s already impressive visuals.

Ultimately, I am enjoying Zdarsky and Jimenez’s run so far, but I’m also eager to see what comes after the mission statement storyline.

Which brings us to the conclusion of Zdarsky’s three-part Catwoman story. Two issues ago, Selina was assigned the task of tracking down the recently deceased Penguin’s children. Though she did so, it proved too late to protect them from the predation of their siblings Addison and Aiden Cobblepot, with the majority of penguin’s progeny falling victim to an inheritance-monopolizing plot.

Now, following a suspicion, Selina arrives in Metropolis to confront a certain flower shop owner in search of answers. Though she may find them, in the end, she is left with even more questions, and perhaps an inclination towards pursuing a bit of resolution on another matter entirely.

Given that we’re talking about a Catwoman backup in the main Batman title, it’s not surprising to find that the story ends on a note of “what’s next for Batman and Catwoman’s relationship?” subtle though it may be. I’m guessing this leads into some kind of crossover that will eventually address and resolve the multi-year hiatus on that relationship in one direction or another.

I’ve always enjoyed Belen Ortega’s artwork but this chapter is particularly nice – Selina looks slick and sexy without being sexualized and the, uh, flower shop guy has a more than passing resemblance to Collin Farrell. Take that as you will.

Overall, “Two Birds, One Throne” has proven to be a solid Catwoman tale as well as seemingly a setup for future stories to come.  It also confirms a longer-term status quo shift in Gotham with regards to Cobblepot’s role and legacy that should prove interesting for the foreseeable future.