Batman #129: Batman vs. A Monster of His Own Making!

So… over the past few months, while bemoaning the overused tropes that appear in Zdarsky’s run so far, I’ve always maintained hope that the story could still distinguish itself as a unique take on these plot points.

Good news! For the most part, I think that distinction has finally begun to take form in Batman #129.

In fairness to me, my various criticisms of the first few issues of Chip Zdarsky’s Batman run still stand in those issues. They did retread over many of the same issues that have been raised by other Batman writers in the past 6 or so years – the questions of whether Batman can be happy and whether it’s reasonable to have children as “soldiers” in his war. Of course, last issue didn’t help, ending as it did on the third authoritarian takeover of Gotham City in the past 4 or 5 years… – and the fourth generalized takeover when one counts Joker War.

That’s all still true. But as of Batman #129, the specific angle Zdarsky is taking begins to clarify itself and it’s pretty interesting.

To explain, in both “City of Bane” and “Fear State”/”Future State,” Gotham fell under the control of a fascistic regime that took harsh control over the streets as well as the lives of the people who lived there. City of Bane in particular seemed to take the stance that Bane’s seizure of Gotham had resulted in a calmer, more peaceful city and the reformation of nearly all of Gotham’s major criminals… and then made the point that, despite that, the regime was unacceptable because it required totalitarianism to maintain those results.

In other words, that story asked a classic question: Is safety worth the cost of losing your freedom? Because it’s a comic book that question became literalized as Psycho Pirate was controlling people’s emotions, but the metaphor was clear.

Therein lies the difference. When we arrive on the first page of Failsafe Part 5, it becomes immediately clear that Failsafe has not made Gotham City safer or more peaceful. Quite the contrary – by capturing and imprisoning the Batfamily, Failsafe has robbed the city of its defenders and allowed crime to run rampant. Gotham City has fallen into chaos as the darkness that has always lurked inside the city’s heart steps boldly into the light.

To make the point, Zdarsky employs another often-used Batman trope: a couple and child approached by potential danger, evoking the Waynes’ murders all those years ago. Typically these scenes are used to establish that Batman’s presence has had the effect he desires as he or another member of his circle prevents the murder, but not this time. Instead, the family is mercilessly cut down in full view of the street, while cowering people watch from the window.

In short, Gotham is on metaphorical fire. Worse, the damage to Gotham itself is not without purpose – by forcing Gotham to suffer, Failsafe knows it has created a trap that Batman cannot help but walk into. What’s more, he cannot rely on his fellow superheroes to step in, as his creation is designed with all his knowledge of their tactics and their weaknesses, as well as the technology to counter those tactics and take advantage of those vulnerabilities.

This leaves Bruce himself in a difficult position. If he turns himself in to Failsafe, he’ll be unquestionably, mercilessly, killed. If he doesn’t, Failsafe will continue to smash its foot on his city and repel any attempts at rescue from the outside.

Of course, it’s Batman, and Batman is a hero, so there’s little trouble deciding.

That doesn’t mean Bruce is going to go gently into that bad night, of course. First, he hatches a new plan to take on Failsafe… and while this seems destined to fail considering the previously mentioned programming… the Batman who created Failsafe was a younger and less experienced version of him, which may open the possibility of finding a plan that his younger self could not have programmed a way around. Therefore, Batman prepares a trap for Failsafe… but the trap, whether successful or not, may itself prove lethal.

This issue is great, honestly. I’m not going to claim that the previous concerns were unfair – despite the different approach taken to Failsafe’s hostile takeover of Gotham, I maintain that the themes, and the plot points, themselves are overused. Even so, changing the expression changes the message being communicated.

Mind you, I certainly don’t mean to imply that Bane’s takeover or the Magistrate’s takeovers were portrayed in a positive light. I just mean that the argument for why those groups were bad rested primarily on freedom being too high a price for safety, whereas Failsafe’s argument is more like, “No no, this is just bad, full stop.” I’m not implying that Zdarsky planned it that way, but the message is rather timely, now.

As for Failsafe itself, there’s a decent bet that the eventual cause of his defeat has been foreshadowed as far back as the second part of the story arc. As the creation of Zurr En Arr, Failsafe is designed to assume that Batman’s sole priority is Gotham itself. While speaking to the captured Nightwing, it suggests that Batman will not care about the suffering of his family and his allies because they are only soldiers to him, and he knows Failsafe will not kill them.

Going back to the beginning of the story when Batman turned over his body to Zurr En Arr, it’s evident that this perspective is the result of Zurr En Arr’s mindset and his role as a kind of Batman without Bruce Wayne. It was a blind spot in that personality’s understanding that ultimately prompted Bruce to take control again. Will this serve as foreshadowing for Failsafe’s eventual mistake – the blind spot that allows Batman to outthink a machine, as well?

It’s a good question, and I’ll be tuning in to find out.

It probably goes without saying, but Jimenez is in top form this month as he generally is. His work has taken on a shadowy, almost unfinished look to it with figures and structures defined largely by their shadows and almost sketchy lines.

That is not a complaint. The style is appropriate for Batman and lends a heavy mood – a certain gravitas – to the events of the story. It also doesn’t prevent the work itself from being stunning… particularly when Jimenez works with nonstandard environments like, say, water. Or space.

…anyway!

Moving on to the backup story, we continue I Am a Gun, the story of Batman’s youth with the Batman of Zurr En Arr. We join the story with the Joker, whose accelerating antics begin to bring out Zurr En Arr’s extreme tendencies. I’m not the biggest Zurr En Arr fan. That whole idea always seemed to veer a little too close to embracing the “Batman belongs in Arkham” theory. That said, it’s not hard to see where this story is going – and what may have led to the creation of Failsafe- and as justifications go, it’s a good one.

Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire handle the artwork masterfully. It’s pretty wild – and a little disturbing – to see these destructive thoughts and urges coming out through the flat-colored, saturated 1960s-style Batman lurking in the back of Bruce’s mind.

This is generally just a really strong backup story, and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

Finally, I realize that I don’t normally talk about covers in my reviews but every single cover this month is phenomenal. So there’s that, as well.