Batman #139: ‘The night doesn’t frighten me / I chose to let it thrive’

The notion of Batman as an urban legend is one of the most interesting elements of the character that gets undercut due to the nature of the interconnected universe. It’s hard to deny the man dressed like a bat exists when he’s seen on TV fighting alien invaders next to the bright blue hero. Every time a reboot or shifting status quo takes the hero back into the shadows, it becomes a finite existence until the next seismic event or crossover. 

Batman #139 – written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Jorge Jiménez, colors from Tomeu Morey, and letters by Clayton Cowles – picks up the pieces left by the Gotham War. Batman works to reestablish himself as the city’s protector in the wake of Jason Todd’s most recent demise, and the cataclysmic event orchestrated by Vandal Savage. The persona of Bruce Wayne has been shed as well so that Batman can continue his mission with no obstructions from the wider Batfamily. 

A series of murders committed by the Joker draws Batman back out and into the normal night. His actions have been seen by many as twisted and hewing closer to the urban legend aspect of the persona. Zur-En-Arrh is still pushing at Bruce’s seams, trying to guide the vigilante into submerging completely into the mission, cutting away all aspects of humanity in service of defeating crime. 

The clues in these murders lead Batman straight to the Clown Prince of Crime, with Zur pushing Bruce to finally end the villain’s reign of terror. The rogue personality in Batman manages to take control, and stands ready to strike against the villain, as Bruce finds himself on the opposite end of the menagerie of Zur personalities last seen in Batman #900. 

Zdarsky wastes no time in moving out of the Gotham War mode into something new with this issue, taking the characterization changes and status quo while ignoring the rest of the event’s baggage. The introspective, murder mystery plot for the first two-thirds of the issue is a compelling recalibration of expectations, as Batman slinks back into the shadows. The scripting proves that a plan is in place to take Bruce to his darkest places, and puts a focus on the escalating Zur-En-Arrh plot. 

Much of the recalibration comes thanks to Jiménez’s art, which continues to adapt and reinvent itself in relation to the story being told. The tone and shape of the linework blurs throughout this issue, never more evident than on the book’s title page. It gives the immediate sense of descending into darkness as Bruce turns himself away from everyone and everything. Jiménez channels an artist like Jock in the darker, more expressive representation of the Dark Knight that is gone too soon. Like his evocation of Frank Miller, Bruce Timm, and Neal Adams in previous issues, the representation is pitch-perfect while still feeling wholly original to Jiménez, and makes for a graphically rich image that illustrates what will be the arc’s tone going forward. 

Coloring in this issue is an essential element of that darker, atmospheric tone that is developing. Morey brings a harsh, diffused red to the palette that pairs with the deep blacks to create a haunting look that reads more expressive than the previous tones of the series. Those hues echo and twist into the typical palette, popping up in crime scenes and clues left behind by the Joker. Those coloring breadcrumbs make for an organic weaving of those elements into the existing aesthetic of the issue. 

The rest of the issue channels that fevered, twisted energy established in the book’s cold open. Zdarsky explores the detective aspect of the hero, moving from clue to clue that makes the audience feel smart while still delivering the zags of the Joker. With his indie works like Newburn and Stillwater, Zdarsky proved his chops at delivering engaging mysteries that walked the line between procedure and mythology building. The balance is evident here in this issue, as Bruce’s ability to discern the Joker’s traps is hindered, not helped, by the influence of Zur. 

Jiménez brings the various aspects of Zur to life in this issue, from the various depictions of him to the haunting, spectral form that continues to linger over Bruce. The mental projection is a twisted shade that lurks in the shadows behind Bruce, cast in the harsh darkness of the night. Even his colorful costume becomes imposing thanks to Jiménez’s deft linework and compositions. Later on in the issue, the artwork plays in those uses of negative spaces and simple lines, as the clues and images evoke twisted versions of the Batmythos. Jiménez and Morey render a creepy variation on the Batsignal inside of a highrise that would play as a perfect visual for the next Matt Reeves film.