Batman #140: Fighting with Myself

Meta-text often gets a bad rap in this cycle of storytelling, after a cynical and overly mined last few years. Done in the worst ways, it feels like stories and works cannot exist without a wink or reference to days long gone. Or these stories work as an attempt to cash in on nostalgia or long-since-gone emotions. The works that stand out and effectively utilize a meta-lens approach the referencing to say something new and original, working in an established sandbox to generate unique sandcastles. That’s the case for this current arc of Batman, as it weaves in and out of the Caped Crusader’s history to tell a fascinating story of failures and warring selves. 

Batman #140 – written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Jorge Jiménez, colors from Tomeu Morey, and letters by Clayton Cowles – drops right into the action as Bruce Wayne battles the Zur-En-Arrhs from the multiverse in the mindscapes while the prime Zur takes over the Batman body. The alternate personality is operating with a mission to finally end the Joker, oscillating between killing the clown villain or breaking his neck in a threat that resembles a Dark Knight Returns plot point.

Both fights, both in and out of Bruce’s head, are brutal knockdown, drag-out brawls, showcasing two different sides of the vigilante’s enemies. The Joker is a primordial force of chaos, spurning on the prime Zur as he attempts to kill the clown, still falling victim to a series of gags and weapons. The other Zurs rain down upon the mental projection of Bruce, like a blitzkrieg of yellow and purple. 

Like in the anniversary 900th issue of this run, Jiménez stands as the breakout star of the book thanks to the wide assortment of styles employed for the contingency personas. In the legacy issue, the artist rendered Batmen from across the multiverse with a deft pencil, incorporating various elements from the seminal versions of the Dark Knight while still retaining a distinct style. Whether it be the hulking figure of The Dark Knight Returns Batman or the campy fun of Batman ‘66, the alternate versions felt lived in and organic to the book. 

The same thing occurs in this issue, as Jiménez slots them into the Zur-En-Arrh costumes and provides them all small touches that take those versions to a new extreme. The Dark Knight Returns Batman is even more intimidating in the outwardly silly costume, carrying the same posturing of Frank Miller while beating down the prime Bruce. Michael Keaton’s Batman is even more unhinged than the movie portrayal and makes for a terrifying anchor for this issue. Even as the book descends into madcap fights and twisting reality thanks to mindscapes, the real horror is in the Batmen who get to cut loose and terrorize Bruce. 

Much of the art in this issue is rooted in deeply kinetic action and powerful layouts that maximize negative space on the page. A stunning sequence at the start of the issue uses a white background to create a speeding fight/chase between Batman and Joker. The choice in the background makes for an interesting frame for panels, using the lack of colors to provide an expansive canvas that sells the scope of the action. Batman propelling himself from a window has never looked better as the coloring clashes harshly against his figure and then the background. 

Working hand in hand with Jiménez’s linework, Morey’s coloring is a stunning layer to the story, particularly when it comes to the figures of the various Zur-En-Arrhs. Like the artist’s adaption of his style to the various originals of each alternate persona, Morey does something similar, evoking the specific palettes and shades of each universe for the Batmen. Seeing multiple versions of the characters on the page highlight these multitudes of purples, yellows, and red. It’s an effective and jaw-dropping concept to see in action and then in further review, but reads like butter and smooths itself in a panel-to-panel reading of the comic. 

Alongside the artistic experiments, Zdarsky’s scripting plays the issue straightforward, giving way to his collaborators’ talents. On the surface, this issue could appear as an overly complex story dealing with fractured psyches, killer clowns, and twinges of multiversal shenanigans. While all of those are present, Zdarsky instead opts for a dual narrative structure built around the locals of inside and outside the mind. The delineation makes for a concise yet simple narrative crux in both sequences, proving a reason to care about both. 

Including elements like Lucie Chesson, the French thief Bruce trained under before Batman, is an opportunity for Zdarsky to ground this in the continuity he built up in The Knight while giving Bruce an emotional touchstone. Her appearance in this story is an interesting echo of the past, much in the way that back-ups of the first arc mirrored the events of this story. These inclusions by Zdarsky feel intentional yet organic, signaling a care of plotting that doesn’t get lost in itself as he and the creative teamwork deliver a compelling tale of the sins of the past.