Batman #149: A Well-Worn Life

Something that is sometimes difficult to see in the trenches of reading monthly (or even bi-monthly) comics is the adage of losing the forest for the trees. The relative time put into reading the unfolding story of a superhero, which is typically quick, especially in the age of competing works vying for attention, is minimal even as these stories serve as a foundational part of many people’s personalities/artistic consumptive tastes. As a result, a bad issue feels as though it can sour the entire experience of the unfolding narrative, turning an enjoyable book into a chore to slog through. Instead, it is good to sometimes step back and reflect on the wider story to see if the less enjoyable portion outweighs the bigger picture.

Batman #149 – written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Michele Bandini and Steve Lieber, colors by Nick Filardi, and lettering from Clayton Cowles – functions as a coda for the Dark Prison/Mindbomb storyline, centering back on Bruce as he grapples with the fallout of Zursafe’s attempt at controlling Gotham. The story unfolds mostly through the anchor points of Bruce trying to help the clone Zur made of him. This perverse Robin is a Bruce, minus what the dark persona considers superfluous memories, that is rapidly aging. By the first turn of the issue, the clone Bruce has already out-aged Nightwing and is getting closer to Bruce’s nebulous age. 

Meanwhile, Damian wants to ignore the Robin replacement and is out searching for Zur, not believing the robot’s body is gone. Bruce takes Tim to search through one of Zur’s hidden caves to find a cure for rapid aging. They come up short again and Bruce decides to return to Wayne Enterprises, learning that Zur squirreled away a large sum of funds that propel Batman back into the billionaire playboy category. As the aging clone starts to show the years with streaks of gray, he gives Bruce a gift before getting too old, helping to make Bruce whole again. 

The book then speeds through the clone’s remaining lifespan with them spending time at the manor, connecting back to the Waynes and Alfred. With the last moments, Bruce recenters himself a bit more in regards to his family, setting the path forward for the Batfamily, new Pennyworth Manor and all. Before the issue ends, Zdarsky makes sure to touch on a few other beats from the arc, including escalating the tensions between Bruce and Vandal Savage. A small tag at the end seems to be teasing the tie-in for Absolute Power, reuniting Batman and Catwoman with both having distance and resolution between the two. 

Zdarsky makes a return to form with this issue, finding rich character work as a foundation to tell an excellent, winding story. After the clumsy, too-curvy twists of the personas nested in persona in the last arc, it’s a refreshing change to see a philosophical, straightforward story cut through the noise. Even with a sci-fi premise baked into the story with an aging clone, Zdarsky uses it as a crux to exploring the fleeting nature of life and allows it to affirm that Bruce needs his memories and experience just as much as his mortality. Otherwise, he becomes twisted into Zur and Failsafe alike, recklessly trying to end crime without an eye to the humanity he’s trying to protect. It makes for an excellent thesis to the larger run, evident in hindsight but sometimes lost in the month-to-month experience (especially in the Joker flashback issues). 

The looming cloud of mortality also functions as an excellent glue for the Batfamily, allowing Bruce to spring out of his isolation and reconnect to his children/wards/partners. Rather than pushing them away, he tries to talk with Damien, trusts Tim to look over his work, and extends his trust and new home to Dick, Barbara while respecting their boundaries. These clear moments of growth feel earned after the events of everything since he returned from his multiversal adventures, and the tail end of this issue offers a heartwarming echo of the doom teased in #136. Rather than fire consuming the family in the bowels of the brownstone, they are the warmth filling the Pennyworth Manor. 

Bandini and Lieber make for a strong artist pairing that is bonded tightly by Filardi’s coloring. The two illustrators bring streamlined styles that don’t quite reach for the over-stylized sense of elasticity noticeable in series regular artist Jorge Jiménez, instead focusing on clear linework and streamlined designs. The shifts in styles are almost seamless, blending well on a casual read that doesn’t interrupt the story’s flow. Part of the chameleon nature of the art change comes from Lieber adjusting his style, which stands distinctly apart from the more cartoony approach taken for his previous DC works (Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olson, All-Star Squadron). 

The approach to the visual look of the issue thrives in the moments of beauty in the mundane. While there are a few splashes of action in the oversized installment, Zdarsky’s script centers a bulk of the issue on the humans behind the cowls. Bandini and Lieber make great work of interpersonal drama and conversation, especially between the Bruces. It would be easy for the visual of the two to blend together due to the clone nature, but the environmental and learned habits are evident in the linework. The clone carries deeper bags under his eyes and sunken features even before his aging really sets in, showcasing just how hollow a Bruce without his memories of the family would be. The duo’s artwork also finds a sense of weighted tragedy that comes with the fleeting nature of life, as the beauty of the natural world isn’t enough to overcome the loss of life. 

A bulk of the beauty expressed throughout the issue is thanks to Filardi’s coloring. Much like the comparison between the issue’s art and Jiménez’s, the direct juxtaposition of Tomeau Morey’s palette and Filardi’s makes for a great study in approaches. Here, instead of the striking, sometimes singular use of colors to create deep emotion-driven backdrops, Filardi offers a much wider set of hues in a panel or page. There’s a bit more realism in the approach when the book lives in the underworld of Gotham while offering more futuristic tones when dealing with Zur hideouts. Bright palettes radiate throughout the book, and function as a great reflection of where Bruce ends emotionally in the story.