Batman #152: ‘The feel of the ocean’

Tie-in issues are a difficult tightrope for most, as they need to service the main event while still telling a compelling story for continuing readers. For a book like Batman, which sits at the publishing plans and narrative of a shared universe, that weight is exponentially present whenever a DC event rolls out. Either the book can stay at the street level and focus on Gotham’s point of view in the – typically – world-shattering event or the caped crusader is working another angle to resolve the problem. For Absolute Power, the book focuses on the latter to mixed results. 

Batman #152 – written by Chip Zdarsky with pencils from Mike Hawthorne, inks by Adriano Di Benedetto, colors from Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letters by Clayton Cowles – continues the Absolute Power tie-in focusing on Selina and Bruce infiltrating Gamora to find Waller’s Mother Box. The duo was transported to a dead world, Czarnia, containing the Waller family mausoleum, the Motherbox, and the current Suicide Squad. Batman buys Catwoman time to disarm a ticking bomb, fighting Deadeye, Bizarro, and Gunsmith to a standstill. Meanwhile, Selina contends with the armed machine and Black Alice, quickly dispatching the magic user. 

The Mother Box goes off, allowing the tomb to unfold while Batman disables the force field protecting the area. A swarm of space scorpions descends on the group, forcing the Suicide Squad to retreat into the Boom Tube back to Earth. It closes before Bruce and Selina can use it, stranding them (along with Gunsmith). A figure connected to the devices makes a quick appearance and dispatches the d-list villain, allowing Bruce and Selina to escape for now. 

Zdarsky’s scripting for this issue is frustrating at times due to the balancing nature of tie-ins. In isolation, this story is an okay heist story wrapped in a sci-fi setting. When read in conjunction with Absolute Power #3, it feels like an ancillary explanation for a small beat in the event. That duality highlights just how difficult it is to craft a compelling tie-in that can stand on its own while maintaining a sense of necessity to the larger story. While admirable that Zdarsky is willing to play ball with the wider DC Universe and publishing line, ultimately these two issues did little to move the main book’s story and characterizations forward. 

However, the Bruce and Selina relationship is the best part of the issue, particularly in the last few pages. Zdarsky allows for the orbit of these two damaged people to cross once again, this time with the masks down. Throughout the current run, they’ve come together in a few fleeting moments before being torn apart (see Gotham War). Once the duo arrives at a beach with significance, Bruce and Selina shed their masks and share a moment of honesty. 

Zdarsky has Selina push Bruce into expressing his emotion but in a gesture towards growth, the stoic hero does this time. It’s a refreshing change that feels like the natural progression of the last few stories and signals the potential of the story post-Absolute Power. The choice to include this quieter beat is the best-case scenario of a tie-in story like this, as the characters get to breathe and reinforce the key elements of the ongoing plot. 

A strong foundation for that moment is Hawthorne and Di Benedetto’s artwork, which feels natural in these quieter moments. During the more bombastic sequences in the issue, the art can appear stiff and formulaic, standing in contrast to the typical style associated with the book. Those moments lead to a clear reading experience that sustains but lacks the flair of Jorge Jiménez or even Dan Mora, the artist in the event book. When it’s time to illustrate the cameo villain at the climax of the issue, the pencils work against the figure, smoothing a character that should be anything but. 

Even if those action sequences are a bit more restrained, the duo plays up the final beats with a stunning sense of rendering. The feeling of tight linework and stillness is perfect in the exchange between the couple on the beach, capturing the weight on Bruce’s shoulders and patience in Catwoman’s blunt affirmation. The figures and expressions are the most human of the issue and speak to Hawthorne’s strengths as a figure artist. When the story allows for a softening, the pencils and inks adapt to match the tone, striking the right tone and styling. 

Fajardo’s coloring adds a layer of softening to that sequence, propelling it as a standout moment. While much of the book’s palette feels muted and restrained in the sci-fi setting, the pastels of a setting sun on the beach infuse a real sense of place and peace. It would be easy to write off the coloring as restrained in the issue but in those final three pages, the infusion of warmth and passion makes these two issues worth the reading experience.