Writer: Chip Zdarsky / Penciller: Jorge Jimenez / Colour Artist: Tomeu Morey / Letterer: Clayton Cowles / Collects: Batman (2016) #125 - #130 / HC / DC Comics
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Review by: Paul Dunne
8th March 2023 (Released: 4th April 2023)
The Pitch: Bruce Wayne is having nightmares of a future he can't stop. But he may not even make it to that future. A startling enemy from Batman's past has one relentless goal—to end Batman. No matter what it takes. Comics superstars Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez bring you this thrilling collection!
Pity the oncoming Batman writer. One has to wonder if they hear Gloria Stuart in Titanic uttering that now famous phrase: “It's been eighty-four years...” like a warning bell, tolling, echoing all the way from 1939, making them think there are no new good ideas left. Thankfully, here comes everyone's favourite Chip (at least until Erik Estrada makes a comeback) to show 'em how it's done. Bruce finds himself in the middle of a Billionaire murder plot, something we all wish would happen to Elon Musk as he runs around acting like a twat. Although I'm not sure it's an act... Are Billionaires becoming low-hanging fruit for satire and, well murder? Probably not. Bruce has lost all his money, automatically taking him off the list. But when one of his long-time enemies is murdered and The Batman takes the blame, it starts a chain of events that could kill Bruce, billionaire or not.
A good decision.
As I've said before, Zdarsky's Volte-face from the funny guy to the dark heart of vigilante funny books has been a joy to watch. His reinvention of Daredevil's status quo has done wonders for that character. Can he do it for Batman? Judging by the sheer volume of Batman books DC is putting out, it almost doesn't matter – except, perhaps, to us. The possibly disgruntled Batman fan. I've developed a take-it-or-leave-it attitude to Batman and the Bat-family books. There are too many for me to buy, month to month, so there are some that get left behind, or at least put aside until they're out in trade or that lottery win comes in and I can roll around all the comic shops in the land, pretending I'm Bruce Wayne. Should last about five minutes... Anyway, some of the Bat titles rolled away from my view. Including the main title, the one you never drop! But drop I did, despite the talented writers and artists on board. As with most long-time, old-school, tent-pole characters in comics, sometimes the ancillary books provide more entertainment than the main event. Talent isn't the problem. Sometimes it's just not what you want to see at the time you want to see it (I'm a great re-visitor) and of course, there’s the sheer ubiquity of it all. It’s everywhere, all the time. Wallpaper. Sorry if I sound like a broken record here. It's stuff I've said before. And looking at the solicits, I'll be saying it again. But Zdarsky coming on board made me dive back in. On reflection, it was a good decision.
The trap into which Bruce falls.
Like Morrison, Zdarksy takes the distant and recent past of Batman and uses it to build a trap into which Bruce falls. His actions, or rather the mistaken belief that he's taken a particular action, activate a device that could bring about the end of Batman in the most final sense. This causes Bruce to retreat back to a previous identity, one that borders on madness… Look, I'm being coy about the fine details of the plot to avoid spoilers, but this is good stuff. Zdarsky pulls from the all-timer hall of fame Batman moments and stories, including the brilliant Tower of Babel from JLA, using them as a springboard to talk about Bruce's isolationism but also to show us why his attitude is sometimes the best policy. The flashback to Jason Todd's death and Bruce's action immediately after, the things done to preserve Batman's identity, are horrific, illustrating the emotional cost of being Batman. There's a sense of the end, coming towards Bruce like an unstoppable train, and Bruce, no matter what he does, frozen in place on the tracks. Scenes of the Bat-family and the JLA pulling together to stop Bruce's new enemy – and failing - both warm and chill, in that order. The action in the book is sizeable, exciting and the central pitch is good, pure comics – a mix of sci-fi, super-heroism, and doom-laden melodrama. That's not to say it isn't fun and early scenes with Bruce open-shirted but wearing the cowl and belt recall both the '70s Adams heyday and the Zorro influence.
Recalling Zorro and the ‘70s Adams heyday.
Jiminez's art is becoming the defining look for the character after his run with Tynion. He creates a frantic Batman, full of energy and motion. There's a bulk and heft to his Batman and Superman, but he keeps the movement lithe. He draws good, dynamic action, booming across the page. You can sense the fun he's having especially in the ludicrously entertaining space dive sequence. Suffice it to say, it's one of the most dangerous, death-defying situations Bruce has ever been in. Jiminez recognises that he's drawing Gods in distress and acts accordingly. And that's what the story is, at its heart. The Gods are overthrown by a Titan, a creature that one of them has made. Spoiler: it's Bruce that created the monster, fuelled by his own paranoia, something that's at the root of all his bad decisions. After Brother Eye back in Infinite Crisis, you'd think he'd know not to screw around with technology too much. Jiminez manages to get pathos and emotion in there, too. He gets the wrenching heartbreak Bruce is feeling across as he watches Tim almost die, and the rising panic in Batman as he realises that this an enemy he may not be able to beat. Morey creates a great sheen to the colours, everything viewed through the heat-haze of Batman's existence burning down as he's outplayed hand after hand. Cowles creates great type, by now an expert in the words of and worlds of Gotham. He gives us familiar rhythms for the characters we know, whilst bringing in new voices, staccato and cold. This is a great opening salvo in what, if Zdarsky has his way, could be a long run of the character, taking him to new places. By the end, you realise that the 'failsafe' for this team is not to play it safe at all but to carve out a new Gotham, one we couldn't expect.
You can buy Batman comics here and browse other DC Characters here. The Hardcover edition of Batman Vol.1: Failsafe is available at your local comic store from 4th April 2023. Subscribe to our Patreon and support more original writing on comics.
