Batman #140 – Chip Zdarsky, Writer; Jorge Jimenez, Mike Hawthorne, Artists; Tomeu Morey, Ivan Plascencia, Colorists
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Batman and Joker are finally facing off again—but the clown prince of crime actually feels like a side story to this issue, as Batman’s greatest battle is with himself. The villain and an increasingly unstable Batman are facing off in an abandoned old house, with Batman making grotesque threats when Zur-En-Arrh is in control. But in the Batman’s mindscape, a very different battle is taking place—Bruce vs. not just his deranged alter-ego, but against an army of them, the worst version of Batman taken from every world in the multiverse. There are some great Easter eggs, including vampiric and elderly versions of Zur-En-Arrh. We’ve seen some interesting internal struggles for Batman before, but never quite this violent!
But there are some very interesting things going on in the outside world as well, as Batman is pulled in and out of consciousness when he’s met with Lucie, the aged Cat burglar who he trained under during Batman: The Knight. This is a great deep-cut for Zdarsky to pull back, and even though these two only knew each other briefly, it’s clear she knows Bruce in a way few do—and she can tell something is very wrong. This all concludes in a battle where Bruce literally reshapes his mindscape (with some odd commentary about his father along the way). Joker gets away, but the battle isn’t over yet—the cliffhanger reveals what Zur-En-Arrh’s next move is, and Zdarsky’s run is really hitting full-circle.
The backup continues the story of Vandal Savage, as the immortal is now trapped in Gotham and aims to make the most of it—by gathering the city’s billionaires and proving them his alpha. While some are initially shocked by the barbarian’s embrace of brutal violence, they prove to not be that far apart—with one coming up with a truly hilarious suggestion for Savage’s next act in the city. This is such a ridiculous idea and sure to make things much worse for Batman, that I actually hope Zdarsky goes ahead with it.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
