The previous issue got the arc off to a great start with an atmospheric detective story that used the Joker in a refreshingly straight forward way. Its fun house of horrors structure was exactly what the run needed after so many events and multiverses. That is, until the final pages. So much goodwill washed away when the seemingly "back to basics" approach turned out to be yet another story about the Zur-En-Arrhs of the batverse. This issue is the follow up to that reveal, once again diving into Bruce's head while he contends with as many Batman media references as can be fit into a single concept.
There is possibly no well more run dry in Batman narratives than "Batman thinks he's better off alone, but then learns he needs his family". We've seen it done so many times that you can call almost every beat before it happens. I'm especially reminded of the 2002 event Bruce Wayne: Fugitive, what with the emphasis on there being a "pure" Batman who is better off without even the Bruce Wayne persona. We get the usual speech about how Batman would be more effective if he cutoff everyone else and focused entirely on fighting crime, but over the course of a single issue instead of a drawn-out, 36-part event (thank God).
The twist that makes this time different is that we see that internal struggle take place in front of us on the page. The "real" Batman fights against the legion of Zur-En-Arrh in his head in order to regain control of his body and end their twisted ideas of what Batman should be. The trope of a mental conflict represented as a physical fight inside a sort of mind space is one you see a lot in comics. What makes them interesting is less the literal punching itself, and rather how the fight symbolizes the nuances of the larger conflict. It's a space that allows artists and writers to get really creative in the ways they depict the various sides and what they're fighting for.
How does Zdarsky choose to use this time? Well, it's mostly more references. In case you've forgotten (not that this run would let you), each Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is from a different famous piece of Batman media. That means that there's an Adam West Batman, a Michael Keaton Batman, a The Dark Knight Returns Batman, etc. I thought this was excessive fanservice in even the big #900 issue, but now there's not even the excuse of reveling in nostalgia for an anniversary special. I'll admit I chuckled at a few of the gags like the "anti-bat-shield razors", but then it just doesn't stop with the call-backs. Stuff like "hey, remember how Keaton couldn't turn his head?" isn't really an interesting observation and when they're all one after another the whole sequence, which is the primary focus of the issue, is just propped up by showing people things they recognize.
While Zdarsky's take on "Batman: into the Bat-Verse" isn't particularly interesting on any dramatic or narrative level, it's at least fun to watch. Jorge Jiménez does a great job bringing all these characters to life while maintaining their distinct visual style. Some of the fight scenes become cluttered, though that's somewhat inevitable with the premise. Both inside and outside Bruce's mind, the fights have a ton of energy to them. If you just want to see a bunch of different versions of Batman fight, this will satisfy.
Score: 4/10
Backup: Savage Garden of Gotham part two
"Savage Garden of Gotham" isn't really a story. Stories typically have some sort of conflict, character arcs, or at least a plot. This is, at best, a prologue, but more realistically an advertisement. Following up on part one's internal monologuing about how he's the best and should run Gotham, part two is him telling a bunch of rich people the same thing. These socialites are so comically evil that they openly gloat about how they'll do anything for power and devilishly grin when Savage kills a man as a show of strength.
No one in this story has any depth to them, but they don't need to because, like I said, this isn't meant to be a story. The final panel reveals the backup's true purpose: teasing an upcoming Gotham arc. For anyone who has bemoaned Renee Montoya as commissioner, I hope you're ready for the monkey's paw to grant you your wish.
Almost everything about the story is a non-entity, from the writing to the art. Mike Hawthorne does a decent job with the art, but it's the sort of style that is functional more than anything else. It gets the job done by depicting the script on the page and there are no real flaws to call out, but at the same time there's nothing interesting to note either. Ultimately it's fitting for the story.
Score: 4/10
Recommended If
- You want to see a bunch of different Batmen fight
- References are the best form of content
- You want information about where future Batman arcs might be headed
Overall
Batman #140 goes all in on the concept of Batman media references, rivaled only by the big milestone issue earlier this year. What was originally just indulgent fanservice now weighs down an already trite premise of whether Batman needs his family. Aside from those call backs, there's hardly any narrative meat here as it speeds through an arc we've seen plenty of times before. At the very least, Jiménez makes the nostalgia trip a visual treat.
Overall score: 4/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
