Last month I said that the backup felt like an integral part of the story rather than anything supplementary. It followed up on all the plotlines from Joker Year One, and appeared to be setting up some important developments down the road. Well this month's story opens with the direct continuation of that backup, continuing that same trend. Even more so, one would argue, as it's not even really a backup anymore. It's simply a flashback being told in a different art style, but still within the main narrative.
As for the flashback itself, it's rife with all of the same problems that have been plaguing this run since Joker Year One took place. Namely, it's obsessed with just how important Joker and his newfound connections to Batman's origins are. It turns out that every notable Joker story has been part of a grand scheme to bring Batman's Zur-En-Arrh persona out. That includes killing Jason, crippling Barbara, the events of Batman R.I.P. (still trying to wrap my head around how that story fits with this new continuity for Zur-En-Arrh), Death of the Family, and more.
Not only has seemingly every Joker story ever written been retconned to be part of this plot, but Alfred's "sacred task" for his entire life above all else was to protect the world from Zur. I guess with him dead, that's Alfred's legacy: someone whose job it was to guard evil Batman before ultimately failing. Of course none of this would be complete without character after character talking about how amazing and powerful Joker is. It would be bad if the comic was hyping even Batman up this much (and he definitely still gets his fair share here) but this is beyond obnoxious. It's so tiring to read what amounts to multiple arcs devoted to his godlike presence. It takes the oversaturation of the character and puts it on steroids.
Almost all of this happens in the first ten pages, and it sets a bad tone for the rest of the issue. The story's shift to present day (and out of the sort-of-not-really backup) is accompanied in the art changing from Michele Bandini to Jorge Jiménez. Bandini's style, just as it was in last month's backup, is serviceable in its execution of an unfortunate script that it cannot save. Jiménez, on the other hand, does a lot of work in salvaging the comic, as he's been doing for much of the run. However, it might not be enough this time. His action is still filled with expressive energy, but it cannot land emotionally when actually reading the words puts you off the whole thing.
Jiménez's art would have more chances to shine if the action present wasn't so pointless and boring. The most important part of a fight is often not the punching itself, but the dramatic build up that gives it stakes. Here, the resolution to the conflict of "how will Bruce escape" and the buildup to the subsequent fight is just that he thinks about it for a second. Realizing that he suddenly knows Failsafe's secrets because they shared a mind, the previous conflict is immediately resolved. The new conflict, "how will Bruce fight his way out", lasts less than three pages as the robot security is defeated with ease.
A lack of tension can be the death of any action sequence, which is what happens when you immediately signal to the audience that there's no threat. Of course, the follow-up fight is even worse. Because Punchline needed something to do in order to justify her inclusion on the cover, she releases 76 "non-powered criminals" out of their cells by pulling a lever as she's being brought in. When a story goes out of its way to let you know that the horde of enemies don't have any special skills and are comprised of characters like Tweedledee and Tweedledum, then it just becomes spectacle filler. Luckily this lasts less than a page before Batman just leaves.
Things aren't going much better outside of Blackgate, as everyone in Batman's life is reacting to Failsafe in the most nonsensical ways. Damian gets the worst of it to the point that I would almost call it character assassination. Any growth or character development he's had over the past 15 years is gone, as he's suddenly 100% on board with Failsafe's authoritarian police state. In fact he seems to take joy in the sudden change of events, saying that everyone else had just been holding Batman back. This is the type of behavior that leads people to hate what should be a complex and entertaining character.
Of course he's not alone in the suddenly out of character behavior. Bruce's other allies, including Dick, Barbara, and the (former) Justice League, are all more than willing to believe that Failsafe is the real Batman. After decades of working with him, it's their view that these sorts of actions are the logical extension of his past behavior. "He's just... more of Batman", as Flash puts it. Superman is even willing to simply accept that Batman would essentially become a villain in order to impose his will on Gotham with the weakest of justifications.
More than a condemnation of the characters themselves, this ultimately feels like a condemnation of Zdarsky's entire approach to Batman. It's reflected in the way he's handled Zur-En-Arrh and his origin in general. This run has taken elements of previous incarnations, stripped them of all context, and reassembled them as part of an unhinged master plan that has retroactively spanned Batman's entire career. More than that, his relationships with his allies have been broken to the point where you get things like Gotham War and now this response to Bruce seemingly turning evil.
Recommended If
- You're been really enjoying Zdarsky's take on Joker so far
- Fighting doesn't need narrative weight, only punches
- You've always felt that Damian should be evil again
Overall
Batman #146 is irritating to read. It opens with the same sort of Joker aggrandizement that has been happening since Joker Year One, going so far as to say that seemingly every Joker story ever written has been part of a master plan tied to this Zur-En-Arrh plot. From there, the rest of the story is a combination of pointless fights and wild mischaracterizations in order to fuel drama between Batman's allies. Hardly anyone much questions whether Batman would become an evil tyrant, which is honestly understandable given the way he's been written in this run so far.
Overall score: 2/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
