It’s Batman versus the Joker in “Mind Bomb” part two, out today. Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jiménez have been building towards this moment for quite some time, especially when you consider Batman is fighting an internal battle against Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. In the latest issue, Joker is expecting a battle with a far more ruthless Batman, and he’s relishing the idea that he may even die fighting him. Meanwhile, Batman can’t get ahold of his mind.
As we see in the Batman #140 preview, the multiverse story continues to build, with many Batman of Zur-En-Arrhs teaming up against Batman. This story is fun once you wrap your head around a multiverse story in a Batman book. We’re talking references to Michael Keaton’s Batman, Frank Miller’s Batman, and Adam West’s Batman, to name a few. Jiménez and Zdarsky had similar fun with the multiverse in a previous story, but this time, all the different Batman characters are evil and far more dangerous.
While Batman is facing an evil mirror version of himself inside his mind, Batman of Zur-En-Arrh has complete control of his body and is attempting to harm Joker to the extreme. That allows Zdarsky to explore Batman’s mind further as his greatest asset. There’s some exciting stuff with a mind palace that connects to fundamental concepts detectives use. Zdrasky continues to push Batman to his limits in new and exciting ways. To think Batman survived entering Earth’s atmosphere with just his suit, and now he’s fighting multiple evil versions of himself, all with top-notch fighting abilities and a mind similar to his. By the end of this fight, Zdarsky makes a strong point about why the central universe Batman has an edge on all other versions of himself.
Some of these dudes look familiar.
Credit: DC Comics
Jiménez is as good as ever, with sharply detailed panels. Paired with color artist Tomeu Morey, the book plays around with the different styles of Batman, like the Frank Miller Batman having a slightly dulled color to his suit or Adam West being a bit brighter and goofy looking. Layouts mix things well, like a nine-panel grid, a standout turning point for Batman. There are also some fun sound effects, like a KRAGHH sound placed between Joker and Batman. The sound effects, paired with the zany multiverse story idea at work, show this is a fun story meant to be a bit zany and out there. Once you accept that, it’s a lot of fun.
The weakest element of this issue is Joker, who is more of a McGuffin than anything else. He’s being billed as the main villain, but he’s running through this issue, being chased and hoping for his neck to get snapped. While seeing him relish in the pain is fun, he’s not explored much or given much to do. He’s also left off in a place that’s completely open-ended, further making his inclusion in the story more of an afterthought. Of course, this is all likely building towards Joker: Year One.
This issue also features a backup story that continues Zdarsky and Mike Hawthorne’s Vandal Savage story. He lives in the Wayne manor but is also chained to Gotham due to a meteor and its ties to his powers. Stuck in Gotham with Batman unaware, he sets out to figure out how to become the top dog as soon as possible. Seeing how Zdarsky uses backups to build up future plots or payoff ongoing subplots is compelling. Savage is a real killer, literally and figuratively, and to see him rub shoulders with super rich and powerful Gotham people is compelling. The cliffhanger is a shock, and it’ll be interesting to see what Batman does when he realizes what Savage is up to.
Hawthorne captures Savage’s oppressive nature well throughout the story. He may be wearing a suit, but the man is towering and imposing, even up against the most powerful people. A cat-and-mouse game is going on here, and while it’s somewhat drab to see a bunch of folks stand around in suits talking, Hawthorne does well to capture the battle as everyone pretends to be gentlemanly.
The craziness of the multiverse continues to send Batman into a spiral in Batman #140. This is an exciting chapter, as the creators are having much fun putting Batman through the paces while throwing him into a battle where his mind is his greatest asset. This is a great survival thriller by way of the multiverse that only Batman could resolve.
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