A new story arc begins in Batman #145, spinning directly out of the recently finished “Joker: Year One”. It’s a story picking up where we left off four issues ago, and Batman is jailed alongside Joker. Can he break out, let alone maintain his sanity with the clown prince of crime shacked up with him? I guess we’ll find out.
Batman #145 opens with Bruce Wayne calling Joker a liar. It’s a great transition from “Joker: Year One”, as that entire three-issue arc was Joker recalling a tale of Batman. It also recontextualizes things a bit. First off, maybe the last three issues were riddled with lies. Can we trust Joker? Second, it places us right back where we left off nicely as the story is over, and now it’s time to face Failsafe. If you don’t know, Failsafe is a robot Batman created as a failsafe in case he were ever to die. It’s as good as he is, only indestructible and never needing rest. Now it’s running amok in Gotham, and as this issue reveals, pretending to be the real Batman.
With Batman stuck under Black Gate prison with Joker, most of the rest of the issue reveals Failsafe’s first moves in Gotham. That includes a confrontation with Red Hood, who was recently seriously messed with by Batman and quite raw from it. Writer Chip Zdarsky is quite good at calling back to previous arcs, and this issue is no different. While comics are tied in story arcs, one can see a long game playing out nicely here.
That includes Zdarsky’s excellent Batman: The Knight miniseries, which revealed all of Batman’s mentors. That includes a man who helped train Batman to control his mind and create the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Expect a sighting of him in this issue, which plays a big part in the backup as well.
The odd couple.
Credit: DC Comics
Possibly the most intriguing element of all the drama circling Failsafe is how the bat-family reacts to it. Will they actually believe Bruce was capable of putting his consciesness into a machine, or will they refuse the notion and fight Failsafe? Considering Damian’s reaction to this issue, it might be mixed how they react.
On the reverse side, the drama of Failsafe taking over loses a bit of the wind in its sails due to him already trying to usurp Batman. It’s a bit circular how we went from Failsafe beating down everyone in the bat-family to now back and taking over Gotham again. That said, he’s trying a different tactic.
Jorge Jimenez’s art continues to be incredible in his awesome blockbuster style, rendered with incredible detail. He’s impressive at the punching and kicking stuff and facial expressions. In a key moment we see all the bat-family reacting to a message from Failsafe. In a smallish panel, we get a feel for all their reactions via facial expressions and body language. Meanwhile, Failsafe’s design is pretty damn cool. It’s impossibly skinny, which helps convey it’s not human and is almost reminiscent of a Riley Rossmo sleekness. Its ability to create a screen on its face, then in another moment pull down a mask and raise its ears adds an alien quality to it. The tech is super advanced, obviously.
The backup by Zdarsky and Michele Bandini will please Joker fans and Batman history. It’s the start of a story that will clearly weave in new wrinkles as far as Joker’s key moments in the past. Zdarsky has cleverly set up a reason to explore some of Joker’s most insane and dramatic story arcs. I’d be nervous about a writer possibly recontextualizing big Batman moments in history, but I’m pretty sure we’re in good hands with Zdarsky. Bandini’s curvy style seems to calm you, which helps in the trust department.
Batman #145 continues to make bold moves in a story that is clearly a long game for Zdarsky’s Batman run. It’s a Batman run that’s bold, visually stunning, and playing the long game.
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