BATMAN #131 wastes no time deploying DC's restored infinite earths

THIS WEEK: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths restored DC Comics’ full, limitless multiverse, and now in Batman #131, the writer’s flagship title is making use of it. Plus, Gotham City: Year One #4 continues a wonderful superhero noir, and Sword of Azrael #6 is a revelatory finale.

Note: the critiques beneath include spoilers. If you desire a fast, spoiler-free purchase/go advice on the comics in query, try the underside of the article for our last verdict.

Batman #131

Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Pencils: Mike Hawthorne
Inks: Adriano Di Benedetto
Colors: Tomeu Morey
Letters: Clayton Cowles
Back-Up Art: Miguel Mendonça
Back-Up Colors: Roman Stevens

Last month, DC Comics’ wonderful 2022 occasion, Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, wrapped up, leaving the writer’s shared superhero world with a fully-restored infinite multiverse, identical to the one it had till the unique Crisis destroyed it almost 40 years in the past. Throughout the occasion, I used to be so caught up within the packed story and completely killer paintings, that I didn’t cease to suppose an excessive amount of about what this might imply shifting ahead. Well, with this week’s Batman #131, we have already got a high-profile DC collection making fascinating use of the brand new (previous) infinite multiverse.

The finish of the final Batman arc noticed Bruce seemingly eviscerated (although if you happen to believed that, c’mon) by Failsafe, a robotic he constructed to cease him ought to he ever break unhealthy. This challenge picks up from the second of Bruce’s fake obliteration, exhibiting us that he’s really been dropped right into a Gotham City the place no one acknowledges him. Indeed, the place there may be no Batman in any respect. Essentially, all indications are that Bruce constructed a robotic to ship himself sprawling by the multiverse, to an Earth we’ve by no means seen earlier than.

And Batman #131 performs this concept out in addition to any alternate world story. We see some acquainted faces, we see a few of our hero staggering round searching for one thing to assist him, and we see a metropolis that’s recognizably Gotham, simply tweaked by the absence of a Batman. It’s all nice, and, maybe extra importantly, it’s an thrilling indication that each one creators working with the DC Universe have the greenlight to go to whichever infinite earth their story requires. I imply, if the all-important flagship Batman title is doing it, what’s to cease anybody else?

At the identical time, although, a part of this challenge can also be devoted to the prime Earth, the place the Tim Drake Robin was left behind on the scene of Bruce’s defeat. In the primary story, it’s only a fast two panels — one which exhibits Tim alarmed; one other that exhibits Failsafe taking pictures the purple ray that did this — however that’s augmented by a fully essential back-up story that delves deeper into what’s occurring within the wake of Bruce’s disappearance. This, to me, is the best what to make use of back-up tales, supporting however not feeling redundant with the primary plot.

All that apart, the query is then whether or not Batman #131 is entertaining by itself deserves, and for me, the reply is a sure. There’s a tool used on this comedian the place Bruce — his head scrambled by “some sort of Multiverse poisoning, like a decompression sickness” — is imagining that he’s speaking to the pipe-smoking, purple mustachioed skeleton of Jim Gordon, clad in his signature trench coat. It’s a fantastic machine that provides a enjoyable wrinkle to the standard information by the multiverse that exhibits up in the sort of comedian. Kudos to Chip Zdarsky for the way he scripts Commissioner Skeleton, and to Mike Hawthorne, Adriano Di Benedetto, and Tomeu Morey, who completely crush the design and expressions.

Most importantly, although, I discover myself eagerly awaiting the subsequent challenge of the Batman flagship comedian, which is at all times a enjoyable place to be.

Verdict: BUY

‘…This is Gotham.” — The Round-Up

Phew, I certain am having fun with Gotham City: Year One, which releases its fourth challenge this week. First and foremost, that is only a well-executed noir detective story that feels evocative of the Old Hollywood in all the things from its dialogue to the attitude selections. Secondly, it’s a extremely fascinating have a look at city decay, one which doesn’t let Gotham City’s most well-known rich household — the Wayne’s — off the hook. No, it as a substitute immediately implicates them. Four points in, the narrative framing machine — Slam Bradley on the age of 94 is writing a letter to presumably present day Bruce Wayne — is slowly unfurling in a extremely satisfying approach. This e-book can also be an fascinating curiosity for long-time Batman followers. While it doesn’t incorporate an excessive amount of lore and it definitely doesn’t depend on it, it does have some actually wonderful small particulars, together with on this particular challenge, the origin of Crime Alley. It all provides as much as a collection that’s near the highest of my record of favourite issues at DC Comics proper now. I’m additionally to see how this collection reads in full, particularly because it pertains to Batman: Year One, which it borrows a part of its identify from. I’ve a hunch this e-book could also be aiming to be a companion piece. Gotham City: Year One is written by Tom King, with pencils by Phil Hester, inks by Eric Gapstur, colours by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Clayton Cowles.
Sword of Azrael #6 is the finale for a miniseries that’s about nearly as good as superhero comics miniseries can get. Through the course of those six points, this story has doubled down on what has lengthy made the character fascinating, match neatly into ongoing shared continuity, included fascinating and sensical parts of the broader DC Universe (the Angel field!), and left the lead in a extra fascinating place than the place we first discovered him. Simply put, this one checks all of the packing containers for me, and I extremely suggest choosing it up in commerce if you happen to missed it.
So, it’s in all probability tough to consider new disturbing issues for The Joker to do in any case these years, I get that. But this week’s The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 has him bouncing round a most cancers ward for kids, making jokes at their expense (he calls one child present process chemo “a potato” and tells all of them to ask for higher toys as a result of mother and father can’t say no to dying youngsters) — and I personally didn’t take care of it. I get that The Joker is evil, however, man, I certain don’t need to learn somebody (even a dastardly villain) making gentle of dying youngsters in a superhero comedian e-book. I’m not going to decry the creators for taking a threat right here, even when I discovered it cheesy and distasteful, however I’ll say that for me the execution didn’t finally justify the selection. Ultimately, these jokes took me out of the story. This challenge was written by Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated by Carmine Di Giandomenico (with a back-up drawn by Francesco Francavilla), coloured by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Nick Filardi, and lettered by Tom Napolitano.