Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Art: Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 6th, 2022
The final chapter in the Failsafe arc reaches its brutal and stunning conclusion as Batman #130 by Chip Zdarsky wraps! Batman has one desperate, final option…will he walk away from it? The answer will shock you!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Batman #130 Review.
THE DISPATCH
I’ll begin with the opening of Batman #130. Now, I appreciate Zdarsky trying to explain how Batman fell from space successfully, but it was still way too far-fetched and took up way too much of the issue with the play-by-play when the focus could have been more on the emotional tones at the conclusion of the issue.
Also, the other dilemma with Zdarsky’s Batman run (overall) is that he created Failsafe to be indestructible and way too smart. So, how does one stop that? Well, the plan was to infect the robot with a new subconscious in order to change his behavior in hopes of possibly swaying his “emotions” enough to not be interested in killing Batman anymore. Plausible… I suppose… but again a bit of a reach.
Furthermore, this simply seems like the writer/ creator painting himself into a corner and needing to create a wild idea from left field in order to escape. I didn’t like this angle at all. Comic books need setup, plot points revisited, and logic. Sure, Zdarsky has given readers the play-by-play (monologuing) but ultimately at the expense of the story.
Nevertheless, the ending is rather shocking, the action is suspenseful, and the issue is thrilling. Sure, some of the plot threads are a bit overdone and way over the top. However, even with those ambitious explanations, the story was still entertaining. Do I think the cliffhanger is actually true? Nope. Not at all. Yet, Zdarsky does an outstanding job planting that seed of doubt in the reader’s mind coupled with emotional moments right before that build the cliffhanger into an exceptional moment.
ART
What’s not to like about Jorge Jimenez’s style? Batman #130 proves the sheer locational variety he can work with. This issue alone has Jimenez working in space, the Arctic, burning through the atmosphere, and also dazzling with the Failsafe design and crisp technology interface. If you have no problem suspending your belief and want to see Batman in epic proportions “being Batman”, this issue is for you. With each and every issue, I look more and more forward to Jimenez’s work in this book. It is a huge highlight and complements Zdarsky’s style well.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Batman #130 slyly addresses a key component of the character, his compassion. Ultimately, Zdarsky views Batman as a hard-nosed, super-intelligent, tactical genius that’s an elite combatant and capable of stopping any hero on the planet given enough time. Yet, what readers will witness is that Zdarsky deems the one characteristic that not only holds the Dark Knight together but also separates him from a maniacal psychopath, which is Batman’s compassion. And that’s something Failsafe doesn’t have. So, when the last-ditch effort to infuse Failsafe with compassion… failed, it very well could be the plot thread that saved this issue and struck gold.
Sure, the overly comic book science-esque narration and play-by-play weighed down the issue making it almost silly at times. However, the suspense and high-level thrills will keep readers locked in just long enough to overcome the beginning ridiculousness that kicks off Batman #130. Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!