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It ’s hard to believe it , but it ’s the end of anotherBatmanera now that Chip Zdarsky ’s run has finally come to an end . It ’s been a wild brace of years , but are fan going to look back on this chapter lovingly ?
It seems only like yesterday that Zdarsky made headline when he claim over DC Comics ' flagship championship . From the get - go , the writerthrust Batman into ahigh - octane adventure that control him go to the ends of the Earth and beyond . From multiversal adventures to numerous wars for Gotham ’s destiny , Bruce Wayne go through a slew under Zdarsky ’s direction . But now that all ’s said and done , what can be said of this protracted and dynamic ravel ?
Chip Zdarsky’sBatmanWas All Gas, No Brakes
The Dark Knight’s Book Became a Non-Stop Adventure
When Zdarsky began his Batman streamlet , he started with the nail - biting " Failsafe " arc , which put in Batman ’s greatest contingence , an androidmeant to halt Batmanat any costs . After the Penguin fakes his death in rules of order to frame Batman , Failsafe springs into military action where it tail Batman until it uses a weapon to send Batman to another worldly concern . This begins the " Bat - Man of Gotham " electric arc , where Bruce finds himself in a twisted translation of Gothamthat ’s under the control of Red Mask , a ‘ sane ’ Joker variant conducting multiversal experimentation to break his mind to be just like his Prime counterpart .
See Batman ’s battle against Red Mask in the spectacularBatman # 900 !
Batman eventually makes it back home , but Bruce ’s backup persona , the Batman of Zur - En - Arrh , start to push Bruce to make more extreme choices . After the " Gotham War " crossover withCatwoman , Bruce isolates himself from his kinsfolk to take down the Joker once and for all . However , Batman is taken hostage by Zur - En - Arrh , now inhabiting the Failsafe body . This leads into the " Dark Prisons " bow where Zur - En - Arrh attempts to seize control of Gotham , but the Bat - Family reunites and defeats Batman ’s evil doppelganger . regrettably , the Failsafe android is recovered by Amanda Waller , who takes it for her campaign inAbsolute Power .
Zdarsky’sBatmantied in withAbsolute PowerwithBatman # 150 - 152and saw Bruce and Selina embark on a heist to slip a Mother Box . After Waller is stopped , Bruce returns to Gotham and Zdarsky ’s last arc , “ The Dying City ” begins . Bruce ’s attempts to regenerate Gotham are stymied when the Court of Owls , run by Russian asset Leonid Kull . Not only does Kull manipulate Riddler into creating software program that can hack the most secure software on the planet , but Kull also brings out the worst in Gothamby having Batman ’s old opposition KGBeast put as a psychopathologic new hero , Commander Star .
Zdarsky’sBatmanHad Lots of Little Moments That Really Defined the Run
Shocking Developments That Had Fans Doing Double Takes
While the primary storyline was all non - stop dangerous undertaking , there were a few points in the run that slow down down , often to drop a few bombs that took readers by surprise . For example , after " Gotham War",Batman # 139 - 141featured a backup story called " The Savage Garden of Gotham " , which focused on Vandal Savage , whose immortality became drug-addicted on him staying in Gotham . In this write up , Savage was brought to the attending of Kull , who began plotting to have Savage installed as Gotham City ’s Police Commissioner .
… every malign act the Joker has ever done has all been in the name of aerate the Batman of Zur - En - Arrh …
One of the biggest modification - ups to the overall narration wasBatman # 142 - 144’s"The jokester : Year One " plot line . This was the only arc during Zdarsky ’s run that was set firmly in unlike time flow ( both the past and futurity ) . It also connected to Zdarsky ’s former workplace , Batman : The Knight , unveil that the Joker was trained by one of Batman ’s former mentor , Dr. Daniel Captio . Most surprisingly , this storyline led to the impact revealing that every evil number the Joker has ever done has all beenin the name of trip the Batman of Zur - En - Arrh , who Joker sees as the real Batman .
While these alterations to the Joker ’s past tense with Batman inspired a bit of online debate , some of the slower storey were a circle more well - received . Batman # 150 , for instance , featured a story called “ Be Better ” , which saw a former henchman named Teddy try out to make a profit off of Batman ’s hugger-mugger identity element , only to learn the genuine impact Batman has on people and the biotic community . It was a heartfelt account thatstood out from the non - stop action and adventure that so define Zdarsky ’s time onBatman .
Zdarsky’sBatmanWas a Decent Run
Not Every Plot Point Worked, But When It Was Good, It Was Good
If there ’s one matter that Zdarsky can be commended for , it ’s that his book always deliver on the action . From Batman ’s intense fights with Failsafe , to Red Mask , to Commander Star , they always showed off Bruce ’s skill and his ingeniousness , even when he wound up losing ( like inBatman # 141 ) . That being said , sometimes the activity scene got a niggling over - the - top , even for Batman . Heck , inBatman # 130,the Dark Knight falls from the moon and lives , which was too far for even the most hard-core Batman devotee .
There ’s also something to be said for how much the Failsafe / Zur - En - Arrh storyline adopt up , which is at least half the run . It ’s a fun idea , but anyone who ’s not onboard with the conception from the first electric discharge is n’t exactly going to like much more of Zdarsky ’s run . And , of course , “ Gotham War ” annoy a lot of devotee due to how out - of - character Batman act , even if he was being misrepresent by his alter self at the time . But for every one of the swing Zdarsky made that did n’t work , there were ones that did that make it a worthwhile run .
When Zdarsky ’s story slowed down and actually had characters talk to one another , it was incredibly solid . Batman # 149spends the full issue having Batman talking with his perish knockoff , and it ’s one of the best issue in the total run . Same with “ Be Better ” orBatman # 157with Bruce and Commissioner Gordon ’s final talk . There was a real human touch that Zdarsky bring to this corner of the DC Universe and though the action bewilder the glare , it ’s the humanity within thisBatmanrun that ’s ultimately going to help it be remembered .
