Batman may be DC’s most iconic and recognizable character, but he’s also one of the most complex and for many, therein lies the problem. In recent years several very talented writers (and artists) have taken on the Dark Knight across various Batman title runs, but while they all possessed strengths, they also all fell short when it came to nuances. There’s either too much emotion or not enough, an over-reliance on random new supporting characters, and even a little too much “recalibrating,” as it were, depending on who is behind the issue. Somewhere along the way, Batman—and Bruce Wayne—have gotten muddied to a mess of abstracts without the grit and heart that made the character iconic. Now, with Batman #125, Chip Zdarsky is taking his turn with the title and if this first issue is any indication, Zdarsky is delivering a Batman that is both fantastically complex and richly nuanced all while dialing up the grit, action, and tension in a fashion that more than delivers on expectations.
