To say that Chip Zdarsky has been doing an incredible job on this Batman run would be a little bit of an understatement. His first batch of issues building up the threat of Failsafe and ultimately culminating in a wild cliffhanger at the end of Batman #130, which left the fate of Gotham’s hero an explosive question mark, were thrilling and introspective in a way that brought a freshness to the title without sacrificing any of the familiarity of the iconic character. The issues were, in a very tangible way, a fine example of how you do a dark Batman story without succumbing to too much darkness. This week’s Batman #131 picks up from that cliffhanger and plunges the story deeper into the darkness. While it’s a move that might feel like it operates counter to the idea of balance Zdarsky created up to now, the result is an intriguing detour from what Batman fans might expect even if this first installment is a little slow to get off the ground.
