Chip Zdarsky's run on Batman came to an end in February but I've only now got a chance to catch up.
Zdarsky has done a lot of crazy shit during his time writing Batman.
- Batman vs. Failsafe, a super powered android Batman himself created.
- Batman survives a fall... from OUTER SPACE?!?!
- Batman gets shifted across the multiverse to an Earth with an even worse Gotham City than the one he came from.
- Batman gets his hand chopped off.
- Batman now as a robot hand?!?
- Batman vs. Catwoman?!?!
- Batman vs. his emergency back up personality, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.
As writer Justin Epps wrote "Chip Zdarsky's Batman was all gas, no brakes." And that strikes me as a fairly adept assessment of this run of Batman stories.
Which brings us to Chip Zdarsky’s last arc, “The Dying City”.
Bruce Wayne is putting a crap ton of money into revitalizing Gotham City. Which should be a good thing, a billionaire spending money to help the common good instead of in selfish indulgence.
So why are there angry protestors outside of Wayne Enterprises?
It seems the very people Bruce is trying to help have been indoctrinated by the media that he's some kind of communist giving stuff to people who have not earned it.
It seems the Court of Owls is back and up to all sorts of sketchy shit, manipulating the media and the alleged legitimate business of Edward (the Riddler) Nygma. Which includes the mind control tech created by Jervis (The Mad Hatter) Tetch.
And the Court of Owls is being controlled by a Russian spy named Leonid Kull.
And Mayor Nakano gets murdered and the man who pulled the trigger appears to be former police commissioner turned private detective Jim Gordon.
Who by the way was having an affair with Nakano's wife so yeah, that doesn't look good.
Speaking of affairs, Bruce finds out his father Thomas had one with a nurse who has a son who may well be Bruce's heretofore unknown step brother who might be looking for a stake in the Wayne family fortiune. (Spoiler: DNA tests show he is not the progeny of Thomas Wayne. But the affair still happened.)
And I forgot to mention the immortal villain Vandal Savage is the current police commissioner? Really?
And Savage wants Batman arrested but he loves Gotham's new super hero, the patriotically themed "America First!" Commander Star!
Command Star is actually a Russian asset formerly known as KGBeast.
All gas, no brakes indeed!
"The Dying City" ends Chip Zdarky's reign on Batman as it began with an high octane, adrenaline fueled rush of ideas and action.
Chip has left a few things that will need to be dealt with. Vandal Savage is still the police commissioner and that's not good for anyone.
Opinions online differ regarding Chip Zdarky's Batman, some favorable, others not. As for me, I can't say I was ever bored.
Sometimes I think Chip went too far.
Batman survives a fall... from OUTER SPACE!!!
Oh come on now! How ridiculous is that?
But on the other hand... wow! Batman survives a fall from outer space? How cool is that?
Batman by Chip Zdardsky was challenging and different and more often than not, a lot of fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment