Being a master strategist, Batman is known for his contingencies, with his backup plans having backups of their own. It is one of the reasons why the Dark Knight created Failsafe, a robotic version of himself who would relentlessly pursue Bruce until it has accomplished its mission: ending the legacy of the Bat once and for all. But when Batman adds compassion to the equation, instead of a painful death, Failsafe sends Bruce traveling through the multiverse and into a world where Gotham City has no savior. Written by Chip Zdarsky with artwork from Mike Hawthorne and Adriano Di Benedetto, colors by Tomeu Morey, and letters from Clayton Cowles, DC’s Batman #132 is a time for hard truths and new facts.
Batman #132 dives deep into this unique Gotham City, where a militaristic police force questions people’s sanity and throws them into Arkham Asylum as the elite class turns a blind eye to the streets. Bruce teams up with Jewel to help people escape the GCPD’s atrocities and lead them to an underground society. But as hope wanes, so does Jewel’s resilience to the stress. Bruce decides to infiltrate the Athena Towers, home of the rich and powerful, to learn more about the city’s underbelly. Meanwhile, Tim Drake makes a breakthrough in his case in the backup as he inches closer to finding his mentor in the multiverse.
While the previous issue takes Gotham to a new low, Batman #132 explores the reason behind the city’s spiral into madness. Here, Bruce Wayne serves as the eyes and ears of the audience. Fans experience this alien version of Gotham along with the hero. Bruce’s narration gives insight into the always calculated mind of Batman, grounding the unnatural in reality until something truly breaks his focus. Letterer Clayton Cowles balances the inner monologue with dialogue to make simple scenes tense and dramatic. Meanwhile, Zdarsky places Tim Drake at the center of the backup story as love blossoms even amidst the sci-fi detective work.
Artist Mike Hawthorne replaces the Gothic architecture of Prime Earth Gotham with the brick and mortar of tenement houses. The stark disparity of the classes can be seen from the illustrations as the slums and alleys overfill under the shadow of modern buildings and highrises. Adriano Di Benedetto’s inks give depth to the artwork, creating a three-dimensional space for the action to thrive. The colors are generally flat and bright, but Tomeu Morey shows his versatility by incorporating softer tones when the story goes down a moody road. In the other story, Miguel Mendonca uses his gristly inking and clean contour lines to give the characters intimidating poses, with colorist Roman Stevens highlighting the sci-fi elements with bright and dazzling colors.
Even though the plot does not move much farther from where it left off, the pacing of Batman #132 is bound to leave readers’ hearts pounding. Much of it has to do with the martial arts action on display as Bruce fends off one attack after the other. His body broken and mind fractured, Bruce remembers the vow that kept him going all these years. The vow that strikes fear in the hearts of every evildoer who keeps the common man afraid and innocents locked away. As Tim makes a breakthrough, so does Bruce a multiverse away, making Batman #132 a turning point in the second arc of Zdarsky’s ongoing run.
