After his skirmish with Failsafe, Batman finds himself in an alternate Gotham City — one without the Dark Knight. Batman #133 follows Bruce Wayne as he tries to find a way home, while Tim Drake searches for his mentor. The issue consists of two stories: “The Bat-Man of Gotham: Part Three” — written by Chip Zdarsky, with art by Mike Hawthorne, Tomeu Morey, and lettering by Clayton Cowles — and the backup, “Toy Box: Part 3” by Zdarsky and Cowles, with art by Miguel Mendonça and coloring by Roman Stevens.
Red Mask controls this alternate Gotham, but Batman isn’t prepared to sit around and let chaos reign on his watch. He creates a new makeshift suit and does what he knows best — fighting crime. In the backup story, Tim continues his search for Bruce while dealing with the dastardly Toyman.
Zdarsky’s writing in Batman #133 is evocative of comics from the early 2000s — for better or worse. The ideas are grand and try to do something different with the book’s direction; however, they also come at the cost of a rational story at critical points. While the plot does move forward in this issue, it doesn’t feel like the Dark Knight is in a hurry to get back home, which feels odd in the context of the arc.
On the other hand, the backup story is more straightforward, without sacrificing its sense of humor or fun. While Zdarsky does throw narrative curveballs into the main story, Tim’s quest to find Bruce remains more compelling than the alternate Gotham adventures.
Hawthorne doesn’t miss a beat when crafting Zdarsky’s wild world. The artist commits to every left-field idea and gives Batman #133 a distinct aesthetic that has been missing in the title for a long time. Hawthorne’s illustration of the makeshift Batsuit is also easy on the eyes, evoking memories of Robert Pattinson’s suit from The Batman and Gary Frank’s design from Batman: Earth One. In fact, it isn’t too difficult to imagine McFarlane Toys turning this look into an action figure in the near future.
Di Benedetto’s inks and Morey’s colors elevate Hawthorne’s art with bold lines and bolder colors. Morey, in particular, commits to this alternate Gotham by utilizing a wealth of brighter shades that weren’t present in the title previously. Much like Hawthorne’s art, this helps to create a unique visual appearance for the issue. Cowles brings his end of the bargain here, too. The letterer infuses a wealth of colorful sound effects in the panels that wouldn’t look out of place in Batman ’66 — especially in the opening scene.
For the backup story, the art team of Mendonça, Stevens, and Cowles apply an idiosyncratic — yet still marvelous — approach. It serves its purpose in demonstrating that Tim and Bruce’s missions are different. However, there will be a point of convergence down the line. In addition, the creative team do a remarkable job of emphasizing just how terrifying Toyman really is as a villain.
Overall, the third installment of “The Bat-Man of Gotham” keeps the story moving, but seems to intentionally drag its feet in sections. Batman #133 remains a beautiful book to page through and behold. There are a few mysteries begging to be uncovered, and they could hold the key to accelerating the pace and excitement of this story.
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