Review — ‘Batman’ #137 Shows A Bat-Family And Gotham Divided
by Tony Thornley
Batman #137 shows The Gotham War in full swing. It’s a story that shows the faults in Batman’s way of thinking, but also shows where he might be right.
Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles fight on the front lines.
Catwoman’s new organization has led to the death of a single father who took her direction and failed. Now Batman is tearing them apart, led by his own moral code to shut down everything she built, while his family tries to decide whose side they’re on. Catwoman’s syndicate may not be the only threat waiting to face the Dark Knight, as a mysterious new player has entered Gotham, starting with purchasing Wayne Manor!
Zdarsky seems to have finally gotten his feet underneath him on Batman. By focusing more on a more grounded idea, Batman’s competence doesn’t strain disbelief. He’s still an (above average) ordinary man taking down criminals who are only a few steps above his weight class. The philosophical debates amongst the family are interesting too. They rise above the cliche that too many Batman arguments are based on, while acknowledging them and pointing out how silly they are.
I’m so glad to see Jimenez back. He continues to grow, using a style that’s slightly more exaggerated here. It makes Bruce a terrifying creature of shadow, especially in the action sequences when Jimenez most depicts him in shadow and Morey backlights him to make him pop even more. Morey also makes Jimenez’s stylized art look realistic through how he creates light sources, and puts emphasis on certain areas of the page.
Cowles takes a very talky issue and makes it stand out. The dialogue is clean and clear on the page, a trait not a lot of letterers share.
Batman #137 is available now from DC Comics.
Overview
The Gotham War is shaping up to be something incredibly interesting, hopefully setting up exciting things to come.
