After 30+ issues, Chip Zdarsky’s BATMAN run comes to an end.
As I’ve said these past few issues (and during this arc), the writer has finally delivered what I was expecting when he came to the title in issue #125. “The Dying City” has been a fun arc with good character moments, twists, and messages.
In the finale, Batman is trying to take (air) control of the Russian situation, leading to a bloody confrontation with last month’s big reveal, KG Beast. Gordon is stuck in the bombing aftermath with The Riddler, Jervis Tetch is still in play, and that maybe/possibly relative of Bruce’s gets some one-on-one.
This arc benefits from revisiting the previous issues. It was taking me some time to connect threads here, to see the whole picture. While Zdarsky does a good jump of wrapping everything up, I can’t help but notice some of the underserved plotlines that seemed pretty important early on. The big one is this Thomas Wayne affair and the after-effects. Now, this is my least favorite thing (by far) in this arc, and honestly think we could have done without it. There is some good messaging at the end of the issue, however, that is a bright spot.
The Batman?KG Beast fight is as advertised: big, violent, and bloody. Commander Star’s debut at the beginning of this arc initially had my eyes rolling. Though I’d reached a point of being done with Zdarsky, I wasn’t dismissive going to see this through. And I’m glad I have. Last month’s reveal was a nice “Ah ha!” That makes me want to revisit the first issues. The fight was a good way to give us some peak Batman taking on a physically-matched opponent.
Gordon’s redemption is a nice point, as is Bullock’s defying orders for the greater good. The issue ending with Batman and Gordon on a rooftop is “classic Batman” material that allows us to reset the craziness of these past 30 issues.
Art duties were a blend of Tony S. Daniel and Jorge Jimenez, and what a blend it was. Readers with keen eyes can spot which artist is on what page, but the whole issue flows seamlessly. Both artists were given fun moments to draw and excelled. This is a good-looking comic.
Overall, Zdarsky ends his run with his strongest story, and ties up his plot lines with a nice bow, clearing the runway for next month’s return of one of Batman’s strongest writers and one of comics’ greatest talents. – Ryan Lower
GRADE: B+
