Art by: Jorge Jimenez
Colors by: Tomeu Morey
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Jorge Jimenez
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 6, 2022
Batman #130 finds the Caped Crusader lost in orbit after Failsafe's destruction of the Justice League's moon base. Can Batman make it back to Earth in one piece? Is there anyone left to help him stop the unstoppable?
Is It Good?
I'm not gonna lie. Chip Zdarsky's Failsafe arc is some of the best Batman we've had in recent years... until this issue. Batman #130 is where Zdarsky's story, as the kids say, jumps the shark.
When last we left Batman in issue #129, he was ejected away from the Moon after a cataclysmic explosion in the abandoned JL moon base, leaving Batman in a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.
How does Batman survive this particular pickle? He glides back down to Earth in a series of maneuvers that should have killed him ten times over before landing. Look, it's one thing to have a miracle come out of the blue to save the day, but it's another to come up with such an implausible, unbelievable method of survival that you're rolling your eyes halfway through its execution.
Zdarsky painted Batman into a corner and got him out by simply ignoring the paint. The resolution to this cliffhanger is such a ridiculous disappointment, you almost don't want to finish the book.
Batman "lands" near the Fortress of Solitude where Superman is still recovering from his first fight with Failsafe, and the two hatches a plan to stop Failsafe for good. Does the plan work? Yes, no, maybe... I'm still determining. The fight ends in an "oh, Snap!" moment that looks cool but is too ambiguous to say for sure.
Jimenez and Morey do stellar work in this issue. While the story direction for the first half is ridiculous, the art team makes it looks cool, and that's all anyone should want or need in a comic.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Batman #130 tops the impossible cliffhanger from issue #129 with a rescue/survival resolution that's patently ridiculous to the point of infuriating. In a series brimming with clever writing and cool action, this finale to the first part of the Failsafe arc is a massive disappointment.
The story itself is totally ridiculous - not just the ending. Just absurd.
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