Batman #148 Comic Review

Written by: Chip Zdarsky Art by: Jorge Jimenez Colors by: Tomeu Morey Letters by: Clayton Cowles Cover art by: Jorge Jimenez (cover A) Cover price: $4.99 Release date: June 4, 2024 Batman #148 concludes Batman's conflict with Failsafe by gathering his family for a desperate and risky assault on Blackgate Prison.  Is Batman #148 Good? Well, that was fast and a tad bit confusing. Chip Zdarsky brings the on-again/off-again conflict with FailSafe to a seemingly definitive end that sets everything almost back to the status quo in Gotham City. Does this issue mark a turning point that lays the foundation for Absolute Power? Maybe, but not in the way you think. When last we left Bruce Wayne in Batman #147 , Bruce regrouped in an off-the-grid cabin in the woods, giving him time to invent a new Bat-suit. The only Robin with the know-how to figure out Bruce's hiding spot and bring him supplies was Tim Drake . Meanwhile, Damian eventually figured out Failsafe wasn't really his father, but before he could stop the unstoppable robot, Damian was captured . Failsafe then introduced Damian to his own Robin, a younger, cloned version of Bruce Wayne. In Batman #148, we begin with a brief flashback showing the subtle manipulations Daniel Captio used to convince a young Bruce Wayne why the Zur En Arrh construct was a necessary safeguard to protect the life he was building. Eventually, young Bruce agreed to follow Captio's guidance, leading to the chaos we see today . Now, Mayor Nakano and the new Police Commissioner Vandal Savage (no, it doesn't make sense) exchange heated words over Batman's authoritarian moves. The Failbots guard every road in and out of the city, and a forcefield around the border prevents outside intervention. Failsafe has cut Gotham off from the rest of the world. However, Savage is old enough to know when to call in reinforcements, so he reaches out to Amanda Waller. Elsewhere, the real Batman calls in his Robins to strategize a plan of attack while Batgirl and Signal battle with the Failbots blocking the roadways. The plan is simple - hit Failsafe with a coordinated attack between Batman and Red Hood while Nightwing taps into Blackgate's network for a cyber-attack, and Tim Drake frees Damian. Surprisingly, the plan works exactly as intended. Tim frees Damian so the two Robins can gang up on and defeat the young Bruce Wayne clone. Nightwing gives Oracle the opening she needs to destroy Failsafe's machine designed to "cure" Batman's Rogues. Batman and Red Hood attack Captio and Failsafe head-on, but there's a tweest . Red Hood is killed when he takes a direct hit to the face by Failsafe. However, Jason's death was part of the plan as Bruce worked in a small amount of Lazarus serum in his suit to resurrect him. Failsafe, recognizing he killed someone, completely shuts down, and Captio gets knocked out. Commence the hero pose of the Bat Family, finishing with "The End." "Wait! What? Failsafe is deactivated? No Cliffhanger? All that buildup and all it took was for Failsafe to kill someone? What if it had killed Batman in any previous battle?" you might smartly ask. These are all good questions. Sadly, Chip Zdarsky addresses none of them. You could presume that Amanda Waller arrives to clean up the mess and confiscates Failsafe to do with as she's fit, but none of that presumption is confirmed or denied here. In effect, this is one of the most unsatisfying and rushed endings I've seen in some time, and that's saying something regarding DC. This ending has all the hallmarks of Zdarsky getting orders from on high to wrap it up to make way for what comes next, whether he has room to tell the story or not. What's great about Batman #148? For better or worse, Batman is back in Gotham, his relationship with Jason appears to be on the mend, and the Bat Family got to try on a bunch of nifty new versions of their classic costumes. What's not so great about Batman #148? In fairness, most of the pieces line up, but you left with several glaring omissions. If all it took for Failsafe to shut down was to kill someone, couldn't have Batman faked his death or the death of another very early on? Why do the Robins have new suits? Captio utters another "magic" phrase, but it doesn't appear to do anything but cause Bruce a brief bit of pain. What was the point? What was the curing machine supposed to do to Batman's Rogues? Is Vandal Savage still the commish and the owner of Wayne Manor now that the story is completely done ? Why did Zdarsky bring in Vandal Savage when he effectively did nothing? The more you noodle over Zdarsky's run, the more you find one dangling thread after another that made no sense, didn't develop, or got wrapped up in the shortest of shortcuts. How's the Art? Jimenez does a great job of giving readers exciting, action-packed visuals with dramatic panels and strong character acting. Plus, the new Robin costumes may not be everyone's cup of tea, but they look cool enough for the moment, although we'll likely never see them again. About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com , a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers. Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube , Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter Final Thoughts Batman #148  brings Chip Zdarsky's first major villain arc to a close with big fights, family hugs, great art, and a slapdash sprint to wrap it all up in time for Absolute Power. Never in the annals of comic history has a villain with so much potential been so utterly squandered. 5.8/10 We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:  Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics If you're interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we. Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.