Batman #126 by DC enters part two of its two tales and neither one slows down. Chip Zdarsky writes both stories in this issue. Jorge Jimenez performs art on the main story with Belen Ortega on the second featuring Catwoman. Tomeu Morey and Luis Guerrero lay down colors, with letters done on both tales by Clayton Cowles. Last issue the Failsafe robot activated in the Batcave while Batman was accused of murdering a hospitalized Penguin and Time Drake took one for the team…in the neck.
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But after this issue opens with Bruce describing how proud he is of his shadowy family, and how they are better because they dream, we find out Tim is alive, and back on patrol. This does not sit well with Batman, who is going through issues pertaining to last issue’s Joker dream. This appears to be a thread with Batman right now. The distracted mind, getting slower, references to him being an old man here and in Detective Comics #1062. While they may be caused by different storylines, it will be interesting to see if there is an overall long goal to this subplot. I doubt we’re seeing the slow decline of Bruce Wayne until he can no longer be the Dark Knight, but who knows.
Batman #126 drops the same dark, deeply inked, terrific art by Jimenez with some additional colors from Morey as the Batman Family joins in once Failsafe introduces its fists to Batman’s anatomy. The ‘Failsafe’ story’s second arc is primarily a smackdown on Gotham’s cracked streets with a lot of visual flairs, inky black shadows, and detailed colors with a smattering of poppy SFX lettering that puts Bruce on the defensive. There isn’t as much to chew on, though Batman’s thoughts throughout are well worth the read, as is the cool white-on-red lettering for Failsafe’s cringe AI words. This issue definitely spoils the eyes thanks to the art team, and the ending of Part Two is as disturbing as it is magnificent.
‘Two Birds, One Throne,’ Part Two jumps the Catwoman story of finding Penguin’s illegitimate heirs for a full two weeks. Selena’s quest keeps going nowhere, as now someone has taken to murdering the Penguin’s children, and most are now deceased.
You may think that would be the end of it. But at the reading of the will by the (still very cool) robot Executor, new faces arrive to challenge who gets the dead criminal’s fortune and his infamous Iceberg Lounge. It put a neat spin on the story that foreshadows things are about to get much worse, with Catwoman caught in the middle. I love that Selena flipped the game on Executor by wanting to help the mothers of Penguin’s kids, who likely never got a dime from the old bird. Great story and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
Batman #126 is superb in the stacked talent and the two great stories it puts forward. While I doubt it will end in a few months with the end of Batman, it does leave me wondering what will be left of him once all is said and done, and what status will Catwoman have in the Underworld is equally appealing. I highly recommend this issue because it’s really going places.
Batman #126 is available wherever comic books are sold.
Batman #126
TL;DR
Batman #126 is superb in the stacked talent and the two great stories it puts forward. While I doubt it will end in a few months with the end of Batman, it does leave me wondering what will be left of him once all is said and done, and what status will Catwoman have in the Underworld is equally appealing. I highly recommend this issue because it’s really going places.
