Batman, Vol. 4: Dark Prisons

Batman by Chip Zdarsky

by Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard, Kelly Thompson

No weapons, no allies...What hope does Batman have now?!

Batman's struggle against Zur, the demonic personality locked within Bruce's mind, has culminated in the activation of Failsafe, a homicidal robot Batman who now stalks the streets of Gotham doling out "real justice." Meanwhile, the real Batman is trapped within his own mind, literally and metaphorically, rallying as best he can against the traps he'd inadvertently laid for himself. But how can Batman defeat Batman? And what about his family, now left under the charge of an out-of-control robot with all of Batman's skills and none of his morals?

Collects Batman #145-152

Genres: Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

264 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2025

About the author

Chip Zdarsky is a Canadian comic book artist and journalist. He was born Steve Murray but is known by his fan base as Chip Zdarsky, and occasionally Todd Diamond. He writes and illustrates an advice column called Extremely Bad Advice for the Canadian national newspaper National Post's The Ampersand, their pop culture section's online edition. He is also the creator of Prison Funnies and Monster Cops.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Molly™☺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst the direction modern Batman has decided to take feels, at times, like a spit in the face of the 'good ol' days', there is a surprising amount to like here from a Batfamily perspective. It's those small moments between Bruce and the kids that shine amongst a lackluster story. The new lore adds nothing of note, and instead feels kinda like a backstep when considering all of the character development Bruce has been through throughout the years. 

actual rating 2.5 stars

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally. This has been my favourite book of this series. I will admit I was getting more and more confused with the other book as to where they were leading. This book draws the lines together.

Beaten and imprisoned physically, mentally, and emotionally surrounded by enemies, a robot based on Batman/Bruce's worst/true self on the loose, Batman does what he does rises up to the challenge. However, he does have one advantage that Failsafe does not.

This book was worth the wait for the series. I was a bit annoyed that I didn't get the whole issue 150. The backup stories are here, and Batman's mission during Absoulte Power is also here. Live the artwork and the face the story fixed do many loose ends. Lots of action, and Batman was actually winning fights. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

As we wait to see what Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee has in store with the upcoming “H2sh”, which will be then followed up by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jiménez taking over the main Batman title, there is still the matter of finishing up Chip Zdarsky’s run on the title with two remaining trades to go. Picking up where the previous volume left off, Batman defeated by the robotic Failsafe, whose body is taken over by Bruce’s evil inner persona Zur-En-Arhh, whilst the Dark Knight himself wakes up sharing a cell in Blackgate Penitentiary with the Joker.

Considering the previous volume has the Joker was a major presence, not least because there was the three-issue arc “The Joker: Year One”, but it is weird how Zdarsky has used him as he is both integral to the main narrative whilst also being sidelined. Much like Batman, the Joker was trained by Dr. Daniel Captio, a nihilist psychologist who developed techniques which allowed him to manufacture alternate personalities for specific requirements.

Through Captio’s mentoring, the Joker finds out about the Zur-En-Arhh persona and during a montage that goes through periods of his comics history, it is revealed that the Joker’s reason for all the evil stuff he has done is so that he can see Zur-En-Arhh. A recurring theme throughout Zdarsky’s run is remixing elements of Batman’s history, and considering that the Joker’s relationship with Batman is about the former pushing the latter down the deep end, the Joker’s motivation of unleashing Zur-En-Arhh is an interesting angle. But again, the Joker is not really the focus here.

Aside from the Clown Prince of Crime, there are other villains throughout this arc, starting with Zur-En-Arhh who has taken over Failsafe’s body and uses the symbol of Batman as a symbol as a vigilante to extreme measures to protect Gotham and the rest of the world. Meanwhile, you have Captio who uses his new status as Blackgate’s warden to keep Bruce Wayne in prison. And then, there’s Vandal Savage who returns from a previous arc, starting out as a Blackgate prisoner to somehow being Gotham’s Police Commissioner. Zdarsky throws a lot within these issues, leading to a climax that rushes to wrap up everything up as well as setting up future storylines such as the Absolute Power crossover event.

Given the moving parts of this arc, when it focuses Batman himself and the extended family that he founded, the book finds its beating heart. Family plays a major role and considering that certain family members have their ups and downs, especially when it comes to their relationship with Bruce, but this arc feels like the culmination where he learns the importance of his family, which is more than just a team of vigilantes. The theme of family is also explored in #149, an action-less epilogue where Bruce tries to save a rapidly aging clone of himself. While the outcome is tragic, it somewhat sets up a new status quo for Bruce in a positive light, including a greater inclusion with his family.

Concluding this volume is a two-issue arc that coincides with the aforementioned Absolute Power, in which Batman and Catwoman team up to pull a heist to rob a Mother Box that is at the hands of Amanda Waller. It is a worry when a creative team takes a break from their story to do tie-in issues for someone else’s story, but the big appeal of these issues is seeing the fun dynamic between the two former lovers, which had a rough patch during the problematic "Gotham War", and here, we get a nice resolution that calls back to Tom King’s Batman run. Also, we get a brief appearance from Darkseid, which is tense but awesome.

With a variety of artists involved in this volume, it could be jarring, but everyone does their part extremely well. Whilst you have Jorge Jiménez delivering the action-packed spectacle as well as throwing in some awesome costume changes for the Bat-Family, Mike Hawthorne draws the tie-in issues where the Bat and Cat battle an interesting take on the Suicide Squad that includes Bizarro. And then you have Michele Bandini who delivers beautiful art when it comes to character drama, as seen in the touching #149.

Baggy with the amount of story it wants to tell, but this is the best volume of Zdarky’s run since the first one, which is both action-packed and heartfelt, when the Bat-Family are all on the same page.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Zur En Arrh arc concludes after a great deal of convoluted storytelling in which it's sorta explained how Dr. Capitio gave both Batman and Joker alternate back-up personalities. Less explained is why everyone seems to think Bruce Wayne really is the violent crime-stopper-at-any-cost robot. When it's revealed that, ope, no, it was Zur and Failsafe all along, it comes as zero surprise.

Then Failsafe zooms off to Absolute Power, I guess? That part isn't really included in this volume, which sticks out since I've read Absolute Power. We do get Batman's tie-in adventure with Catwoman, though, which is a wonderful return to crisp, exciting storytelling for Batman. Easily the best part of the volume.

There are a bunch of back-ups included as well, some fun (Tini Howard's Harley jaunt), some dull (why are the Birds of Prey here?). There's also a wrap-up issue for the Batfamily where Bruce buys an old Joker haunt and turns it into Pennyworth Manor. Cute! And a nice reset that'll hopefully give the next volume somewhere less...mental to go.

[Frédéric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This conclusion is quite decent, particularly considering where we're coming from and we're finally rid of Zur en Arrh, but this arc is a reflection of Zdarsky's entire run. A few good ideas drowned in a big mishmash of nonsense. It's not as pitifully bad as Wells on Amazing Spiderman but overall it's a blow to Batman.
When idols fall...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.1 stars

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very disjointed trade.

The first few issues sort of end the Failsafe Zur En Ah storyline, but sort of not really. Its emotionally satisfying ending is undercut immediately.

Next we get a sort of standalone issue about the random Bruce Wayne clone that was briefly introduced a few issues ago. I thought this idea was full of potential for some cool, dramatic, superhero storytelling, but instead it’s quickly written away and used primarily to magic away Bruce’s missing hand, which itself felt like a throwaway idea.

Next there are a pair of Absolute Power tie-ins that are actually quite good. Bat and Cat on a heist and navigating the fallout from the Gang War crossover.

Finally there are a pair of side stories featuring Harley Quinn and some other characters I don’t know, and their inclusion is utterly baffling, but the art in the last bit by Mattia De Lulus is spectacular, so I’m not mad about it.

[Lucas Savio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A história do batman mostrou que vai ser bem massaveio mas interessante mesmo são os complementos tanto de detective como de batman que realmente completam a edição, curioso tanto pela conclusão do arco principal do batman como para onde vai a detective comics

[Luke Costin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough but I’m glad this Zur En Arrh story is over with.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last few volumes. Payoff wasn't worth all the boring overcomplicated nonsense that came before, but at least this one gives us Tim Drake and Jason Todd being Perfect Humans.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Чим далі триває ран Чіпа Здарскі на «Бетмені», тим більше він викликає втому в мене. Починалося все з інтриги та експериментів, але вже четвертий том радше підтверджує загальну тенденцію: сценарій дедалі більше нагадує хаотичне нашарування концептів, які для мене узагалі не тримаються купи. Попри це, «Темні в’язниці» все ж виглядають краще, ніж поганий попередній том про Джокера.

У центрі історії — конфлікт Брюса Вейна зі своєю темною особистістю Зура, яка захопила тіло Запобіжника й почала «очищати» Ґотем. Сам Бетмен тим часом ув’язнений у Блекґейті, де стикається з новим наглядачем — психологом Каптіо, ще однією тіньовою фігурою із його минулого. Паралельно до подій залучаються Джокер, який шукає Зура, та Вандал Севідж, який несподівано стає комісаром поліції. Сюжет заплутаний, темп скаче, але загальний наратив тримається краще, ніж у минулому томі.

Є речі, які працюють. Зокрема, сцени з бетсім’єю — цього разу Здарскі нарешті дає трохи тепла та емоцій. Особливо вирізняється випуск #149, де Брюс намагається врятувати клона самого себе. Це момент, що показує: попри втому від ролі, попри внутрішні демони, головний герой усе ще здатен на людяність. Також вдало виглядає фінальна частина тому — історія про спільне пограбування з Жінкою-Кішкою. Після «Ґотемської війни» між ними була напруга, і тут вона знаходить неочікувано зворушливу розв’язку.

Однак більшість проблем нікуди не зникли. Сюжет рваний і перевантажений — Здарскі хоче і завершити старі арки, і підготувати ґрунт для кросоверу Абсолютна Влада, але в результаті страждає і темп, і атмосфера. Часом усе це виглядає як спроба поєднати непоєднуване.

Підсумовуючи, «Темні в’язниці» — це крок уперед у порівнянні з «Джокером. Рік перший», але все ще не той рівень, який хотілося б бачити в основній серії про Бетмена. Є цікаві сцени, хороші ідеї, класний малюнок, але загальне погане враження від серії не зникає. Навіть не знаю чи фінальна арка цього сценариста зможе змінити мою думку. Навряд.

[Adam Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW Talk about a turn back to great Batman stories. This one was a breath of fresh air after not reading Bats main title for a while.
Highlights:
- Bruce Wayne is able to escape from Blackgate Prison when Punchline is brought in and Joker gets her to incite a riot.
- Taking paths he normally wouldn't have thought of, making sure Zur (an alternate mindset Batman that has taken over the body of Failsafe) wouldn't guess his plans, he is able to rebuild a new a new suit and gather the Bat-Family to create a plan
- To finally overthrow Zur, a plan to let him seemingly kill Jason Todd (though not really due to a tiny bit of Lazarus fluid) makes Zur break the "no-kill" rule that Batman has and it causes him to glitch out and Failsafe to take full control of the body again.
- We get our mandatory tie-in to Absolute Power
- Also, a very interesting story of a Bruce Wayne clone made to be Zur's Robin. He has rapid aging disease and Bruce stays with him till the end.
- Finally, Bruce takes the fortune that Zur amassed (basically a way for Bruce Wayne to be rich again - nice DC) and buys a rundown area of the city, establishing Pennyworth Manor, and dedicates the surrounding areas to public housing and such.

Feeling like Batman is back on the right path with the Zur and Failsafe storylines being done. Looking forward to what's next.
Recommend.

[Peyton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
it was better than joker year one (which i apparently forgot to log + rate last year) but that's not saying much. i like zdarsky, batman: the knight is an all-time fav and vol 1 of this arc was great! and it just started nose diving after that. he's clearly a morrison fan boy and that's just not my preferred era of bat comics. i'll be going into the last volume with low expectations.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batman Vol. 4 Dark Prisons collects issues 145-152 of the DC Comics series written by Chip Zdarsky, Toni Howard, and Kelly Thompson with art by Jorge Jiménez, Michele Bandini, Miguel Mendonça, Steve Lieber, Marianna Ignazzi, and Mattia De Iulis.

Bruce reconnects with the Batfamily to end the battle with Zur En Arrh and Failsafe. Fallout from the Failsafe storyline leads to tie-ins with the Absolute Power event.

After a rocky third act to the Failsafe storyline and the Catwoman/Batman War mini-event, Dark Prisons ends on a strong note which directly leads to tie-ins to Absolute Power. I really enjoyed the epilogue issues of Failsafe that saw Bruce deciding on a new home as part of his outlook on life. I’m still always blown away by Jorge Jiménez’s stunning art.

[Comics Instrucciones de uso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno, Zdarsky ya va cerrando los cabos de su etapa que ya avisó que ha decidido terminarla antes de lo previsto para dedicarse a otros proyectos (ya empezó a escribir "Capitán América" para Marvel). En el arco anterior (el flojo "Joker Year One"), quedamos con un Batman apresado, junto al Joker, por Failsafe, su propia creación, sólo que ahora Failsafe es dominado por ¡El Batman de Zur en Ahr! Es decir, que una partición de la conciencia del propio Batman ha abandonado -de algún modo que no se explica, si es que se puede explicar-, a su creador para tomar el control de un androide casi invencible.
La verdad es que esto suena más intrincado o absurdo de lo que en realidad es -en el mundo de los comics, obvio-. Zdarsky ha interpretado al Batman de Zur en Ahr como un detective más implacable y sin los escrúpulos morales de Wayne, de modo que una vez que ha retenido a nuestro héroe, se dedica a combatir el crimen en Gotham con una eficacia inaudita.
Por su parte, Wayne descubre que quien se ha aliado con Zur en Ahr (así lo llamaremos), es su antiguo mentor Daniel Captio. Captio, un experto en manipulación mental, está a cargo de Black Gate. ¿Cómo ha llegado Captio hasta allí? La vuelta es larga y hay que remontarse al arco anterior, y tener en cuenta algunos otros arcos clásicos de Batman. Captio, en los inicios de Batman, contactó al Joker, fascinado por su locura, y le enseñó a modificar su personalidad (acá Zdarsky sigue a Morrison). Por su parte, el Joker, al cabo de los años, se topa en dos ocasiones con un Batman que ha dejado salir a Zur en Ahr, la última de ellas fue durante el clásico arco "Batman RIP" (Morrison / Daniel, 2009). Fascinado por ese Batman en estado puro, por decirlo así, el Joker aprende de Captio que si lleva a Batman a cierto límite mental lo obligará a liberar tanto a Zur en Ahr como a su respaldo, Failsafe. Zdarsky entonces reinterpreta toda la historia de batallas entre el Batman y el Joker ("Una muerte en la Familia", "La broma asesina", la muerte de Sarah Esen en "No Man's Land", "La muerte de la familia", etc.), como intentos del payaso por conducir al murciélago hasta aquel límite lo cual consigue, finalmente, cuando Batman "asesina" accidentalmente al Pinguino, en el primer número del run de Zdarsky, quien, ahora comprendemos, lo ha tenido todo planeado desde el primer momento.
Esto es meritorio. Puede agradarnos o no, pero es meritorio por parte de Zdarsky. Batman por supuesto, se las arregla para liberarse y, ayudado por los demás, en especial por "Red Hood", quien juega un papel fundamental, consigue derrotar al dúo Failsafe/Zur en Ahr. Otro punto alto es la aparición del ¡Robin de Zur en Ahr! Una creación de Failsafe a partir de un clon de Bruce Wayne, que termina tristemente mal.
Jorge Jimenez dibuja, por suerte, practicamente todos los números, y hay que quitarse el sombrero ante tal derroche de talento, sobre todo considerando que se trata de una publicación quincenal. Jimenez tiene un trazó ágil, que marca muy bien los movimientos, y que sin ser meticuloso, nunca cae en la desprolijidad. Un lujo.
En fin. Se redime un poco Zdarsky del fiasco de "Joker Year One", si bien hay detalles poco logrados. Es inverosimil que Damian, por ejemplo, se convenza de que Failsafe es el verdadero Batman, y sobre todo que incluso la Justice League acaba creyéndoselo, cuando se trata de un androide. Incluso si se convencen de que es la conciencia de Batman la que domina al androide ¿No deberían preguntarse dónde está el cuerpo original de su amigo?
Pero hay que admitir que Zdarsky es ambicioso y original, y en eso supera por mucho a sus antecesores, tanto a James Tynion IV, como a Josh Williamson, que pasaron casi sin pena ni gloria. Una buena historia, nada más

[Thomas Sonnenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the controversial and convoluted Joker Year One arc, Zdarsky took a step back and circled back into Failsafe. In Zdarsky's third volume, it was revealed that Zur uploaded his separate consciousness into the Failsafe robot, who was thought to have disappeared after sending Bruce into the Multiverse in the climax of Zdarsky's first volume. After beating Bruce into an unconscious state, he awakes in a cell... with the Joker. Which is where the third volume began before Joker Year One began. Now, Bruce is trapped. His city is under total control of Zur and his patrolling Failbots. Bruce's first escape attempt leads to a confrontation with the warden of the prison he resides: Daniel Captio. Daniel was one of Bruce's mentors, who taught him how to partition his mind, which begat Zur who begat Failsafe. It is refreshing to have a new villain for Bruce to face, and a familiar face does build credibility. However, it was believed that he was killed by Joker. Obviously, he was not, but he is sporting a smile scar, similar to Heath Ledger's Joker. Daniel and Zur tell Bruce that they have the cure for Gotham. As to not spoil the story, I will not reveal the cure. However, it is an interesting plot that is conventional and unconventional. I, however, intend to portray how Bruce, Batman, and Zur represent Freud's Ego, Superego, and Id.

-Bruce is the Ego: the "executive" that develops to deal with the real world. He mediates between id's (Zur's) demands, the superego's (Batman's) rules, and external reality. Bruce functions in the conscious, preconscious, and unconscious realms of the mind.
-Batman is the Superego: the internalized moral conscience formed by parental and cultural values. Once Bruce's parents were killed by a criminal, the superego took on the form of the crusader, the dark knight, the hero. He judges actions, produces feelings pride or guilt, and pushes himself toward ideal behavior. Often described as the conscience (punishes wrongdoing) and ego-ideal (rewards good behavior). Batman's role is mostly rooted in the unconscious, but it influences Bruce's conscious thoughts and emotions.
-Zur is the Id: since the ego did not balance the Zur's demands and Batman's prohibitions, reality was warped. Zur was able to take control because Bruce neglected his unconscious thoughts. The id is the most primitive part of the psyche, present from birth. It houses basic biological drives, such as aggression. It is the pleasure principle, and in Bruce's case, Zur represents the pleasure Bruce feels as he fights crime. Zur seeks immediate gratification, as the id does, but the difference is that Zur is only supposed to come out when Bruce is under extreme psychological attacks. However, Zur wanted his own body to control and act out on his desires. Zur desires to end crime, once for all, no matter what. He still follows Bruce's no-killing rule, but only for now.

Zur represents Bruce and Batman's anger, an anger rooted in loss and despair. In the promise that all criminals must be punished, but without Bruce and Batman's wishes for rehabilitation and compassion. Dark Prisons picks up the pace that Failsafe began, and brings the story back into the big picture after Joker Year One created a smaller picture. 4/5

[Norman Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Collects Batman #1145-149, #151, #152, and a backup story from #150. This is another mixed bag. The first arc from #145-148 finishes the Zur En Arrh storyline in a reasonably satisfactory manner. This is a storyline that pushed credibility to its limit, though. It ends up being a soft retcon to Batman's origin, where heretofore unknown Dr. Daniel Captio is revealed to be young Bruce Wayne's mentor come back from hiding to unleash a master plan that he planted the seeds of all those years ago. Further convoluting the situation is that Captio is also Joker's mentor! It seems that Captio planted powerful post-hypnotic suggestions in both Bruce and Joker that would split their psyches when a trigger phrase is uttered. (One nice piece of this explanation is showing how many times Joker was secretly abetting Captio's plan, including the deaths of Jason Todd and Alfred.) Bruce's more vicious side (Zur En Arrh) gets implanted into Batman's Failsafe robot and now it's flesh Batman versus mechanical Batman. Will Batman be able to trick another Batman who has all his memories? We see members of the Justice League sit on their hands, but with the help of all the Robins plus the rest of the extended Bat-Family, Batman naturally comes out more or less on top. How many times do we need to see Batman realize he's not the loner he thinks he is but that his family is there to help him? The excellent artwork by Jorge Jiménez keeps these chapters fresh and exciting even when the writing gets a bit twisty.

The rest of this volume is a combination of a soft reboot (it seems Zur En Arrh/Failsafe managed to rebuild Bruce's fortune, for example) and a tie-in to the the Absolute Power crossover event. These tie-ins don't make much sense out of context, and the writing and artwork are somewhat inconsistent.

[Darik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Genuinely a pretty huge disappointment.

Chip Zdarsky absolutely tanks the appeal of his Zur-En-Arrh storyline by revealing that Zur's emergence and the whole Failsafe bugaboo were actually the intricately-plotted master plan of Bruce's super-genius ex-mentor, Daniel Captio. So a story that, on the surface, seemed to be about the ultimate impossibility of perfect, rigid mental control... instead turns out to be a 4-D mind battle between Batman and some guy who manipulates both him and the Joker like pawns.

Okay. I give up. I really thought this was doing something interesting, but instead it's just more "supergenius-because-the-omniscient-writer-makes-him-so" bullsh*t in the vein of BBC's Sherlock. It's not deconstructing the Bat-God concept-- it's LEANING INTO it, with a healthy dollop of Joker-God plopped on top to make it extra-annoying. Also, it is LOADED with retcons and flashbacks to back-fill a dramatic foundation for the conflict by claiming that this story has been playing out behind the scenes all along... which is cheap, boring, LAZY writing (and it stops the main plot dead in its tracks).

... And what makes it all even worse is that the character arc for Bruce is a REALLY good one, as he's finally confronted with his need for cooperation and human connection, and takes steps to let his extended family into his life in a way he never has before. It's a lovely payoff to an increasingly frustrating and scattershot story.

Oh, and then we get three issues tying into Absolute Power, a genuinely terrible crossover that really only served to turn Amanda Waller into a cackling fascist supervillain and may be one of the weakest things Mark Waid ever wrote.

So... yeah. Disappointing.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 1 out of 5]

Batman’s in prison because… And Zur is in Failsafe and he’s Batman because… Then Absolute Poo-er means more robots and Batman’s gotta… Yeah, so Batman the series is in shit shape. Chip Zdarsky’s run has been about as bad, if not worse, than Tynion’s, and DC needs to change things sharpish.

Dark Prisons is such a boring book. How many times do we need to see Batman escape from a prison? How many more creepy former mentors of Bruce’s are going to come out of the woodwork? How many fucking times can we possibly see Batman fight the T-1000 knockoff Failsafe??! This stinks. Zdarsky’s got not ideas and, worse, he’s fucking up others’ like Zur-En-Arrh, which was a cool throwback when Grant Morrison did it but now the character is rendered as just another cheesy Batman villain.

Even when that garbage is over, the succeeding storyline is no better. Absolute Poo-er has begun where Amanda Waller, aka the poor man’s Nick Fury, has stolen a boom tube that Bat and Cat have to take back. And Waller’s also somehow taken everyone’s superpowers and replaced them with Failsafe-esque robots. Great - more dumb robots.

The whole thing feels so uninspired and dull. Nothing about Absolute Poo-er seems interesting. The Absolute line is intriguing to me but it doesn’t need to be set up with some crummy comics - Absolute is an alternate universe. We get it. DC has been doing this shit for decades, it doesn’t require explanation.

I really hope this is it for Zdarsky’s Batman and we don’t get another crappy, bloated, endlessly trite and pointless volume. Dark Prisons is, like all of Zdarsky’s Batman books have been, utter crap. Roll on the Matt Fraction era.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half is essentially the conclusion of the material in Joker Year One and preceding volumes of Zdarsky’s run. It’s as good as all of that, and now I kind of assume his run wasn’t cut short after all; that felt like exactly the ending he intended. Everything else is filling out time.

Having Daniel Captio stand up as the villain, the mastermind, is a good way to go, perhaps the only fitting finale for all this, the man responsible for Zur-En-Arrh, and the Joker. We receive closure for all of that, plus Failsafe, before his shell is drafted by Amanda Waller. The segue to Absolute Power at least allows Zdarsky a change of pace, and a reconciliation with Catwoman, plus a handful of tales from other writers, a fun Harley Quinn side trip (she’s been off on her own too long; eventually someone will have to circle back to her consequential relationship to Joker, and lose the heavy focus on her neuroses, which as far as I know only Tom King has been remotely interested in, within the pages of Heroes in Crisis, which is just one of the many reasons it deserves critical appraisal).

The best issue happens as a result of the throwaway Failsafe Robin who pops up. Turns out he’s a clone of Batman, who like Trip in Enterprise discovers a compressed future ahead of him. It’s a fine way to allow Bruce himself to decompress. Zdarsky is far more interested than a lot of modern writers in looking at the human element to superhero comics, and he acknowledges in these pages how badly he wanted to get back to it. This is a fine way to have his cake and eat it, too.

[Dave Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the first several issues of this collection, Zdarsky provides a mostly satisfying conclusion to the Failsafe/Zur-En-Arrh storyline he's been developing since the beginning of his run. There is some good character work here involving Bruce's relationships with Tim and Damian, although these threads still feel a bit rushed. Maybe the biggest testament to the quality of Zdarsky's work is that he continues to make Batman/Bruce Wayne an engaging character rather than just the straight man to other more dynamic or colorful supporting characters. I'll be interested to read all of Zdarsky's work in one straight shot in the future and see how well it all hangs together when everything is experienced in quick succession.

The last two issues in this collection are an Absolute Power tie-in. I've yet to read the main story of this summer event, so I can't speak to how good of a tie-in this little arc truly is. But I can say that Zdarsky manages to revisit effectively elements of Bruce and Selina's relationship from Tom King's run.

Jorge Jimenez continues to do great work as the primary penciller. I'm continually impressed at how he switched up his style after the change to Zdarsky from James Tynion IV and yet what he produces remains recognizable as distinctly his. All in all, I recommend this collection with the caveat that, as a Volume 4, it's not going to make a lot of sense without reading at least Volumes 1 & 3 first.

[Gary Sassaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the penultimate volume of Batman by writer Zdarsky, and to be honest, I liked this weird collection of issues more than I did when I read them in the original single copies. For some reason, it collects Batman 145-149, 151 and 152, and a back-up story from 150, but no 150, and I can’t remember what was in that issue to exclude it from being collected in this volume. 151 and 152 are Absolute Power tie-ins, so maybe 150 will show up in the next volume, which will finish off Zdarksy’s run with issues 153-157. This volume contains the final word on Zur-En-Arrh, thank god, the partitioned part of Batman’s brain that contains an alternate personality that goes into effect if Batman ever kills someone (he didn’t). Jorge Jiménez’s art is the star of this particular book, though, and I was happy to find out he’ll be continuing his run on the character with a new number 1—written by Matt Fraction—when it relaunches after Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Hush sequel in issues 156-161, . I am slowly figuring out—after 60 years of comic book reading—how much better these continued stories are (most of the time) when you can sit and enjoy them all together in one package.

[Joey Amorim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was fun, better overall than the previous, but still flawed. The Zur-En-Arrh conflict feels like it got resolved too easily, especially for what’s been the main storyline of Zdarsky’s entire run. I can at least appreciate that it wraps up with Batman finally getting back to a somewhat recognizable status quo. He’s a billionaire again, he got a new hand, he has a mansion again, and the Bat-Family are all back on good terms (for now…).

I wasn’t completely lost during the Absolute Power tie-ins. I know the general gist of that story, but I’m out of the loop on the finer details, like how Waller got Failsafe on her side. I’ll get around to reading it eventually. I did really like how Bruce totally shat his pants when he saw Darkseid. That was a great cameo!

The Harley Quinn/Birds of Prey backups felt completely superfluous. They have literally nothing to do with Batman. Why are they even here? I just skimmed them.

[Tim Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this entry in Zdarksy's run continues the trend of not quite living up to my expectations. But it's a satisfying enough conclusion to the Zur/Failsafe arc, and it has got me very interested in the Absolute Power event that seems to, in part, spin out from this series.

I love both Zdarsky and Jimenez, but I don't think either are at the top of their game here.

The dialogue is a little spotty, and the pencils are just not quite up to the standard that Jorge has established for himself.

It's still perfectly enjoyable, but for a superstar team, it's disappointing that this book is just fine.

I also suspect Chip had to squeeze this conclusion into a few less issues than originally planned, in order to tie into Absolute Power arc that was coming out. just a couple things like a character-death fake-out that lasted no more than half a page.

Anyway, mission accomplished DC, I want to read Absolute Power now. But I'm also very ready for Chip to hand Bats over to Matt Fraction.

[Emile Rudoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

En realidad son dos estrellas y media, pero no quise ponerle dos aquí. Pensaba que había escrito reseñas de todos los compilados pero descubro que solo lo hice de el último. En fin. Creo que el run ha venido de mas a menos, mucho menos. Siento que se abusó del Batman de Zur en Arrh y que, aunque aquí estrictamente hablando no sale si se ven repercusiones de eso con los dos Bruce Wayne. De todos los números el único que me pareció que vale la pena es el #149. No se si habrá un compilado mas (desde el #158 el equipo creativo cambió a Jeph Loeb y Jim Lee para una continuación de Hush, pero no he revisado si desde el #153 al #157 todavía estuvo Chip Zdarsky, pero de ser así, creo que le dieron muchos números para algo que en verdad no caminó.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me while to get into this one, I kept picking it up and starting it, but it just didn't grab me, so I'd put it down and pick something else. I was finally able to get into it and mostly enjoyed the story of Batman trying to fight back against his "hidden demonic personality" Zur-En-Arrh which has taken up residence in the body of Batman's Failsafe robot. All of Batman's vengeance with none of his compassion or humanity. The parts I enjoyed most were the reunion of the "Bat-family" coming back together to fight against Zur.
Several story threads also mentioned that they were continued in the events of the Absolute Power storyline / graphic novel. I've also just realized that I missed Vol. 3 in this series, so that may explain why it was hard to get into the events of this one if I hadn't read the events before it.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprisingly into this. It helps that it finally connected to Zdarsky's opening story back in volume 1, after that universe hopping and that the very ill-advised Joker: Year One. Epic and weighty, and it all actually ties up.

I will say, I don't think this story would have held up for me at all without Jorge Jiménez's art. He's become one of the all-time Batman artists, as the writers rotated from this series. Every character looks like it's their coolest appearance and every piece of action feels electric. And I'm not sure I've ever credited how great a colorist is on a comic but Tomeu Morey's work throughout this series is excellent.

Even when I like his work, I still don't click with Zdarsky the same way the internet seems to. But, the guy has been blessed with some great artists (see also: Marco Checchetto)

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, that's better. After the roadblock of Joker: Year One, Batman's back on top form.

The Dark Prisons story itself brings Bruce and Zur face to face again (in a manner of speaking), culminating in a heartfelt epilogue issue before we head into Absolute Power as Batman and Catwoman battle the Suicide Squad. This feels like a more Batman-y book than it has in a while; I'm all for experimentation, but the last arc wasn't my favourite by any stretch.

Absolute Power doesn't seem to cause too many problems for Zdarsky's ongoing narrative, and it helps Bruce and Selina resolve some outstanding issues after the Gotham War, so that's nice, and all of the back-up stories being collected here is icing on the cake. We love a comprehensive collection, we do.

[Ahjonjon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half concluding the Zur arc had some pretty cheesy but heartfelt moments. But after that, I feel like I'm missing a bit of context with the supers all losing their powers and Amanda Waller going ape nuts in her takeover. So far, that storyline hasn't gripped me. And the conclusion of this compilation with Harley was not intriguing whatsoever.

Then there's the art. I love Jorge Jimenez. His stuff was great. But some of the stuff afterwards wasn't my jam. Can't say there was much for me in the second half. And the first bit, how he beat Zur wasn't the best writing. But maybe the next volume will be better.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last couple of volumes, but that isn't at all difficult. The Zur-En-Arrh nonsense finally ends. I hate it so much. For some reason Vandal Savage goes from prison to police commissioner during this. It's one of the dumbest things to slip past a Batman editor's desk in a while. This finishes up with some Absolute Power tie-ins where Batman and Catwoman have to find a Mother Box. Then there's two backups, one for Harley Quinn, the other for Birds of Prey, both written by the writers of those two books. Why are they not in those collections instead? They make zero sense here.