Failsafe has caused damage towards the Bat Family and aims to continue its rampage to kill Batman, that is, if it can get through the Justice League to do so. If Failsafe is anything like its creator, the League might be in for a rough night in chapter four of the Failsafe arc.
It’s one thing that Zdarsky writes a Batman that has personality that feels right in the DNA of the character post animated series, but it’s another thing in regards to how he handles the cast of characters such as the Justice League and incorporating them into the story in clever ways that readers would have questioned: “well why didn’t he do this?” Thankfully Zdarsky is able to avoid some of those pitfalls by keeping in character of a Batman that seems to be wising up in circumstances that would be asinine to go it alone. Readers get to see how dangerous Failsafe is as a deadly force, and how Batman’s efforts to learn from his own mistakes is refreshing and necessary compared to the same recycled issues of Batman going alone on problems that could be easily solved by making use of his resourceful network of allies. The main story is action-packed and wonderfully paced and Failsafe is the best antagonist thus far in recent years for the caped crusader. If Zdarsky was to ever write another solo DC character, Green Arrow would definitely make a perfect character for him to write for down the road, but his handle of the Justice League makes for another sight to see since his last outing writing the team on Justice League: Last Ride.
While Zdarsky continues to write a thrilling main story, he also includes a backup feature focusing on the origins of how Batman of Zu-En-Arrh came to be as a fail-safe through the tone and aesthetic of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Year One, which is cleverly written not only as a tongue and cheek kind story, but weighs as much importance in how it correlates with the main book and what it foreshadows for the future. Leonardo Romero was the perfect choice for this Batman of Zur-En-Arrh: Year One backup feature. His style is reminiscent of David Mazzucchelli, but still uniquely his own. And what makes the art really sing is Jordie Bellaire’s subtle color work that shows hues of texture amongst the cleverly flat color choices that match the tone that Zdarsky seemed to be aiming for. Clayton Cowles handles the lettering and does a fantastic job at lettering the book, tethering the book together nicely. Add this to your pull list for new comic book day.
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