Batman’s trapped in an alternate universe, and it’s all going sideways!
Issue 134 continues the ‘Across The Universe’ scenario, with Batman battling the Red Mask. Batman’s not alone, he has “this world’s” villains and heroes to help him. Or perhaps attack him instead…
Part four of “The Bat-Man of Gotham”, written by Chip Zdarsky, is a strong and well-structured read. Batman, of course, is continually in trouble. As I mentioned, his allies and foes are being somewhat unpredictable in their ‘this world’ version. Frenemies of menace, anyone? The dialogue is pointed and direct, there is good character interaction and plenty of wildly physical scenes to chew on.
Penciller Mike Hawthorne gives us powerful figures, strong lighting sources and bold expressions. He is comfortable with dialogue scenes and heavy action, pushing scenes into fascinatingly choreographed pages.
Adriano di Benedetto’s inks echo the strong line width, emphasize the light sources and add a powerful punch to the proceedings. Tomeu Morey’s colours show vivid choices while filling in the environments, giving each location and situation its own personality. Clayton Cowles is on top with the letters.
Back up story is also written by Chip Zdarsky, with art by Miguel Mendoca, Roman Stevens on colours, and Clayton Cowles on letters.
Great issue, loads of drama, and story progression! The excellent variant covers worth considering too.
DC Comics, Batman #134, $4.99 for 31 pages of story. 13+
Newsdesk