Warning: SPOILERS for Batman #135 / #900The Caped Crusader is still going strong after eight decades, and Batman #900 is a must-read for any Bat-fan. This milestone issue explores Batman's legacy across page and screen, and, more than anything else, it is a true artistic triumph.
Though this latest issue is technically Batman #135, DC has done the math: with the previous volumes of the Batman title added in, Batman #135 is also Batman #900, a major milestone for one of the longest continuously-running superhero comic books. One would think that after eight decades of Batman stories, the book would start to fall short, but the latest arc has been delivering an exciting multiverse story. Bruce Wayne has been exiled and lost in an alternate Gotham—one without a Batman, despite its intense darkness. The major threat of "The Bat-Man of Gotham" is Red Mask, this universe's "sane" but just-as-evil version of the Joker. The arc has been building up to their ultimate face-off, which takes place across multiple Bat-universes in the show-stopping pages of Batman #900.
Batman #900: A Romp through the Bat-Verse
Batman #135 / #900, by Chip Zdarsky, Mikel Janín, Mike Hawthorne, Jorge Jiménez, Adriano Di Benedetto, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles, concludes "The Bat-Man of Gotham" by offering the ultimate definition of who Batman is, even across a multiverse's worth of "Batmen." Red Mask, after finding a way to connect to the Joker's mind, jumps into the multiverse in a desperate attempt to break his own mind and become more like his unhinged alternate self. After a touching moment of catharsis with this Earth's Alfred, Batman follows Red Mask, and the back half of the issue is devoted to a visual romp through the multiverse. Care of Jorge Jiménez in his spectacular return to the title, readers are treated to countless versions of Batman, all drawn in distinct visual styles: Keaton Batman, West Batman, Timm Batman, Miller Batman, and more.
There's much to be made of the Joker revelations in this issue, and there's even more to be made of Zdarsky's ongoing "manifesto" about who Batman (and Robin!) is, especially as the writer's run on the title inches ever-closer to the one-year mark. But the real electricity of Batman #900 comes from the art. Mike Hawthorne and Mikel Janín offer a solid foundation in the first half, all leading to the triumphant return of series regular Jorge Jiménez, whose work in this issue proves beyond a doubt that he is a defining Batman artist of the 21st century. This trip through the Batman multiverse would be impossible without Jiménez's artistic ode to the iconic "Batmen" of page and screen. But beneath these homages to the likes of Timm, Miller, Mignola, Jones, and more, Jiménez's distinct, kinetic, and expressive style shines through. The issue's emotional finale is all the better for that shining: Batman and Robin reunite at last, and the moment is all Jiménez, just as it should be.
Batman #900 Is a Triumph
Batman #900 marks Jiménez's return to the title, and fans should be overjoyed: Zdarsky and Jiménez (especially with Tomeu Morey on colors) have proven to be a winning team. Together, they've shown Batman falling from the moon, Batman battling giant space sharks, Batman fighting side by side with Robin, and Batman meeting a mutiverse's worth of other "Batmen." If this celebratory milestone issue is anything to go by, this character-defining Batman team is only getting started.
Check out Batman #135 / #900, available now from DC Comics!