You’re taking over Batman right after Joshua Williamson, who just got finished killing Batman off in “Death of the Justice League.” Is, uh, is Batman dead in this book? Steve Murray (born December 21, 1975 [1]), known by the pen-name Chip Zdarsky ( / z ə ˈ d ɑːr s k i/ [2]), is a Canadian comic book artist and writer, journalist, illustrator and designer. He has also used the pseudonym Todd Diamond. [3] He worked for National Post for over a decade, until 2014, as an illustrator and humorist (as Steve Murray) and wrote and illustrated a column called "Extremely Bad Advice" for the paper as well as The Ampersand, the newspaper's pop culture section's online edition. Zdarsky and Jimenez’s first arc on Batman, “ Failsafe,” ends on a cliffhanger with the rogue artificial intelligence Failsafe apparently vaporizing Batman as it seeks to subjugate the DCU to its twisted vision of justice. Instead, Batman is transported to an alternate reality where Gotham is ruled by villainous corporate mogul Darwin Halliday, with Halliday striking fear under his costumed alter ego as the Red Mask. As Batman confronts the Red Mask, he discovers that Halliday’s corporate experiments gives him a window into the multiverse, along with the realization that he is this universe’s version of the Joker. In this first issue, we see Bruce in the wake of his parents’ double homicide, being moody at school, standing up to bullies, while slowly steering towards his destiny as Batman, hitting the books as hard as his opponents in underground boxing matches. He’s also receiving therapy from one Dr. Hugo Strange… Zdarsky also wrote an earlier Batman miniseries, Batman: The Knight which was about Bruce Wayne's training before becoming Batman, and which he has hinted will also connect to this run.

It’s comical how many Batman-related titles DC are putting out at the moment, almost like they’ve got no other characters that appeal to enough readers - anyway, here’s another one to add to the pile: a retelling of Batman’s origins imaginatively called The Knight! This strikes the perfect balance between story telling and showing, of letting the panels speak and illustrating the progression of what Bruce is observing. That panel of him in the shadows under the tree was the "it" moment for me, like you can see Batman's entire ideology right there. And you can see Alfred changing. In the beginning, he holds the umbrella over Bruce who's wrapped in Alfred's coat, but later, Alfred walks ahead, wearing his coat and holding the umbrella over his head as Bruce follows behind. The art says so much, but the bits gleaned in text are just as vocal, leading Bruce to observe more and evolve, but not letting him off easy. He thinks he knows what to do, equating fighting smartly with not getting caught while still focusing on expanding his physical skills. But when he sees Alfred break, he finally sees what everyone has been/is trying to get him to see, but still views it through his view of the world, which is not their view of the world. It’s actually been really nice being able to explore both time periods almost simultaneously. It’s helped me get inside Bruce’s head a lot more effectively. (I hope!)

General Tropes:

Bruce: The cycle: break, heal, break, heal. How much longer can I do this? The pain. I used to be able to bear it.

From 2008 to 2014, Murray penned and illustrated a weekly advice column for the National Post called "Extremely Bad Advice". [5] He also wrote another column in that paper, Tear Jerk, in which he reviewed films to see if they could actually make him "weep like a baby". It's Batman versus Red Mask in a brutal Gotham that's never known hope! Can the Dark Knight overcome the terrifying infection that Red Mask has unleashed? Only one thing is certain: he won't be able to do it alone. The conclusion to the bestselling The Bat-Man of Gotham is so big it could only be contained in an oversize #900 anniversary issue featuring the return of fan-favorite artist Jorge Jimenez and a wild collection of guest stars! Full of wild revelations and a new path for Batman, this is one issue you won't want to miss! Passing the Torch: Penguin privately expresses joy at the thought of the two children that inherited his empire taking out Catwoman and Batman while he's retired. Continuity Nod: Tim still does not like the idea of being considered crazy at the idea of Batman not being dead, something he went through badly in the Grant Morrison era of Batman.The Reveal: Issue 135 reveals that the Arkham Series Batman ultimately survived the Knightfall Protocol, going completely underground but still implicitly operating as Batman.

They will be interacting with each other. Firm handshakes? Or something more? Tini [Howard] and I are cooking up some fun Batman/Catwoman stuff! That's all I can say! A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Subverted: Failsafe was actually designed to kill Batman from the start if he ever broke his one rule/went rogue, and even now it's still technically just following its programming rather than having gone rogue itself. How thematically connected is Batman: The Knight to your Batman run? Will reading The Knight provide more insight into your Batman intentions? Your previous work in Jughead and Sex Criminals covered the breadth of the sexuality spectrum, providing a multitude of perspectives on queer identities. Over the past year, Tim Drake has been exploring his own sexual identity, opening up to dating boys for the first time. How much of that Tim Drake will we see in your Batman? Batman Vol. 1 Failsafe collects issues 125-130 of the DC Comics series written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Jorge Jiménez, Belén Ortega, and Leonardo Romero.We also have the emotional goodbye with Alfred. I only hope he did find Leslie okay. Maybe we'll see them all again one day. I will admit Zdarsky writes Batman a little less ashamed to show some emotion toward his "family" than most modern writers who usually keep giving him the brooding loner image.

Affably Evil: Despite being a huge killer robot working for the Underbroker, the Executor is surprisingly polite and genial to both Catwoman and the other criminals. Uh, the Sales team is looking over at me and nodding their heads furiously. Oh my god…does one of them have a gun?! I mean, I have thoughts about Bane! Whether those show up in a story will depend on a lot of factors. It's hard to top Tom King's use of him from his run. I don't know if you know this about Tom, but he's a really great writer. Volume 1: The Red Fist Saga Part One (collects #1-5, writer, with Marco Checchetto and Rafael De Latorre, tpb, 2023, ISBN 978-1302926113)

In the world of comics, the frankly ridiculous and completely made-up name of "Chip Zdarsky" has come to stand for something special. Under other publishers, Chip has earned awards and accolades for his unique insights and exploration of comics' most iconic characters, from Marvel's Spider-Man to Archie's Jughead Jones. His musings on romance and sexuality have deciphered matters of the heart for thousands of readers, providing a voice to feelings often seemingly impossible to put to words. But beginning on July 5th, Zdarsky is about to take on a challenge worthy of even the most accomplished comic book writer: pleasing Batman fans. Overall, this was a very good volume and a great start to Chip Zdarsky's run. I have very high expectations from it and if this volume is any indication, I trust that it'll meet them. dispatchdcu (2022-01-18). "Batman: The Knight #1 Review". The Comic Book Dispatch . Retrieved 2022-11-26.