Batman #141

Batman #141 is outstanding. It's action-packed and ultimately brings this entire Zdarsky run together (minus a few key components that should get ironed out next issue). Read Full Review

It's a tense, issue-long action segment without a single break, and the outcome is really never in doubt. Read Full Review

Bruce Wayne comes face to face with an unsettling challenge to bring Mind Bomb to an explosive end. Zdarsky pens a tragic, yet exhilarating close with Jimnez, Morey and Cowles providing the beautifully brutal backdrops to an intense last stand for the cowl. Read Full Review

Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, and Dustin Nguyen made sure to begin Batman's 2024 as big as possible. The fight between Bruce Wayne and Batman of Zur-En-Arrh concluded the "Mind Bomb storyline with a lot of developments that will drive this series forward for the rest of the year. There really was no stronger way to begin a new year than how Batman #141 kicked things off. Read Full Review

Jimenez delivers great art throughout the issue. The visuals capture the blistering action and thrills of the story beautifully. Read Full Review

It's Batman vs. Failsafe in a rematch that has a slight twist in Batman #141. You can't beat Jimenez's incredible action and highly detailed art while Zdarsky continues to excite as everything matters and is building toward a definitive Joker story. Read Full Review

Batman #141 gets back to basic (and ignores most of 2023) by picking up the next round against Failsafe. The action is fast and furious, Batman appears locked in a no-win scenario, and Jimenez's art is stellar. Read Full Review

Batman #141 is an action-packed ride. It highlights just how much the deck's stacked against the Dark Knight now and sets the table for a great run of issues to come. I'm all in on this arc, Zdarsky is a perfect fit to write Batman stories. He has a knack for upping the ante constantly without jumping the shark, and I'm extremely invested in seeing where he takes us next. Read Full Review

The action and adventure don't let up one iota as Batman continues to be pushed to his limits against intense foes. Read Full Review

It's too bad Failsafe is essentially Zdarsky's Batman equivalent to The Terminator as there's little suspense in this Mind Bomb arc. Even with the late return in Batman #141 of The Joker. Read Full Review

Batman #141 is a whimper of a conclusion to the Mind Bomb story arc, releasing much of the goodwill and anticipation built up in the previous issues. Poor scripting for the issue is not enough to completely kill any fervor for this larger story but does not propel the narrative into the next arc, which is being established as yet another Joker origin. The action and characters in this issue are not narratively compelling, only interesting here thanks to excellent linework and coloring. Those elements still make this one of the best-looking books on shelves, but cannot fully save it from the drain of excitement. Read Full Review

Batman #141 never quite makes Zur-En-Arrh work as an antagonist, but if you're willing to ignore that and just enjoy an exciting chase sequence between Batman and a killer robot, it can be a lot of fun. As an action set piece, Jimenez' art d0es a lot of the heavy lifting to make the spectacle work, even if you never quite escape the narrative problems underlying everything going on. Read Full Review

The art is solid, which is nice, but again, it very much feels like a lather-rinse-repeat sort of situation in which Batman hasn't learned anything, just this time jammed full of references that don't always work. Read Full Review

In Batman #141, readers are treated to more of a "mind dud than a "mind bomb. The art is cool at times, but the story is an unending onslaught of senseless action with no real point, no heart, and no end. Read Full Review

sawright20

Jan 04, 2024

This run may have faltered briefly with Gotham War, but I’m convinced that Zdarsky’s Batman will one day be remembered as a classic. This issue feels epic, and it helps that the backup is actually consequential. Jimenez continues to amaze me, even though I should know to expect the best from him.

daspidaboy

Jan 02, 2024

a really solid issue, this story arc made up Gotham war. I'm interested to see how Chip Zdarsky deconstructs Batman by making him see that he's taking Batman way too seriously. Not too excited about Joker Year One story arc coming up

Psycamorean

Feb 29, 2024

This has fast action and is an exciting read, and it's over. Oh.

Screaming Enigma

Jan 12, 2024

A nice ending to this arc that gives us a quick transition into the upcoming Joker: Year One storyline. Zdarsky has done a great job thus far of writing Bruce's inner narrative, and that continues here. I really enjoyed seeing him outsmarting Zur to the best of his abilities. Plus, Jimenez continues to do a fantastic job on the art duties. We didn't just get one great artist, though, as we had some really nice art in the backup from Nguyen. Speaking of that backup, Zdarsky handled Zur well here also. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this all goes next. I wasn't the biggest fan of Gotham War, but things are really looking up for this series.

BatSledge

Jan 04, 2024

While there’s no question that the writing has rebounded from the depths of the horrible Gotham War, there’s a sense of massive deja vu here as Batman is once again punching, and being chased by, his killer robot. It comes back to the Failsafe saga, only to have another interruption, this time in the form of Joker Year One. I’m at the point where I’m ready for this entire saga to just be finished and for a fresh new storyline to begin. The art was gorgeous and kinetic as usual, and the backup was interesting enough, but it’s time to move on. I just hope the Joker interlude is better than Gotham War.

Federico Liguori

Jan 04, 2024

Zdarsky's Batman becomes ages better when Failsafe is there and it involves planning and brutal fights. Keep it that way, Chippy!

KiryuMajima28t

Jan 01, 2024

Like the action in this issue a lot.

derbycomics

Jan 04, 2024

The finale to “Failsafe 2.0,” errr I mean “Mindbomb” is essentially one extended chase sequence, with Batman desperately seeking a way to shut down the rogue AI now controlled by Zur-En-Arrh before it can fulfill its objective - the complete and utter replacement of Bruce Wayne as Batman. Stop me if this sounds like Zdarsk’y first “Failsafe” arc. The story is just barely saved the awesome work of Jorge Jiménez’s art and Zdarsky’s backup story which introduces the only new plot element to this arc. However, that appears to be taking a backseat starting with the “Joker: Year One” arc where we’ll finally get to see more of the Joker’s origin story .

Quinn

Jan 03, 2024

My main problem with issue is that Batman is written as dumb. He had to fight the Bat Terminator bot he created. And apparently the best way Bruce thinks to do that is to punch metal that can be used to fight Superman with flesh, or flesh and a metal hand. Bruce does not create any equipment or develop a strategy to outwit his latest backup plan that goes out of control and is a bigger danger than the villains Bats fights. No, it’s just try to punch out a killer robot. That’s just lazy writing done by a hack. Not a good issue. Or I could be wrong.