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what moments had you rolling your eyes?
With the Court of Owls' plan revealed and the city in chaos, Batman must fid the strength to fight a war on multiple fronts and save Gotham from disaster. The fates of Jim Gordon, the Riddler, and all of Gotham rest in the hands of the Dark Knight in a climactic issue so big it takes two superstar artists to bring it to life!
Zdarsky and Jimnez leave it all in the pages as their epic run concludes! The thrilling last stand of Gotham is cemented with strong writing and phenomenal art. Readers simply cant afford to pass on saying goodbye and hope this pair returns to Gothams streets sooner than later. Read Full Review
Like the rest of the run, it's a bold swing that works 95% of the time and always provides something new. Read Full Review
Zdarsky leaves Batman on a better note at the end of Batman #157. Gordon is back on the police force, Riddler is exonerated for his role in the chaos and Bruce doesn't add another member to the Bat Family. Next up is the latest Hush arc featuring Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. It'll be interesting to see how the Zdarsky run will be remembered and if creators continue fleshing out subplots he established during this period. Read Full Review
Zdarsky's final issue, Batman #157, delivers a high-stakes, action-packed conclusion that cements his portrayal of Batman as a relentless, resourceful force. Despite juggling numerous subplots, the creative team skillfully wraps up key arcs, though not all elementssuch as the Court of Owlsreceive the same attention. The dynamic art and intense character moments make this a fitting end to Zdarsky's memorable run, leaving a legacy of Batman's unyielding spirit. Read Full Review
Overall, Batman #157 is a must-read for any fan of the Dark Knight. It's a thrilling and emotionally resonant conclusion to a significant chapter in Batman's history. This chapter is highly recommended for fans of Batman, superhero comics, and epic storytelling. Pick this up! Read Full Review
That tension is felt on every level of the book, as Jimnezs artwork packs one last compelling punch and Daniels cant quite hit the highs of what came before. Moreys coloring and Cowless lettering bring the whole thing together, offering a level of consistency and shadow of what couldve been in an ideal situation. With the hindsight of being at the end, and the totality of the stories told over the last few years, the runs clear strengths and shortcomings come into focus. Overall, the creative team has made a strong mark on the Batman mythos and visual style, creating a fascinating, if sometimes flawed, tapestry in the modern age of the Dark Knight. Read Full Review
Batman #157 delivers an impactful conclusion to Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez creative run on the series. To the very end Zdarsky challenged Bruce Wayne in and out of the cape and cowl, leaving Batman in a spot you want to see where he goes next. Jimenez and Tony Daniel help elevate the impact of this story to make both the big and small actions pop off the screen. It all leads to a conclusion that highlights how special this creative run on Batman was. Read Full Review
Batman #157 is a fitting epitaph for the Zdarsky tenure. His run has captured this reader's imagination and has been one of the strongest in recent years. An extremely vivid and eventful run, he has certainly provided several memorable moments that will live long in the memory. Now, it is time for Mr Loeb and Mr Lee to revisit one of the greatest Bat-stories of all time. Altogether now…..Hush!…… Read Full Review
Batman #157ends Chip Zdarsky's troubled run with more Bat God shenanigans. The art is great, and the bigger plot points get resolved, but the ending strains plausibility on multiple levels, so it's a mess. Read Full Review
For all its faults, Zdarsky's run did have a largely planned out story with narratives that took the ideas set up in the very beginning through to the very end. However, that story ended with Batman #149. This final, bonus arc keeps the dubious understanding of its central characters but replaces the concluded Failsafe/Joker plotlines with an incoherent political message that fails to say anything meaningful. Read Full Review
Yeah it’s a bit rushed but it’s not a bad issue. The art is fantastic and Chip at least understands how to write these characters.
Not completely sure how I feel about this one. The revelation on the closing pages and the following reaction doesn’t sit well with me. It fits with what the story is trying to tell, but I don’t know that I truly believe that’s how Batman would react.
Overall I did enjoy the run, it had its highs and lows. It wasn’t the best Batman run ever but still decent to solid.
Amazing art but everything's so rushed and disjointed that each storyline's conclusion isn't satisfying and the emotional moments aren't earned.
Zdarsky’s time on Batman had some incredible highs and painful lows. This whole arc has felt like something of an afterthought, and this issue ends Zdarsky’s run on something of a whimper. Still, I’m going to miss Zdarsky because he had some great concepts—and I’m REALLY going to miss Jimenez, who has become one of the greatest artists to ever work on this title.
I’m glad it’s finally over.
And will be skipping hush 2 so will stick with the other bat books for now.
this run feels very hollow. The way Batman deals with KG Beast is similar to Devil's Reign, and everything just rushes in the end. Hot take, But I prefer James Tyrion IV run to this. Because as much as it pushed Batman to the side, at least it didn't feel very rushed. Everything about this story felt very rushed.
It was very clear that Chip Zdarsky clearly planned to leave after he wrapped up his Zur-En-Arrh. This final story is not bad, but you can tell Zdarksy's heart ain't in it. This arc was just a placeholder until Jeeps Loeb comes in. Zdarsky's run on Batman feels hollow compared to Daredevil is because Batman has been deconstructed multiple times on where he is brought to his lowest point and has to climb to be successful. more
It ends. Finally!
It was really an average run at best. The visuals were good, but every human is flawed, and Chip Zdarsky is too, case in point with this lukerwarm final issue that had me rolling my eyes at several moments.
Well that happened. The story tied up all the threads so quickly, threads that didn’t have time to play out. So the mystery box stuff just got dumped on the floor. The Russians were manipulating the court of owls because Gotham is their corrupt boogey man. John Wick is unimpressed. The ersatz Captain America was KGBeast. That plot doesn’t make sense. Destroy Gotham to scare Russian public? Why not let the city fester. The way dc has written Batman, nothing he does works and Bruce’s actions are directly responsible for tens of thousands of deaths. For a guy who wants to prevent a child from suffering what he went through, he sure is failing on an epic scale. Gotham is better off without him. Not the message DC wants to give.
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