#batgod

Zdarsky and I are closer in age than I’m willing to admit. So, his Batman run shares a lot of the same sensibilities that someone my age would appreciate. Tim Drake is the main Robin, Damian Wayne is nowhere to be see, the Justice League play a big part in this story (as they realistically would for any Batman event). He even brings back elements from Morrisons run, which was preeminent take on Batman in my youth.

Failsafe is a perfect showcase for the Batfamily, while keeping Bruce at the center of the action. I read Tyrion’s run a few years ago and his Batfamily felt cumbersome and unwieldly. It felt like I was reading Batman and the Outsiders and not Detective Comics. Here, Zdarsky keeps the emotional focus on Batman and Tim while showcasing more than your money’s worth of Bat themed characters.

Despite this being a big adventure in which Batman survives a lot, Zdarsky crafts the story to make every encounter a struggle for Batman. There are some preposterous moments such as when Bruce literally falls from space at terminal velocity and doesn’t burn up in the atmosphere. But kind of like his Spider-Man run, Failsafe pulls it off. This run is shaping up to be a feel good popcorn comic that’s maybe not the most thoughtful. But has enough high action and heart to keep us coming back for more every week.

BATGOD 

Batso is what he's supposed to be. It's okay.

Problem is in a 1-10 scale, writers always put him at 15. 10 is enough, he doesn't have to be always better than everyone. His major asset is being human, and being always on top of everything just negates that condition. It's just not sustainable and only Batso fanboys are happy with that.

If you want to make him an intergalactic hero, fine.

If you wanna make him an interdimentional one, okay.

Want him to be a time traveller? Superb!

Urban Vigilante? He was born to be that.

Successful business man? Sure. Cool cars? good. Jet airplanes? Okay. Spaceships? Moonbases? Satellites? Wait a minute... Even the budget of an entire country can't take care of all that.

Father and mentor? Well...

Mister Ladies Man is a side effect of being a billionaire.

Better than Poirot or Sherlock is kind of a stretch, but knock yourself out.

And there's more.

He's all that and also can put into shame an entire olympic team.

He can outsmart all the nerds in Silicon Valley and the government agencies.

Okay: suspension of disbelief. But give me something to work with!

Besides all that, the man has no aparent weaknesses, he keeps going and going. No doubts, no hesitation.

He doesn't sleep, doesn't eat. Maybe the occasional coffe. He consumes only justice, but is not even too good at it.

After presenting him as the infalible hero, writers must explain how every villain in his rogue gallery are free and rampant in the streets of the city he's sworn to clean up. Also why he thinks he can lecture all of the other heroes when he keeps making mistakes.

In the end, instead of making a list of solutions, here's a list of all the things I think are wrong with the character.

"Murder on Mt. Olympus, Part 1"

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Guillem March

Colorist: Guillem March

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover: Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey

The idea of Wonder Woman and Batman teaming up isn't inherently a bad idea. Hell, Liam Sharp wrote and drew a crossover between the two that I thought was pretty good. But the execution here leaves a lot to be desired. Wonder Woman seeking Batman's help to solve a case makes absolutely no sense, especially since she has the wisdom of Athena. I guess one could assume she wanted someone to hold her back from attacking the gods for their belligerence, but it certainly isn't written that way, with her only explanation being "you're the World's Greatest Detective." In fact, this whole issue just feels too focused on Batman as opposed to Wonder Woman, IN HER OWN DAMN BOOK. At one point, Zeus puts Batman on a different level above gods and mortals. The obsession of DC to put Batman on god level is getting ridiculous at this point. Wonder Woman did feel out of character in this issue for the majority of it. It is explained near the end of the issue that she is tired of the gods treating humanity like playthings, which is understandable, but it is placed in an awkward point in the story. The final moment between Batman and Wonder Woman of him admitting that she made him believe in God again was a good moment, but I feel it would have been better in a Batman issue. I haven't seen such a falloff for a run.

★★½

Yes.

But it was before we have this caricature which I, and many others, call The Batgod, who is always right, who can best and beat anybody, friend or foe, treats all with disrespect, who knows better than anyone and is always four moves ahead in everything. He has rocketships and Batcaves on the Moon, independently of any authority. Plots against his metahuman colleagues, in case they become rogues, but he's totally unbound to do whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases, and no one can control him.

He was a superb urban vigilante, resourceful and witty and put real effort in doing his job, but knows there were things he really couldn't do, because of his human condition, and it humbled him. He knew the best thing e could do against a far superior meta opponent was stall and keep himself alive until help, in the form of one of his metahuman allies, arrives, instead of throwing a few explosive bat-a-rangs and solve the situation by himself.

The Batgod outwitted Darkseid, a being with thousands of years of experience conquering entire solar systems, menacing with blowing up the despot's arsenal (gee... Darksie didn't see that coming, did he? He leaves his most powerful weapons unatended, silly him).

He declares openly he woudn't kill, yet everybody is afraid of him because of...reasons?

"You have to understand: he looked at me menacingly!! It was terrifying!!"

He can subdue an intergalactic despot when he can't even clean his own little city of the bad element: common local crooks.