In many ways the war Batman wages is primarily a psychological one. Even as he battles crime to save the soul of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne also fights himself and the darkness within. This battle has been made quite literal in recent issues of the Batman monthly comic, and now threatens to spill out into Gotham City.
Batman #145 by Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez opens with Bruce Wayne imprisoned along with The Joker. This is due to the machinations of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, an alternate personality Bruce Wayne created to prevent him from falling to corruption. Unfortunately, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh is now using the same safeguards meant to stop a Dark Knight gone rogue to take over Gotham City.
The cover and first four pages of Batman #145 can be viewed below.
Batman of Zur-En-Arrh Explained
Originally, Zur-En-Arrh was an alien world, which somehow spawned its own Dark Knight. This alien hero joined forces with Bruce Wayne in one 1958 comic. This story was later referenced by Grant Morrison in 2006. Their story established Zur-En-Arrh as a backup personality, programmed to take over if Batman were ever mentally compromised.
Chip Zdarsky reintroduced Zur-En-Arrh, as well as a new villain called Failsafe. An android designed by Zur-En-Arrh, it was Failsafe’s mission to protect Gotham City if Bruce Wayne ever took a life. However, Failsafe became corrupted, and it seems that the blood-thirsty Zur-En-Arrh is the culprit.
This leaves the Dark Knight facing himself and a mechanized threat specifically designed to bring him to heel. Bruce Wayne has trained himself to surpass any challenge and created plans to overcome any enemy. However, he may have met his ultimate challenge in Zur-En-Arrh and Failsafe.
Batman #145 arrives in comic shops everywhere on March 5, 2024.
