“Brick By Brick”
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artists: Mike Hawthorne
Color Artist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Review by Max Byrne
Batman #150 is an intriguing issue as it moves the main focus away from our titular hero and instead revisits a thread that was left dangling from way back in the excellent Gotham War arc. Readers with a good memory might recall that a local lowlife named Teddy Critchley had, through circumstance, stumbled across the fact that Bruce Wayne and Batman are indeed one and the same. This dates back to October 2023, and hasn’t been referred to since. But, here Zdarsky picks up again with Teddy as he attempts to sell this information to the criminal big hitters in Gotham City.
Whilst on the surface this is a despicable act, in truth we as readers get to see his personal situation. The truth of the matter is, like most people, he is looking for extra money to elevate his personal situation. This is a good narrative choice from Zdarsky, as we see the person behind the criminal. A man with a family, a man that has made some bad choices and just wants to make a better life, albeit via a method that comes with a high price.
Teddy’s odyssey through the city is a perilous one, taking in such luminaries as Two Face, Mr Freeze and the Cobblepot offspring. The most striking exchange is unquestionably that with Harvey Dent, as he deliciously ruminates on the nature of duality and the revelation (to Teddy) that he knows who Batman is and is happy to preserve that secret, is heady stuff. Zdarsky really dives into the psyche(s) of Dent and perfectly rationalizes who and what he is, what makes him tick and, most crucially, how similar he and Batman are. The few pages we get of Dent is the real highlight of this issue.
Batman himself is a peripheral figure, existing on the fringes of the narrative rather than at the forefront of it. Clearly aware of what is potentially at stake, his unerring ability to crop up at the opportune moment does at times stretch believability but works as a plot device. His appearances almost give him a kind of mythical presence too, as his wordless cameos loom large in every frame.
No spoilers here, but the finale of the issue highlights the eternally altruistic nature of Bruce Wayne. Yes, there is an element of self preservation to his actions, but it’s coming from a heart of gold.
The secondary story on offer here, entitled Brick By Brick, is a short story that continues on from the events of Absolute Power #1. If you haven’t read it yet, I implore you to do so. To describe the events in this issue would be to spoil the initial jaw dropping events of Absolute Power. Suffice to say, Batman has a plan…
Conclusion
Batman #150 works very well as a one shot issue and does serve to tie up a loose thread from months ago. The timing of it feels every so slightly unusual as we are now in the midst of the Absolute Power era, but judged on its own merits, it is still a good read. The jump forward into the events of Absolute Power dramatically increases the stakes and we are in for an incredible ride from this point on. Get ready!
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment