#zur en arrh

[why-i-love-comics]

Batman #145 - "Dark Prisons" (2024)

written by Chip Zdarsky art by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey

#failsafe #zur en arrh #robin #damian wayne #DC #wednesday spoilers #spoilers #comic spoilers

[oh-there-she-goes]

Batman #145 (preview)

It infuriates me how Zdarsky kept having his Joker refer to Zur en Arrh as the real you or the true Batman. I understand there are many ways to write a character such as Joker, but to have him regard the OG Batman, who in part made him, as a second best to Zur, whom he had only met twice in his entire career, is so...jarring.

I sure damn hope Zdarsky was still cooking and intentionally having Joker spouting nonsense to mess with Batman here because God forbid if Joker was truly being sincere, it would taint all the history between him and Batman in the past decades, turning their dynamics lukewarm if not deploringly lackluster.

And why would Joker care to break the like of Zur in the first place? As formidable as he may, what's so sacred about Zur that needs defiling?

His swift execution of justice? Disproportionate uses of violence? Or his unadulterated brutality? Were these the qualities that left the Joker so enamoured?

One may say it's only natural that Joker would want to unleash his chaos upon Zur, who thinks himself a personification of control and order. But even considering his extreme measures, Zur has never stood against Joker at his core in the ways that Batman has.

In a world where nothing matters, Batman swoops in and fights him by trying to give meaning to everything. And he saves Joker, too, because he believes all lives are worth saving. And that's why Joker is determined to break him. He needs Batman to be wrong.

But what about Zur? Zur is just another man in power. He's dangerously competent, but he upholds no sanctimonious codes. They fight because they have different goals, but there's nothing inherently personal. Joker would not mourn the loss of Zur, and Zur would never feel the weight of guilt from refusing to let his monster bleed to death.

Then again, it might simply be my fault that I lack media literacy. Perhaps it has been Zdarsky's intention all along that Joker was lying. Maybe Joker elevating Zur to such esteem was just a part of his plan to push Bruce to ascension?

On a not-so-unrelated note, as there are many references to Scott Snyder's work in this run, I can't help chewing on how Zdarsky and Snyder differ in their interpretations of Joker.

While Snyder's Joker made it clear that he only cared about Batman and not Bruce, he had never wished for Batman to forgo his humanity.

The most Joker demanded of Batman was to get rid of the family that burdened him (which, funnily enough, Zur agreed). But his resentment stemmed from loneliness and jealousy.

In his heart of hearts, Joker knew they could continue their dance because Batman let it be so, hence the belief that his feelings towards Batman were reciprocated.

Joker even came to admit at one point that he no longer wanted to see Batman broken. What he wanted was for neither of them to win.

The Batman Who Laughs #4 (2019)

And unless something akin to 'Last Knight on Earth' happened, I see this as their dynamic in later years until either (or both) of them perished (which is unlikely to be soon as they both refused to let the other die).

Therefore, this Joker would never want Zur to enter the picture as it had been shown time and time again that when met with the more brutal, more...radical Batman(s), he always chose to side with the Batman who stayed humane.

Like when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, Joker is in love with Batman who refuses to change.

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #3 (2019)

The True Batman, for him, was the Batman who could withstand any test Joker and the world threw at him and remained the same.

Well..., who would like to keep dancing with a man who wouldn't dive from the top of the building after you anyway?

Still, I want so bad to be wrong about Zdarsky. I hope he has plans for them more than he lets on. (T w T)

#batjokes #joker #batman #zur en arrh #more rant than meta?

[scienceninjaturtle]

DC Comics reveals 25-issue Absolute Power event, crafted by Mark Waid, for a summer release.

Absolute Power series centers on Amanda Waller's plan to strip DC heroes and villains of powers.

The event includes individual titles for Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman crossing over three issues.

Absolute Power: Task Force Seven and Absolute Power: Origins series announced as part of the event.

#dc comics #batman #superman #wonder woman #amanda waller #batman zur en arrh #zur en arrh #brainiac queen #absolute power #mark waid #dan mora

[soleminisanction]

If Tim does have an alternate personality programmed into him, we know its trigger phrase can't be Zur-En-Arrh because he's heard or said that phrase like half-a-dozen times since Zdarsky's run started and hasn't been activated yet.

Zur-En-Arrh is Bruce's trigger phrase because it's drawn from his 8-year-old self mishearing or misremembering his father's last words, "...the sad thing is, they'd probably throw someone like Zorro in Arkham." (This is an obvious stretch -- the real reason is because he's named for and based on a one-off alien character from the Silver Age, "Tlano, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh," but it does play interestingly with the way Zdarsky's been portraying ZEA as a unstable, entirely masked personality that Bruce 'locks away' inside of him because his 'purity' is too extreme -- his very own metaphorical "Zorro in Arkham.")

So it's possible that Tim's trigger is drawn from something similar, particularly because we know he's the only Robin who for sure heard his own father's last words -- Dick's parents were a distance away from him when they fell, and Jason's dad died well out of his sight, but Tim hearing Jack's last moments over the phone and not being able to do anything to stop it is a pretty big part of his trauma.

So maybe Tim's trigger phrase is similar mix of sounds drawn from Jack's last words to him -- "What you do is worth it. Tell Bruce to take care of you." (Ka-Uf-Oo?)

Or maybe, since Zur-En-Arrh presumably did the conditioning, they drew the trigger phrase from his mythos instead and it's something like "Tlano" or "Bat-Radia."

And that also raises the question of, what would a "Zur-En-Arrh" Robin even be? Zur-En-Arrh is repeatedly described as "Batman without Bruce," which would presumably make his equivalent "Robin without Tim." But like... what does that mean?

I don't have any answers to that question, just a whole bunch of pieces that might be clues but I have no idea what they're adding up to. It's just very interesting to think about and I want to see where they're going with this.

#batman #robin #tim drake #gotham war #zur en arrh #failsafe #bruce wayne #dc comics #rambling #wild mass guessing

[betterthanbatman1]

Jason really crashed an aircraft with himself still in it in order to save others not once but twice.

#He really has a thing for flying in a ship and sacrificing himself and proving Bruce WRONG #what a king honestly #And he did this in the same universe #Like the only difference is the art style #This boy really got out of one aircraft explosion and went straight to the next one #5 times Jason sacrificed himself saving people and almost dying in an explosion #+1 time he actually did die from doing that #Too soon? •_• #jason todd #red hood #batfamily #batfam #batman #bruce wayne #dc #dc comics #zur en arrh #Gotham war #joker the man who stopped laughing #holy queue batman

[fractualized]

Yeah, okay, Bruce yet again struggling with what it means to fully commit to Batman via Zur-En-Arrh, whatever. What about Bruce struggling with the repressed desire to have a good time via a fully unleashed Matches Malone throwing back old fashioneds and calling everybody "dollface" and hitting on them by burning down their ex's apartment?

#batman #bruce wayne #matches malone #zur en arrh #matches won't hit the kids but he sure will neglect them!

[nterror-blog]

Ok, maybe I'm missing something, but we have

1. Zur En Arrh being mecha Batman

2. Batman who's jailed with Joker

3. So where does the Batman who got werewolfed during the Beast world fit in?

I'm assuming that's the same as Bruce who goes to Damian's soccer tryouts. And wanting a blood sample from jump less Dick.

Are these different points in time, different universes or do we have too many Batmen running around (again)?

Any insight is appreciated, because the math ain't mathing.

#dc comics #batman #bruce wayne #zur en arrh #dick grayson #damian wayne #dc robin #nightwing

[rubydubydoo122]

Ya know… DC comics couldve done somethingggg… that a lot of Batman Fans would probably hate… but it would be a trajectory that makes sense after the whole Gotham Wars/Zur En Arr Arc.

…make Batman a rogue

Like, if they kill off the tiny part of Batman that’s still Bruce Wayne, and then they have a completely unhinged Batman with no humanity.

It’d be iconic, making one of the most Beloved Heroes of all time fall from Grace because of the one thing that made him such a good hero. His paranioa

But obviously DC went the route of ‘Batman’s a Male power fantasy. He’s going to fight this all by himself because he’s just that good.’

#batman #bruce wayne #dc comics #zur en arrh #give batman his villain arc #he already beats all his kids #he hasn’t been a hero since he slapped Dick after Jason’s death #stop giving us male power fantasy Batman #give us a good story that we don’t see coming #because at this point the stakes keep getting bigger and bigger #but we know Batman’s gonna win #which makes the big stakes boring #I’d like to call it ‘Batman: Fall from Grace’

[spooky-donut-ghost-house]

Wanted to discuss my version of Zur-En-Arrh

He's a backup protocol like in canon but he's not a part of Bruce's psyche that has been locked away

He's literally a backup Batman made by Bruce he's a robot that is essentially made to be Batman without Bruce Wayne

He's a cold unfeeling machine that puts the Batman crusade above all else and he doesn't hold Bruce's morals because he isn't Bruce Wayne he's Batman without Bruce Wayne

Pretty much Bruce made Zur-En-Arrh as a backup protocol who can successfully carry out the Batman mission if Bruce dies then The Zur-En-Arrh protocol will activate and Zur-En-Arrh will awake and take up the Batman mission

Another way The Zur-En-Arrh protocol will activate is if Bruce succumbs to Joker Toxin and becomes like The Batman Who Laughs Zur-En-Arrh will awake and make his primary objective to kill Bruce

#dc #dcu #dc universe #dc comics #detective comics #batman #bruce wayne #zur en arrh #zur-en-arrh #the batman #the batman who laughs #batman who laughs #gotham war #batman rip #batman rest in peace #batman r.i.p #the batman of zur en arrh #the batman of zur-en-arrh #batman of zur en arrh #batman of zur-en-arrh

[drbatsponge]

Chip Zdarsky can redeem Gotham War by having Cass beat the shit out of Zur-En-Arrh.

Well, if he cared about Cass outside of having her literally just be a cardboard cutout in his run.

#cassandra cain #batgirl #zur en arrh #batman #gotham war #chip zdarsky #dc comics

[why-i-love-comics]

Batman #145 - "Dark Prisons" (2024)

written by Chip Zdarsky art by Jorge Jimenez & Tomeu Morey

#failsafe #zur en arrh #red hood #jason todd #DC #wednesday spoilers #spoilers #comic spoilers

[daydreamerwonderkid]

If I don't make myself laugh, I'll just cry.

#gotham war #gotham war spoilers #bruce wayne #batman #zur en arrh #batman shitpost #batman shit post #I'm so fucking tired #i promise I'm done making memes #at least for today #idk how I'll feel tomorrow #dreamer queue

[shyjusticewarrior]

Gotham War Speculation

This event has lots of emphasis on Tim's desire to save Bruce from himself. You know which Robin also wanted to save their parent? Jason. Could this parallel spell danger for Tim?

One theory/prediction I have: trying to help Bruce puts Tim's life in danger and Jason, despite his debilitating fear, swoops in to save him. He succeeds, but the boost in adrenaline makes his condition worse.

#dc #dc comics #comics #gotham war #batman comics #catwoman comics #comic books #tim drake #red robin #robin #jason todd #red hood #robins #batman #bruce wayne #zur en arrh #batfam #batboys #batkids #batbros #batsiblings #parallels #media analysis #theory #hc #headcanon #prediction #comic analysis #sheila haywood #death in the family

[galaxymagitech]

See, there are words, and then there are actions. And those words and actions are not lining up.

Shortly before this panel, Zur says, “Son, calm down. I don’t want to trigger your fear. What I did to you…it’s inexcusable.”

Like, he’s actually admitting that he did something wrong and apologizing. Step forward, right? No. Because Zur has an aptitude for dishonesty and manipulation that Bruce really doesn’t seem to have.

So, like, Bruce has been a bastard frequently in recent years. Maybe even abusive, depending on your interpretation. But Zur is manipulative in a way I haven’t seen from Bruce. He says one thing and does another. He doesn’t fail at communicating, he just lies. Oh, and he is openly affectionate. He tells Jason he loves him and hugs Damian. He apologizes. He does all these good things that Bruce rarely does. But he’s insincere in a way that Bruce isn’t.

When I read Batman #138, I thought that the backup personality influencing Bruce wasn’t much of an excuse, especially with the clear distinction between whose thoughts were whose (and while Zur’s thoughts were egging him on, Bruce was still clearly the one making decisions)—that it was still Bruce crossing those lines. But, with the way Zur is in Batman #145, the difference between Zur and Bruce’s methods is so pronounced and how Batman acts in #138 is much more aligned with Zur than Bruce. So I’m more inclined to give Bruce the benefit of the doubt for what happened in #138 and attribute most of it to the backup personality.

Of course, Bruce still created Zur, but I don’t think Bruce as himself is capable of the clear manipulation that Zur is using. When Bruce manipulates his family, he does it accidentally and usually from a place of pain. When Zur does it, it’s calculated. And that makes them a lot more distinct in my mind.

#batman #meta #dc comics #bruce wayne #zur en arrh #jason todd #dcu #dc #batman meta #dc meta #batfamily #batfam #batman 138

[thepathofthesunflower]

I’ve been thinking with this gotham war arc, and the last catwoman issue when bruce apparently did something unknown to jason, and you know the cyclical way of comics, specially the fact that jason seems to be the main focus (at least concerning the bat-sons) that I believe someone may die, with the whole “I’ll kill you” to jason and “my soldiers”, seriously what the hell was that? I get it bruce, you’re losing it, big time! But come on, this whole tough love/ no feelings, it gets tiresome for me sometimes, anywaaay….

Wouldn’t it be heartbreakingly poetic it, that by trying to protect him in his own twisted, at brink of a mental colapse kind of way, he ends up being the cause of jason death? A think about it, he spared said son killer in the name of his one rule, even at the cost of shanking him in the neck and his sanity, just for his first kill to be that son, who already die once, obviously all manipulated behind the curtain by zur-en-arrh

I don’t know, i just feel they’re dropping to many hints at something tragic coming or don’t mind me, i just got a thing for tragedy before the sunrise

#jason todd #batman #red hood #catwoman #red hood and the outlaws #arkham knight #arkham war #zur en arrh #spoilers #batman spoilers

[theforgottendaydreamer]

I don't like this but - it's here!

#jason todd #tim drake #damian wayne #dick grayson #gotham war #the gotham war #bruce wayne #zur en arrh #batman #red hood #nightwing #robin #red robin #my writing #fanfiction #ao3 #angst