Part 1 of "Dark Prisons" picks up the story right where we paused for "Joker: Year One" a few issues ago. Batman finds himself imprisoned alongside the Joker in Blackgate, while the hybrid Zur-En-Arrh/Failsafe implements a series of harsh measures to eradicate crime, essentially turning Gotham into an authoritarian police state under the eyes of this new Batman. We also see the reactions of various Batfamily members grappling with the new reality and trying to figure out if this is really their Bruce. Damian seems the most willing to believe things, setting up a potential fracture amongst the family very similar to the Gotham War. Which is just another rehash along with this second Failsafe story.

Zur-En-Arrh/Failsafe running Gotham is another version of an overused trope in Batman where one of Batman's rouges rules the city with an iron fist. Dark Prisons adds a wrinkle given the fact the city believes this is all happening under their previous Dark Knight protector. Part of me actually wonders if this is the type of approach that needs to be taken in order to restore order to the city. We have yet (keyword: YET) to see Failsafe implement his methods on anyone who didn't deserve them nor have we seen him kill anyone. He even took Riddler in, so part of me does wonder how far he is pushing the boundary.

Jorge Jiménez makes every Batman book look amazing & there's nothing different here. Failsafe's new design looks freaking awesome and I loved how we visualized the image of Bruce Wayne's face on Failsafe's screen. Jimenez's attention to detail in the facial expressions for every character in the book really sells the mood.

Overall, the story feels redundant to a lot of Chip Zdarsky's recent work on the chaaracter, but the art makes up for things. It's not bad writing, it's just a bit boring. Unless there's a major twist coming, you can kinda see how this is all going to play out.

Rating: 6.5/10