The following contains spoilers for Batman #131, on sale now from DC Comics.
Suddenly finding himself in a completely different version of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne finds that Harvey Dent/Two-Face has essentially become the DC universe's Judge Dredd in Batman #131.
Batman #131 comes from writer Chip Zdarsky, penciler Mike Hawthorne, inker Adriano Di Benedetto, colorist Tomeu Morey and letterer Clayton Cowles. In Batman #130, Bruce and Tim Drake/Robin fought Failsafe outside the Fortress of Solitude shortly after the ultra-powerful enemy crushed the Man of Steel for a second time. In an effort to vanquish the foe once and for all, Bruce sacrificed himself and let Failsafe hit him with a powerful laser blast that left nothing more than a smoking crater.
While the Dark Knight is now presumed to be dead by everyone in Gotham, Bruce awakens in a different world in Batman #131. He quickly finds the new locale to be somewhat nightmarish when coming face-to-face with a version of Jim Gordon who is a walking, talking skeleton complete with a trenchcoat, pipe and mustache. Skeleton Gordon quickly proves himself to be a friend; however, also inhabiting this world is a version of Harvey has declared himself as "Judge Dent" but also serves as his own makeshift jury and executioner.
Harvey is seen working with the Gotham City Police and beating up a seemingly-innocent man while saying he's come to "judge." Luckily, Bruce finds Harvey and stops him from killing the man, at which point the Dark Knight also notices that Two-Face "stinks of venom, the super-steroid Bane uses." The fight is interrupted by a handful of cops and the sudden appearance of Firefly, who Batman confirms is "an idiot in any universe," but Judge Drent still refuses to relent amidst all the chaos. He eventually loses Bruce only after receiving some aid from a new character named Jewel, who proceeds to take Bruce back to their home and helps treat his injuries.
Batman’s New World Has a Lot of Unfriendly Faces
Solicitation information for Batman #132, which releases Feb. 7, 2023, teases another Batman villain, Killer Croc, will soon emerge in this new world. The synopsis reads, "The mean streets of Gotham City have gotten meaner as the likes of Harvey Dent and Killer Croc roam free, brutalizing the population. Where is Batman and why hasn’t he responded to the cries of a city in peril?! Can Bruce Wayne find the answers before the mysterious Red Mask captures him? And in the backup story, Tim Drake's hunt for Batman continues. Will Metropolis's newest Superman, Jon Kent, be able to help the Boy Wonder with this Multiversal mystery, or will they both run afoul of an overpowered Toyman?!"
Batman #131 features cover art by Jorge Jiménez and variant cover art by Joe Quesada, Richard Isanove, Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Jason Fabok, Brad Anderson and David Nakayama. The issue is on sale now from DC.
Source: DC