Batman vs. Failsafe, Round 1 in Batman #126 preview

 Batman #126 art
Batman #126 art (Image credit: DC)

Fan favorite writer Chip Zdarsky has taken the reins in Gotham, and it appears that's bad news for the Dark Knight. In a new batch of preview pages from Batman #126, we get the first extended glimpse of Batman's new villain Failsafe, who promises to make life hell for the Caped Crusader.

 Batman #126 cover (Image credit: DC)

Batman #126 is the second issue of Zdarsky's first arc in the main Batman title, which began with the brutal murder of several of Gotham's social elite. The World's Greatest Detective is on the case, but he's got plenty of other things weighing on his mind. For one thing, Bruce Wayne is having horrible nightmares about the future of his city. For another, the Penguin framed Batman for his murder.

Then there is a growing rift between himself and other members of his family.

In the preview pages Batman #126, we get a glimpse of the tension in the Bat-Family in an interaction with Robin, where Batman scolds his young sidekick for not foreseeing an attack that nearly killed him in Batman #125. Later, we see Batman deep in thought about the future of his city and his family, when a haunting and deadly figure appears behind him.

Check out our preview of interior pages, plus the main cover of the issue by Jorge Jimenez.

Fans already know that this villain is Failsafe, who Zdarsky has teased as a kind of "Doomsday for Batman." Clearly that's accurate in the way the robotic enemy fights, as just two pages into the battle it's apparent the Dark Knight can't physically compete with his foe. Still, it appears Bruce still has some tricks up his sleeve, and just like so many times before, he's going to need the Batmobile to get out of this jam.

Oddly, however, Batman doesn't seem to immediately recognize what Failsafe is, which is noteworthy given the assumption Failsafe was the creation of Bruce himself, as the robot emerged from a mechanical cocoon hidden in the Batcave.  

Could Alfred have mustered the technical expertise to create a Batman 'failsafe' protocol and hidden it from Bruce's notice? He seems to be one of the few characters that would have had the access. But we'll see where the story goes.

Batman #126 is drawn by Jimenez, written by Zdarsky, colored by Tomeu Morey, and lettered by Clayton Cowles. It is on sale in comic shops and digital platforms everywhere August 2.

Tim Drake lived, but Jason Todd died in Batman: A Death in the Family, one of the best Batman stories ever.

Grant DeArmitt
Freelance writer

Grant DeArmitt is a NYC-based writer and editor who regularly contributes bylines to Newsarama. Grant is a horror aficionado, writing about the genre for Nightmare on Film Street, and has written features, reviews, and interviews for the likes of PanelxPanel and Monkeys Fighting Robots. Grant says he probably isn't a werewolf… but you can never be too careful. 

Read more
Commander Star looks on as chaos erupts in Gotham City.
Who is Commander Star? Batman #156 reveals the secret identity of Gotham’s sinister new hero
Absolute Batman.
Absolute Batman #5 pays homage to an iconic scene from The Dark Knight
Batman (2025) #1
DC’s new Batman relaunch finally has me excited to follow the Caped Crusader again
Batman and the Jason Todd Robin leap into action.
Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire revisits the early days of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd
Absolute Batman in the snow.
Absolute Batman writer Scott Snyder teases the arrival of Robin, crossovers with Superman and Wonder Woman, and building up to the Joker
Batman is the Dark Knight.
All the new Batman comics, graphic novels, and collections from DC in 2025
Latest in Dc Comics
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
DC June 2025 solicitations: 10 must-have comics to pre-order this month
Batman and the Jason Todd Robin leap into action.
Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire revisits the early days of Batman's second Robin, Jason Todd
New History of the DC Universe #1
Almost 90 years of DC history will be refined into an official timeline in New History of the DC Universe: "It's a chance to realign all of DC's sprawling continuity into one master timeline"
Sonic and the Flash racing over water
We'll finally learn if Sonic is faster than the Flash as Sega's famous hedgehog and pals team up with the Justice League in a new mash-up comic
Superman surrounded by the exploding Krypton.
Absolute Superman #5 puts a devastating new spin on the Man of Steel's origin story
Superman and the rest of the Super family at Pride.
DC Pride 2025: A revamped special issue starring Green Lantern Alan Scott, new books, and a host of variant covers
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"