Warning: contains spoilers for Batman #125!
The most crime-ridden city in the world, Gotham City is one of the most dangerous places to live in DC Comics. However, this doesn’t stop the wealthy elite from packing their bags and moving into a beautiful estate on the outskirts of the city. When night falls, criminals take to the streets, followed swiftly by the city's vigilante protectors. Unfortunately, the efforts of Batman and Robin can barely keep Gotham from drowning in its own corruption.
Long before Bruce Wayne took up the cowl as Batman, Gotham City was a city of dark alleyways and unpredictable muggings. While many have speculated that Batman is the one who attracted many of Gotham's worst supervillains, something sinister has always lurked in the city smog. Criminals in costumes have become so endemic in Gotham that civilians no longer try to avoid them. When the GCPD isn't hunting down the Dark Knight, they grow complacent and reliant on him always being there to clean up the streets.
In Batman #125, by Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, and Tomeu Morey, Batman and Robin are on the Penguin's tail. The bird-themed rogue is behind a string of murders of Gotham's wealthiest—ironic for the born-into-wealth Cobblepot, yes—and Batman suspects that the Flugelheim Gala will be his next target. It's one of the few moments that Batman's 'Bruce Wayne' identity proves useful in his cases. Robin doesn't seem so sure that the gala would go forward when Penguin's still on the loose. “Won’t they cancel it?” Removing his mask, Bruce looks at Tim and states, “No. It’s the hardest part of this job—this city wants to die.”
This heartbreaking revelation explains a lot of the inconsistencies in how people behave in Gotham. In a city where masked supervillains holding people hostage and poisoning the water supply are a regular occurrence, it’d make more sense to seek real estate elsewhere. However, as Batman himself admits, the city has a death wish. Yet with this knowledge, he continues to put on the cowl every night in the hopes of making it a better place. It also explains Batman's reliance on the Robins, Batgirls and Gotham's other vigilantes—Bruce needs someone to defend Gotham when he no longer can.
Batman reveals a harsh truth in this issue, one that explains why he hasn't really had a break throughout his 80-year comic book tenure. Gotham is a dying body and Batman is its life support. While Batman Incorporated was formed for the explicit purpose of shifting that role to his allies, Bruce struggles with letting go—he's been seeking vengeance ever since his parents died, after all. However, despite his best efforts, the fact remains the same: Gotham City's demise is inevitable.
Batman #125 is available now from DC Comics!