Cover: Jorge Jiménez

Batman #126

Oct 2022 · DC · 4.99 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Addison Cobblepot★ 1st appearance — Aiden Cobblepot

About this Issue

Batman #126 marks the first full appearance of Failsafe, the relentless android antagonist who would define Chip Zdarsky's entire inaugural arc on the title — a robot designed as a contingency against Batman himself, drawing directly on Grant Morrison's 'Batman R.I.P.' concept of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh as a buried failsafe personality. The issue's cliffhanger, revealing that the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh had secretly constructed Failsafe, reactivated one of the most divisive concepts in modern Batman mythology and set the thematic spine of Zdarsky's run: Bruce Wayne as a man at war with his own subconscious. Simultaneously, the Catwoman backup story introduced twin siblings Addison and Aiden Cobblepot to DC continuity, expanding the Penguin's criminal family tree in ways that rippled into later dedicated Penguin storylines. Together the two narrative threads make this issue a dense first-appearances package that planted seeds across the Batman line for years after its release.

Contains 3 stories

Failsafe: Part Two

22 pp · Superhero

In "Failsafe: Part Two," Batman faces a robotic foe that strikes with chilling precision, pushing him and his allies to their limits. The adversary’s design feels eerily familiar, stirring long-buried memories as the fight escalates into something far more personal than a simple assault.

Two Birds, One Throne Part Two

8 pp · Superhero

The ExecutorEthan Cobblepot (death)

In "Two Birds, One Throne Part Two," Catwoman takes on a mysterious assignment to track down Penguin’s long-lost heirs—only to discover they’ve all been murdered. At the will’s reading, two unexpected claimants step forward, each with their own connection to the late crime boss and a stake in his empire.

The Endless Line

3 pp

Black Canary [Dinah Lance]The SpectrePhantom StrangerSgt. Rock

In "The Endless Line," Neal Adams reflects on the power of imagination and innovation, as the characters he helped shape—some long gone, others still fighting the dark—gather in quiet tribute, each a silent nod to the enduring impact of his artistry.

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $3

CGC 9.8 · 474 in census $20

CGC 9.6 · 29 in census $20

CGC 9.4 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

More listings for this title

Variant $2.24 NM · Variant $2.49 VF · Variant $2.9 NM · Variant $3.2 NM · Variant $3.2 NM $3.89 VF $4.2 NM · Variant $4.49

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History

Batman #126 is the second issue of Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez's run, launched with Batman #125 in July 2022 as DC's primary Batman title following Tom King's tenure. Zdarsky came to the book with a stated ambition to build an action-forward thriller that also engaged seriously with Batman's psychology, and this issue — part two of the 'Failsafe' arc — delivered that vision in concentrated form, pairing Jimenez's kinetic, texture-heavy art with colorist Tomeu Morey's palette inspired partly by the cinematography of Matt Reeves's 'The Batman.' The backup story, 'Two Birds, One Throne Part Two,' was drawn by Belén Ortega with colors by Luis Guerrero, with Zdarsky writing both features and Clayton Cowles lettering throughout — a consistent creative team that gave the double-feature format unusual cohesion.

Trivia · 8 facts

First full appearance of Failsafe, the Amazo-powered android built as a contingency to stop Batman, created by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Jorge Jimenez.
First appearance of Addison Cobblepot and Aiden Cobblepot, twin children of Oswald Cobblepot (the Penguin), introduced in the Catwoman backup story by Zdarsky and artist Belén Ortega.
The issue's climactic final page reveals the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh — the unhinged backup persona first developed by Grant Morrison in his 'Batman R.I.P.' arc — reasserting control over Bruce Wayne, establishing the psychological engine of Zdarsky's run.
Failsafe is depicted as incorporating technology derived from the Justice League android Amazo, making it capable of countering the abilities of Batman and the entire Bat-Family simultaneously.
The Guillem March variant cover is a visual homage to Amazing Spider-Man #316, according to the DC Database.
The issue carries a cover date of October 2022 but was published on August 2, 2022; it is part two of the six-part 'Failsafe' arc later collected in Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe.
The backup, 'Two Birds, One Throne Part Two,' follows Catwoman investigating the murders of the Penguin's illegitimate heirs and ends with Addison and Aiden inheriting the Iceberg Lounge — establishing them as new players in Gotham's criminal underworld.
Multiple variant covers were issued, including a cardstock swimsuit variant by Mikel Janín and a 1:25 incentive variant by Inhyuk Lee, the latter particularly sought for housing the Cobblepot twin debut in the backup.