The natural order.
This month has been excellent for Batman Eternal, as both
the main arcs got some major progression.
It was helped by some amazing artwork, as both Janin and
Nyugen work well in tandem, highlighting the difference between arcs.
There are still B-plots that need work (with the Nanotech
one and the Brazil
one the main problem ares), but overall, Batman Eternal is shaping up well.
SPOILERS FOLLOW…………..
The Gordans talk as the younger James tries to convince Jim
to abandon Gotham and carve out his own path.
At first, Jim is resistant but he breaks and is about to escape Blackgate as
planned but is stopped by Batman. He quotes the former boss of Gotham (whom Falcone superseded), the Lion, as saying
that according to natural order the old is replaced by the new.
Maybe according to him, it was
time for Gordon to go off into the night and Bard to take over.
Bard himself has initiated a plan to trap Forbes as he
attacks Falcone’s operations under the guise of cracking down on Batman and his
Bat Inc facilities (with Batman himself as bait). Taking in Vicki Vale as
insurance helps him able to steer Forbes away from punishing Bard and instead
prosecuting the arrested.
The Penguin is at his wit’s end with Falcone having wiped
out almost his entire organization. On a tip, he raids one of Falcone’s
safehouses alone (leaving a bloodbath behind him). As he’s about to kill
Carmine though, Bard enters with his men and arrests them both.
It is revealed later that Bard sent that tip and Batman isn’t
too happy that it led to the death of many of Falcone’s men.
In between, Bard relays his evidence to Mayor Hardy that the
later had with Forbes, implicating him with Falcone.
At Arkham, Scarecrow attempts to escape something but even
as he stops to relax, large hands emerge from the wall and take him through it.
Regaining consciousness, he finds himself strapped to a dissection table with
Joker’s daughter preparing to play surgeon.
Batwing and Jim Corrigan enter, with things having gone
haywire at Arkham. First taking out Magpie (who’s posing as the help desk
receptionist), they pass by Riddler’s prison cell and Batwing records the
riddle on the wall hoping it can help.
Passing by Scarecrow’s cell, where blood is flowing from the
floor to the roof, they go down into the basement where they meet the Ten Eyed
man, who seems to be disoriented. Jim comments that this is the work of someone
with serious skill, and Batwing is only sane right now thanks to his protective
spell.
They come across a floating Scarecrow even as numerous ghouls
attack them. After failing to call out the Spectre, Jim watches in horror as
Batwing sinks into the floor and he is brought before a man who calls himself ‘Mister
Bygone’.
Even though his ‘heart’ is ripped out, Jim manages to
overcome the spirits and knock out Bygone. Batwing meanwhile manages to
overcome Joker’s Daughter (and a catatonic Maxie Zeus) in the caverns below the
asylum.
Batwing finds one of Arkham’s doctors there, but it appears
he is a puppet of a presence and before Batwing himself is a victim, Corrigan
arrives to stop the spirit from taking him. They are too late through to stop
Maxie Zeus from resurrecting Deacon Blackfire.
Above, Professor Milo receives the newest inmate - Professor Pyg, 'indoctrinating' him in the process.
Meanwhile, Red Robin has an unwanted passenger – Harper Row.
As he leaves for Japan,
running a diagnostic check gives him the information that someone else in on
board. Checking the cargo, he finds her eating cheese puffs.
As they reach Japan, Tim calls out Harper on her
game and despite his protests, she elects to join him on the mission to find ‘Sergei’.
As they check out the nanotech signal’s source, they’re attacked until Harper
does something to stop them in their tracks. Even as Red Robin takes stock,
Sergei pops up from a wall with his monkey to tell them they’ve passed the
first test.
Stephanie’s problems are compounded as her friend is taken
out by Cluemaster, in the first of a series of steps that will make her go
crawling back to her father.
In Brazil,
Batwoman enters the scene as she interrogates Dr Mangaravite through her
connection with the DEO, even as Batgirl and Red Hood arrive for their own
round of questioning.
I still don’t find the Brazil plotline all that
captivating, although it’s the closest to the Bat Inc material in this book.
Stephanie’s arc has been better but it feels too brief and lost amid the chaos
elsewhere.
Fairly cold to the Red Robin one as well. Harper feels
overexposed though Sergei may just provide the spark needed to revitalize the
plot.
As for the main storylines, I love the vibe the Hell in
Arkham arc is giving. Feels like a proper Supernatural Gotham tale. Blackfire
feels like he can be a big thorn here though the less I see the Joker’s
daughter the better. As for Maxie Zeus, I’m a little sad he’s robbed of his eccentrics
(though Batwing fighting his with tasers was a good homage to his belief that
he was Zeus) and just a device for Blackfire to return.
The best has been the Gang War arc. I loved the conversation
of the two Gordons and how ‘Gotham is basically
doomed’ comment weighing heavily on Jim. Bard presenting himself as resourceful,
and a little darker than Gordon, is also welcome, though putting Vicki in as
just a love interest hurts a little.
The artwork works as Mikel Janin gets the meatier Gang War
scenes while Dustin Nyugen takes care of the Arkham ones, where his brand of
work creates a great environment.
SPOILERS END…………..
This four weeks had some great material – both story-wise
and art-wise. Except for some continuity issues, most of the plot progressed at
a good pace, allowing almost all the main characters to share the spotlight.
Bard is coming across as an excellent character, and I love
the atmosphere at Arkham. I could do less with Joker’s daughter though and some
of the B-plots are meandering.
So, I give this 9.0 out of 10.
+Gordon’s arc is done excellently
+Bard’s character development has been exemplary
+Fabok and Nyugen work well on their respective arcs
+Some excellent visuals, especially from the villains
-Less of Joker’s daughter
-Nyugen’s art doesn’t work well with anything except the
Arkham plot
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