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ORACLE OF COMICS #021 – BATMAN ETERNAL #15 – THE COMMON LIMIT

By Luke Abbott

Batman Eternal #15 Batgirl
Batman Eternal once again decides to go through several plot lines at once, rather than knuckling down and truly getting to grips with a specific set of characters. I partially expected this after the gang war story was brought to a close; we need to be reminded what is left to do for the next set of issues. However, a bit more tack would have been nice.

Batman Eternal #15 Spectre
Personally, I would have liked to have spent the whole issue with Corrigan and Batwing in Arkham Asylum. This story is the most intriguing at the moment, because no one has quite figured out what it is all about. We have seen Dr. Phosphorous rising from the depths and the Joker’s Daughter seems to be behind it all, but otherwise we have just witnessed a few terrifying shots of the inmates being tortured by supernatural forces. In fact, I would have happily had a whole comic book series of Batwing and Corrigan slowly making their way through the Asylum, a gripping horror mystery. As it happens, the writer’s attention is often elsewhere (with Bluebird, or with Batgirl), so the Asylum is never fully tackled. It moves along too fast, jumping from the eeriness of an empty Asylum to the horrors of the two heroes taking on zombies that come out of the brick walls. Don’t get me wrong, I liked this particular section of the issue, but I just wished that it was slowed right down, so we could appreciate every beat of the story, rather than rushing through it to get to the point.

Batman Eternal #15 Bluebird Robin
The other stories were kept to a minimum and therefore too short to comment on much. Red Robin and Bluebird remain a fun team, never really progressing with the story, but being so much fun to spend time with that you don’t mind wasting a page with them bickering. Bluebird’s ‘hand-made costume’ is quite a fun addition. Batgirl and Red Hood uncover a lead, but it doesn’t seem to be in any rush of carrying on Batgirl’s interesting arc. Batman is given the worst deal of them all. His appearance in this comic does little more than remind everyone that we are reading a Batman comic. In fact, his brief interaction with Bard actually hurts the overall story. Doesn’t this little conversation totally ruin the interesting dynamic that the last issue left us with? This is a problem with a story this big with several writers attached to the project: you end up getting issues that contradict each other.

Quote of the Issue:

Red Robin: You pull a stunt like this, you deserve nine hours in a stress position.

For more comic views and reviews follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBbtt and check out his website at www.oracleoffilm.com

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Posted on July 18th, 2014
Category: ORACLE OF COMICS, REVIEWS
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ORACLE OF COMICS #010 – BATMAN ETERNAL #7

By Luke Abbott

Batman Eternal #7 Bat goes
This episode is probably the most action-packed yet. Despite this series having a nasty little habit of dancing around conflict, this issue finally delivers not one punch-up, but two terrific fight sequences.

In a clever move by the writers of this issue, we strip away the Dr. Phosphorous taking on Batwing storyline for the time being, so the comic can actually highlight the characters it wants to discuss. Therefore, we zoom in on Batman, as he rushes towards the explosion that rocked Gotham last issue. When he gets there, it turns out that Professor Pyg is back and behind it all. After having his plan ruined in the very first issue, he has regrouped, got together a following and is marching out onto the streets of Gotham, intent on reducing the city to his idea of ‘beauty’. Meanwhile, we meet up with Penguin, as he tries to plan his assault on Falcone. He is confronted by Catwoman, however, who is not happy that the underbelly of Gotham is being torn at the seams by this gang war. A terrific fight breaks out, while the pair of them are unaware that Falcone’s next move might not be as far away as the Penguin suspects.

Batman Eternal #7 Batman
This episode is the right balance of fun and story progression. While the overall story arc isn’t brushed totally away, it struck me that the main goal of Issue #7 was to just deliver a bit of a punch to the comic series, especially as it was dragging its feet as of late. Penguin is always a fun character to tackle, because he has so many little tricks up his sleeve. Catwoman is the ideal person for him to face off against, because everyone is familiar with the character. She also has the benefit of not being a straight good guy, so we are unsure if the two are going to kill one another, or maybe join sides against Falcone and the Batman. On a lesser note, I didn’t buy into the fact that the writers tried to make Penguin a sympathetic character. They give him a monologue, where he tries to appeal to Catwoman (and the audience) that he keeps Gotham safer, under a united mob, while Falcone’s reign will equal chaos. Penguin has never cared about Gotham; he cares about power. While it was clear that the writers wanted us to have a favourite side in this little gang war, this isn’t a very good way of helping us pick one. Penguin the hero doesn’t sit right with this reader.

Batman Eternal #7 Penguin
On the other side of the comic, we have the Batman. Finally, we get the issue Gotham deserves. While the fight between Penguin and Catwoman occasionally comes across as a cheap trick to get across some exposition from the bad guy’s point of view, Batman vs. Pyg is just pure action. Frames are devoted to portraying Batman in a bad-ass light. Pyg, while not a villain I am too familiar with, is delightful here, portraying the kind of madness that makes the Arkham games’ version of Batman so enjoyable. It also throws up some clever twists on Falcone’s part, which is appreciated. Falcone isn’t the most threatening villain, so he needs a good plan up his sleeve. If he carries on like this, I am Team Falcone over Penguin’s random sympathetic monologuing! Also, there is a neat little twist with Commissioner Forbes that surprised me and could mean chaos for Gotham, according to the cliff-hanger we are left on.

For more comic views and reviews follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBbtt and check out his website at www.oracleoffilm.com

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Posted on May 22nd, 2014
Category: ORACLE OF COMICS, REVIEWS
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ORACLE OF COMICS #009 – BATMAN ETERNAL #6 – THE DENIED!

By Luke Abbott

Batman Eternal #6 Ghost
This issue opens up with Batwing caught in a mid-air with the Gentleman Ghost. The fight is short-lived, but it acts as a promise: this issue is action-packed.

Action-packed might be the wrong word to use here. It certainly moves along at a brisk enough pace. Within the first few pages, we have set up numerous storylines. A ghostly figure begins brewing below Arkham Asylum that looks truly terrifying. A new villain is introduced in one frame that will get the fan boys pumped. On top of that, the crime war between Falcone and Penguin rages on, with Batman tearing across Gotham, sleep-deprived and desperate. However, none of these conflicts are concluded. In fact, maybe that quick fight with the Gentleman Ghost was only featured, because Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV were getting very aware that this issue wasn’t containing a single punch. I don’t mind too much, because this issue acts as a set-up for what should be a great next issue. The pieces are in place for what should be a tense, and hopefully moderately chilling, action piece.

Batman Eternal #6 highness
I am always cautious when Batman tackles the supernatural. While the mobster crimes of Falcone and Penguin do have a habit of getting stale, I am not really too keen on the Dark Knight taking on anything too otherworldly. For one, I like the detective side of Batman and when he ends up taking on ghosts like the mysterious figure shown here, it is hard to make him seem all-knowing. However, as far as those stories go, this one has balanced quite well. Batman is experienced enough to know how to take on Gentleman Ghost and when mysterious reports of supernatural disturbances going on in Arkham, he turns to the help of Jim Corrigan, guided by a mysterious force, known as the Spectre. And the plus side of magic getting involved is that this new, skeletal enemy has a way of getting under your skin that Falcone just cannot do.

I am still a little lost with Batman Eternal as a whole. While the main arc was struggling to keep me interested, it cannot just disappear completely. Other than a few name-drops, it isn’t brought up at all. What happened to the Cluemaster? Wasn’t Batgirl about to kick some ass? We seemed to have moved away from that totally, which kills the tension of that storyline. I am unsure where we are with the mystery as a whole. While I enjoyed this issue a lot more than some of the others, it puts the overall Eternal arc in a bit of a bad light.

Batman Eternal #6 Jim Corrigan
And finally, I love the artwork here. Some of the bigger frames are astonishingly good. The spectre rising from the graves. The dark corridors of the Asylum basement. They will stay with you for a long while.

Quote of the Week:

Batwing: He said, if you start, like smoking from the eyes and mouth, I should run. He said I wouldn’t want to see what happens next.

Corrigan: Sounds like he covered the basics.

For more comic views and reviews follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBbtt and check out his website at www.oracleoffilm.com

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Posted on May 22nd, 2014
Category: ORACLE OF COMICS, REVIEWS
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