By Luke Abbott
Last issue, Deacon Blackfire was revealed to be the master behind the strange going-ons at Arkham and this issue handles his further invasion of Gotham. Jim Corrigan and Batwing try to fend off the first wave of his minions from the deep, but with the Joker’s Daughter and the endless numbers pressing against them, they are really struggling against the odds. Also, in other news, Bluebird and the Red Robin confront the man behind the nano-technology, always pushing closer to discovering if Jim Gordon really did hallucinate the gun in the man’s hand.
This issue is little more than atmosphere-building. Looking back through the pages on a second read confirms that not a lot actually happens here. We are still underneath Arkham, Deacon Blackfire is still bringing his minions together for an attack on Gotham and everyone is still in danger. We could argue that Issue #17 brings little to the table in terms of story. Bizarrely, I didn’t mind this as much as I minded the last few issues of Batman Eternal. Mainly, this is because its goals as a comic were very clear. We were meant to put down this comic, mind blown and wondering how anyone is meant to take on the power of Deacon Blackfire. The comic achieved that goal very well. The last page is eerie and creepy. We have no idea what is going on with the supernatural throwing us all out of our comfort zone. We are lost and this means that we are also part of the nightmare. The supernatural also gives artist of the week, Dustin Nguyen, several opportunities to show off his artistic skills.
I enjoyed breaking away from the story to see Blackfire’s origins. This was clever because of two things. One – I know nothing about Blackfire, but I left this issue moderately up to speed with the man. While we didn’t get to cover how he got his supernatural powers, we left understanding his motives, and for me, that is far more important. Besides, writers have a tough job of getting newcomers, like me, up to date with the canon, without boring the veteran readers with details they have already heard hundreds of times before. Batman Eternal, on this occasion, handled exposition well. The other good thing about Blackfire’s origins was that it gave us some time with the actual Batman rather than his crew. Not enough Batman for me, but he gets a cool moment, it has a pretty neat bit of misdirection and I left this comic, feeling as though I read a Batman comic, rather than a Robin comic. Good job, in my books.
Quote of the Issue
Batwing: I’m supposed to accept the supernatural. I accept it, okay? And now I’m going to kick its ass!
For more comic views and reviews follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBbtt and check out his website at www.oracleoffilm.com
Posted on August 4th, 2014
Category: ORACLE OF COMICS, REVIEWS
Tags: Batman Eternal #17 review, Comic Reviews, DC Comics, Harper, James Tynion IV, Jokers Daughter, Luke Abbott, Scott Snyder
By Luke Abbott
This issue focuses more on Arkham Asylum, keeping other stories to a few pages, but there is so much going on in the Asylum that this issue feels just as all over the place as some of the other comics. Jim Corrigan takes on Mr. Bygone, a cursed man who has become maddened and vengeful from his incarceration in Asylum. He wants to inflict his hordes of spectres on Corrigan and make him unleash the Spectre, his alter-ego that he seems terrified of letting out into the open. Meanwhile, the Joker’s Daughter has kidnapped Batwing and seems determined to carry out the orders of a mysterious benefactor. Logic dictates that she is idolising the Joker, but as events spiral out of control, it becomes clear that the mastermind behind this nightmare is able to dabble in the supernatural. Also, Bluebird and Red Robin finally get a major lead as to where the nano-technology originated, but will they survive long enough to truly get to the bottom of this mess?
Arkham Asylum’s storyline is a welcome change of pace from the gang war. I have never been a fan of the supernatural in comics and as characters like Mr. Bygone and Dr. Phosphorous arrive in Eternal, villains I have never heard of before, I feel on the back foot when it comes to the other readers. However, the material is approached well. The creepy exploration into the Asylum, more prominent villains like Scarecrow and Pyg reduced to helpless victims, slowly sheds light on the horrific truth of what is going on. The tension is dialled right up to the maximum. This is far more exciting than corrupt cops and gangster, which is the norm when it comes to Batman. This is the 75th Anniversary; we need something to break the mould and the supernatural definitely does that. I just wish that it took its time a little more. Eternal never stops to take a breather and relish a moment. We are always racing to the next plot point, which wastes the potential of this chapter in this 70 issue story. Maxie Zeus cameos here, but he never really makes an impression. He is just a pawn in this massive game, because no time is given to explore him.
Eternal is much better with the smaller beats. Let’s forget last issue’s back-step and talk about how interesting Jason Bard is. A massive flaw with Batman is that few characters are given the space to develop. They are not really characters; they are symbols. The Penguin will always be a greedy gangster with violent tendencies. Scarecrow will always be fascinated by fear. No one ever changes in Batman, because then they will become something that new readers don’t recognise, excluding the wider audience. With Jason Bard, we are finally given a character arc that excites us. Bard started as a Gordon copy, but he has become a character in his own right. His relationship with Batman, and now Vicki Vale, has changed and this has made him the one to watch in this whole comic. While I am glad he has been side-lined for a moment, so other stories can be explored, he is the best thing I have seen from Batman Eternal as of yet.
On more depressing news, Batman is once again cameoing in his own comic series, which is a massive shame seeing as it is his anniversary week. Surely, this goes against the whole point of Batman Eternal: the comic celebrating 75 years of Batman.
Quote of the Issue:
Red Robin: You idiot. You are going to get us…
Bluebird: …saved. I’m going to get us saved!
For more comic views and reviews follow Luke on Twitter at @LukeBbtt and check out his website at www.oracleoffilm.com
Posted on July 26th, 2014
Category: ORACLE OF COMICS, REVIEWS
Tags: Batman Eternal #16 review, Comic Reviews, DC Comics, Harper, James Tynion IV, Jokers Daughter, Luke Abbott, Scott Snyder
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