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Batman Eternal #6
HA HA HAHA HA! Welcome to the mystical side of Gotham City. Batman is prepared with Nth metal and our good friend The Spectre (or Jim Corrigan, at least, who is connected to The Spectre) turns up with Batwing to go after some magical stuff that’s the opposite face of the coin from the Penguin/Falcone gang war that’s also plaguing Gotham City.
Apparently, there are a couple things going on at Arkham Asylum: A green ghost that looks like that of Deacon Blackfire is roaming around and some mysterious stuff is going on with Joker’s Daughter all behind it.
So what the hell is going on? I really don’t know. There’s more and more setup in this issue and very little payoff from previous installments. And since I don’t read every single DC title, I’m really confused when Batwing or Jim Corrigan or any number of other characters show up with little explanation. (So, I guess Batwing is a young Lucius Fox that’s now called Luke? OK.)
Also, I’m starting to wonder if this comic should even have Batman’s name in the title. He’s barely in it. (Though when he is, I love that he’s prepared with Nth metal and tells Batwing that sometimes mysterious, magical and ghostly stuff is par for the course in Gotham.)
Yet again, this issue picks up where no previous issue left off. Batman Eternal is jumping around like mad, and it’s getting frustrating to this reader. Anyone else?
I will say that they’ve handled art duties really well and Trevor McCarthy’s rendering of the ghosts and other spooky elements of this issue is fantastic.
Next Week: Professor Pyg comes back, at least to be interrogated. Ghosts and death and all kinds of crazy start spewing from Arkham. Robin gets further with the Nanobots. Someone explains why Alfred is now known as “Penny One,” even off the radio.
Next week’s cameo: Superman? (I think everyone in the DC universe is in this book, so why not him?)
Was I right?
Last week, I said, “Two Face gets in on the gang war. Batman breaks someone’s fingers trying to get information. We finally catch up with Gordon in prison where he’s made at least one friend.” I also predicted a cameo from The Spectre.
No Two Face. Batman only throws a Batarang. Gordon is only mentioned. (Once again, very few of the plot elements from previous issues are even touched on in this.) The Spectre (or Jim Corrigan or whatever…) does appear! (I’m doing a happy dance on that one.)
Either I suck at this prediction thing or Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV don’t have a very clear road map for Batman Eternal.
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By night, Kevin Coffey fights crime as a masked vigilante. By day, he’s the music critic for the Omaha World-Herald, Dungeon Master, lover of the Muppets, husband and father. He also enjoys making snide comments during movies (his wife has asked that he stop, but he refuses). Read his musings on Twitter (@owhmusicguy), music reviews and previews at Omaha.com, and bloggy stuff at his blog, Rock Candy.
