The story is progressing forward!
The story continues! Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, John Layman, and Teem Seeley with artwork by Jason Fabok.
The Good
What a great second issue?! The story development team really stepped up their game from the first issue! In this issue we get to see how Jim Gordon is dealing with accused of manslaughter, how Batman and company are trying to clear Jim's name, and the threat that seeks to get Gotham back to a criminally run city!
So it turns out that the person that wants to get Gotham City back to a criminal run city is, Carmine Falcone! It's not necessarily a spoiler, because it's not the big picture villain that sparks this entire series (who's identity is still unknown, possibly). Anyway, the writers did a good job with some parts of this second issue. They re-introduced us to Carmine Falcone and also how Batman is trying to clear Jim's name.
It's really great to see how Batman is, without a doubt, sure that Jim is a good man and won't do the wrong thing. Which in this case is true, Jim has been framed and it's up to the dark knight to clear his name. The writers really pick up traction when they move past the first three pages as we get a quick glimpse of Jim Corrigan (Spectre) in this series and how they are introducing the supernatural element into this series. It was really subtle and it didn't feel force fed as things are starting to move forward in a good way.
Keeping in mind Batman: Eternal's prelude issue (from Batman 28) a lot of things haven't happened yet. So having that in the forefront of your mind gives you something to look forward to and start to create connections from this early point. While they may or may not be correct, you can start to get a feeling that Batman might lose control of his city. However, that's just my opinion!
Jason Fabok's artwork is still awesome! He does everything right with his art style and the colors/inks work perfectly wrapped around every character, silhouetted face, and blinding Gotham City light in this issue. In summary, Fabok is perfect for this series!
The Bad
The first three pages were a bit of a drag. They introduced the allies of Batman (Batgirl, Red Hood, etc.) into this series, clarifying to us readers that they are in this world and a part of this series, but for the most part they just had a one page face time. The writers could've just mentioned them in passing without having to draw out a long page of them finding out about what Gordon "accidentally" caused in Gotham. This one part threw me off of the story and it took a couple of pages later, specifically with The Spectre's guest appearance, before I was like "ok, it looks like one character has made things a bit more interesting." If the writers focused a bit more on the story, instead of force feeding more characters to us, this would've been a better issue.
The Verdict
I do like how the story is progressing. More characters are being introduced into this series and it's only a matter of time before we get to see their level of importance in this new series. The creative team behind this story is slowly, but steadily, making this a enjoyable series with each issue released and I'm looking forward to what will happen next with the reveal of Carmine Falcone coming back to Gotham City! 4 out of 5. Expect a review for every issue of this EPIC year long Batman series!
Batman: Eternal (review links)
- Eternal's prelude: BATMAN #28
- Eternal: #1
- Eternal: #3 (Wednesday, April 23, 2014 release date. Review date either day of or on Thursday or on a totally different day of the same week).
Last reviews: Batman #30, Wolverine #4, Uncanny X-Men #20, Hulk #1, Ultimate FF #1, INVINCIBLE #110, Wonder Woman #30, and Ms. Marvel #3
TV REVIEWS:
Arrow Ep#19 "The Man Under the Hood" and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ep#18 "Providence" REVIEWS!
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