Batman Eternal #2

Batman Eternal reintroduces one of Batman's greatest foes.

I had a few quibbles with the first issue of Batman Eternal. One of the major events in the book was a little confusing on the page, and I was concerned about the story dragging over the course of it's 52 issue run. While the second fear hasn't completely gone away, this issue has made it clear that the Batman Eternal team has a lot in store for us between now and when we'll see the burning Gotham from the issue one opening.

Again, the presentation here is top notch. Jason Fabok continues to strike a perfect balance between realism and style with his art. The characterization and dialogue is great as well. I especially liked the conversation between Batman and Gordon regarding the events of last issue. We also get to see a character make his New 52 debut. Throughout the issue, we see the mayor of Gotham talking to a shadowy figure who apparently put him, among others, in power in Gotham in the first place before being run out of town by Gordon and the Batman.

This new character's identity is revealed on the last page of the issue, so I won't say who it is here. I am sure, however, that his presence will have a huge impact on Gotham in general and Catwoman in particular. In Batman 28, we got a sneak peak at the future of Batman Eternal, and in it Catwoman is a major figure in Gotham's crime world. Given her reaction to this the reveal at the end of this issue, and the character's pre-reboot history, I'm betting we'll get to see her start down that road soon.

With their second issue, the Batman Eternal team has gone a great way toward alleviating some of my fears about the pacing of this series. They've introduced a major new villain and (probably) kick started another story line in the book. If they keep introducing story threads like this, I'm sure that they'll have no problem keeping my attention until the fiery conclusion they seem to have planned.