Batman & Robin Eternal #11

This issue is a Cassandra Cain 101. If you're a fan of the character then this is the issue you need to read. Sculptor, who once worked for Mother but is trying to make a change, delves into Bluebird's mind to show her why Cassandra Cain is the way she is.

Conceptually, this is a pretty weird issue and one would wonder if Sculptor going into Harper Row's mind would be necessary. However, a concept and execution are two entirely different things and the execution of the story here is fantastic and wonderfully engaging. Cassandra Cain was never a character I felt an attachment to. She's cool and all, but up until reading this, I could not have cared less about the character. While James Tynion and Scott Snyder plotted out this story, Ed Brisson does a great job with the script and the dialogue between Sculptor and Bluebird really moves this issue alone. There's this great balance of "show" and "tell" here in the issue, creating a really nice flow to the story.

This book also contains two different artists working on it but within the context of the story, it works out nicely. The present day scenes were drawn by Christian Duce, with John Rauch on colors. It really bookends the entire issue and Duce only works on a few pages, but he delivers a lasting impression with his designs. Fernando Blanco does the grunt of the work on the book, taking on the scenes that deal with Cassandra's past with Orphan. Rauch pulls back on the colors a bit to really hit the idea home that this is more of a dreamscape than anything else. Blanco actually does a fine job with delivering an emotionally compelling story through facial expression and the visual medium here. The only real complaint is that some of the page layouts don't lend well to moments where something big happens. It takes away a bit from the impact because a panel sits in an odd place.

There's a couple huge reveal moments in this issue that really hook the reader in, making for an overall really solid issue of this weekly series. BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL continues to be a great week-to-week read for those who are fans of all the Batchildren of Gotham. There's enough mystery and intrigue here to keep readers invested. If you've missed out, this is a series you should check out as this book continues to be worth the investment.

I enjoyed it, I just hated that cliffhanger we got in the end.

Just readed it, awesome! Cassandra Cain's official Post-Flashpoint back-story! it's different from the original, but its still super-bada$$, it has some elements from the old one, some of the cool parts, the major difference now really is that instead of being related to Ra's all ghul and the rest of The League Of Assassins, she's related to The Mother...i'm liking the way that the bat-office is handling her return (when you look at the rest of the dc universe "post-flashpoint" this is the best you can get, and i'm actually surprised that its been so good) my only problem, is that while the hype is there, as it should be, the feats just aren't there, at least not yet, i'm talking about her crazy feats, which are crazy for everyone else but for her it was daily-basis, and now we haven't seen none of it yet, hope its just a matter of time, though.

I also liked how curious Dick Grayson is towards the revealation of what Harper saw, we're going to learn more about it next issue, for sure, but i have a feeling that they will dodge the answer, because its a big one, and i don't think it will be revealed just yet.

Why is this godawful book called Batman and Robin Eternal. when it has no Batman nor Robin?

Even worse when it's not about Cassandra Cain is about Harper Row.

It's a fraud

@vitacura: You obviously haven't read the story, every single robin is in it. Jim Gordon is in it, and Bruce is in it. They also spent the entire issue talking about Cassandra Cain.

LOL

Have you been reading it, at least?...Batman (Bruce) and Dick Grasyon have been clearly the 2 characters on which the story has focused more on, so far, they have been in every issue, and every thing it's either about them or related to them in some capacity...Cass is the bonus, and Harper is just there.

As a matter of fact, every issue has long flashback scenes, which have been entirely dedicated to Bruce and Dick, this weeks issue for the first time ever has Cass as front and center in the flashbacks and it was only because they were telling her back-story, next issue will most likely get back to the "status-quo", which isn't strange, since as you said, this book its called Batman and Robin Eternal...and this year isn't all Robin anniversary, its Dick Grayson's anniversay, hence why he's been the Robin most featured in the story, appart from that, he's also THE main-character for this story confirmed by all the main writtiers and artist's for this weekly.

I've been loving this book....this has been the best writing that Dick and the other Robins have received since the New 52 started

@bat_girl_cc:

Wait, Sorry. You think having Dick saying in every issue he isn't worth it is a celebration of 75 years of history?

Because it sucks. Badly.

Dick is NOT the main-character, Dick is the audience for Cass and Harper's story, any character would have worked

But the real sad part is that is so very boring! The twist was obvious from the first issue, even more when they didn't bother to introduce other character that could be Cain. Th Mother is dull, Dick is useless in the past and in the present, Jason and Tim are only interacting with each other, Damian is nowhere to be found, Bruce has amnesia. It is a TERRIBlE book that has done nothing for the dinamics of the characters.

So wait...did Batman orphan David Cain when he was child just like Joe chill did to bruce

@vitacura: Before you go reviewing stories and calling them "terrible", you should learn how to spell dynamics.

Not sure what my spelling mistake has to do with the quality of the book.

@vitacura: agree with the point about it being called Batman & Robin Eternal, disagree with everything else you've said, lol :P

Not saying that this book is amazing or anything but this issue was actually pretty good in establishing Cassandra Cain as a character in this universe.

My thoughts exactly.

Tim Drake and Jason Todd have been treated way worse on their own titles than on this series, this is the best characterization than they ever had since Flashpoint.

Dick as been written failry good in this series, not as "in control" as on in his own series, for sure, but he's more "human" in this series.

Only Damian is missing, but he was already said to appear later on.

Artwork in this issue was pretty "meh".

Uhhhh I'm not sure about how I feel about Orphan being Cain. Their level of skill is so vastly different...they really knocked him down several notches. Also, ahhhhh. Stop making her a mass-murderer DC! One kill is all it takes for Cass to run for her soul!

It feels like a reductionist version of her origins...and poorly executed at that.

@inferiorego, this issue actually does nothing for me(tbh, I cringed a lot ><), and I'm a huge Cassandra Cain fan. I really recommend that you read Cassandra's early Kelley Pucket-Damion Scott Batgirl run. It is trully, REALLY excellent, and if you never cared for the character before, you'll see her in a new light after reading it. A really amazing run. Sincerely.