Batman vs. Gotham's finest!
Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Ray Fawkes, John Layman, Tim Seeley, and Guillem March join Batman's struggle to restore order in Gotham City. However, Carmine Falcone is going to make Batman's struggle a little more rough with the help of the Gotham City Police Department!
The Good
So the story is starting to take an interesting turn! The story has taken some turns recently, not all of them have been "interesting", but having Carmine Falcone finally call in the hit to kill the Batman; and ordering the G.C.P.D. to carry it out is really awesome! It'll make Batman a bit more careful when trying to stop Falcone. While ultimately dividing his attention from the real threat that has yet show his or her face!
And the main thing that I've enjoyed about this series so far; is that Batman's attention is really getting divided or played with. I like how the writers have shown that Batman can't be everywhere at once and save everyone! Even with all of his allies [that have popped in-and-out of the series], Batman is starting to tread water as Carmine Falcone's grip over Gotham is growing. This issue, if for nothing else, proves that Batman is beginning to lose the war. And I just can't wait to see how it all turns out!
The artwork Guillem March [and company] is really amazing! I love his art style, and the colors and inks work really well with his version of Gotham City. March makes the city and it's characters look larger than life, while also making it seem as gritty and dark as possible. The entire art team does a wonderful job at bringing life to Gotham and it's characters!
The Bad
Some changes could've been made to turn this good issue into a great one! First of all, the fight between Batman and the G.C.P.D. could've been dragged out. Picking up this issue I was automatically drawn in by the cover, and was interested in seeing Batman fight off a bunch of police officers. The cover makes it "seem" like Batman has a well scripted fight against the G.C.P.D., however when it comes down to it; it is really, really mediocre. This was bit of a disappointment as I would've loved to see a fight with Batman and the Police like in the Batman: Year One story. While it did show that Batman is going to gain another ally in the police force, it could've been held a lot better.
Another disappointment was seeing Stephanie Brown. I love Stephanie's character and I'm glad she finally appears in the New 52, however her story interrupted Batman's struggle against Carmine Falcone and now the police. Her part in this issue was a bit repetitive from her last appearance in the Eternal story. She's in trouble, I understand! Don't make me relive a part that I already read in a prior issue, only to add one new plot element to that portion of the Eternal story. If her portion of the story was handled better, all would be okay, however adding one new plot element does not justify another appearance from the character.
The Verdict
Bats, cops, crooks, and Stephanie Browns are the order of this issue! I enjoyed how Batman's attention is getting divided early on in this series, and I love how it's being executed. Some parts could've been handled or completely taken out of this issue, but all-in-all; I'm hoping that it all pays off in the end! 4 out of 5.
Batman: Eternal reviews
- Prelude (Bat #28)
- Eternal #1
- Eternal #2
- Eternal #3
- Eternal #4
- Eternal #5
- Eternal #6
- Eternal #7
- Eternal #8 (this review)
- Eternal #9