Batman Eternal #2 Review

Written by: Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Art by: Jason Fabok
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 16, 2014

Better Than A Train Wreck

Batman Eternal is a weekly comic.  That means it comes out every week for the year long event.  Every week.  I'm not sure the multiple writers got the memo because they shove so many plot points and new characters into issue #2 it is almost ridiculous.  I say almost because it is pretty damn good as well.  A big, awesome mess of a story.

Last weeks issue left people dead, Batman confused and Jim Gordon in handcuffs.  Spoiler issues aside (I'm still a bit mad at DC for that), the first issue of Eternal was good.  Knowing the length of the story, I didn't expect tons of answers this week, but I also didn't expect so many more additions.  In fact, there might be too much here.  I know, how can I complain about getting too much?  Well, everything is just thrown at the reader without much transition.  I wouldn't say it's confusing, but it is an overload.  It would have been nice to let some of the big things sink in.



Granted, a couple of these big things are huge.  A very famous villain makes his New 52 debut and the Bat family gets involved.  As for the villain, I trust the writing team to handle him with care.  The Bat Family, however, bothers me a bit.  Some of the members make total sense, but one isn't usually included when it comes to these events and has even faced off against Batman in her own book.

After reading the last page, I felt a little lost and overwhelmed.  I'm still looking forward to reading this story, but I have to admit, my enthusiasm has gone down a bit from what it was last week.  I hope the story gets some more focus, but with so many writers involved, I'm already starting to worry.

There is nothing to worry about when it comes to the art.  Jason Fabok does a great job.  It's dark and gritty and really good.  The Bat Family spread was my favorite part.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman Eternal #2 seems to be sprinting to a finish line a year away.  So much is thrown at the reader that it can be a bit overwhelming.  Granted, it's still good, but suffers from a frantic pacing with little transitions.  The art of Jason Fabok is gritty, dark and good.  I still like this book, just not as much as the first issue.

7.8/10