Batman: Eternal #8 Review

Written by: John Layman
Art by: Guillem March
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: May 28, 2014

Back to Central

John Layman and Guillem March take over this week and I for one am glad.  Batman Eternal #8 is the first time I finished reading and had a full grasp of what's going on.  Instead of getting new plot threads and characters, we get back to two things I loved from earlier issues.  Plenty of GCPD and a little Stephanie Brown.



When Batman Eternal started, it seemed like the beginnings of a new Gotham Central and I was loving it.  Of course, further issues got away from that with Nanobots, Ghosts and a bunch of other crazy stuff. John Layman gets the book back on track by showing Commissioner Forbes, Harvey Bullock and most important,  Lt. Bard.  We know that Forbes hates Batman and that continues this week.  I have been down on the way Forbes has been presented.  He's more of a caricature than a character, but Layman does a real good job with him by showing how others on the force feel about him and Batman. One of them is Lt. Bard.  Through his dialogue and especially his actions, Bard shows he's not on board with Forbes' vigilante policy.  This all leads to a great showdown between Batman and the police that ends with the Bat Signal being smashed and Batman packing his bags for Hong Kong.

I have been waiting for more of Stephanie Brown and we get it this week.  Layman uses a clever flashback to show her where we last saw her...waiting for her Mother's help.  We know that help isn't on the way, but find out soon that it's worse than we thought.  The scene is quick, but looks like it may lead Lt. Bard to Stephanie and I'm all for that.

I loved this issue.  John Layman gets everything back on the rails with an excellent issue that really pushes the overall story forward.

I also loved Guillem March's art.  I have to admit. I'm a huge fan and this issue shows why.  Everything is so detailed and looks amazing.  His batman is always good, but it's everything else that will impress the reader most.  My favorite pages were the under water scenes at the beginning.

Bits and Pieces:

John Layman gets Batman: Eternal back on track with my favorite issue in a while.  The reason: Gotham City Police Department, Lt. Bard and Stephanie Brown.  This issue really moves the book forward and looks great thanks to Guillem March.  This is the book I was hoping for after the first couple issues of the series and I hope the trend continues.

9.3/10