Batman: Eternal #47 Review

Written by: Tim Seeley
Art by: Juan Ferreyra
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 25, 2015

Lucha-Bore

Last week's issue of Batman: Eternal pulled the rug out from under it's fans for what seemed like the hundredth time.  We were lead to believe that Ra's al Ghul was the Big Bad, but again it was a big, fat red herring.  Don't get me wrong, I like a story that twists and turns, but this is getting ridiculous.  We are nearing the end of the game and Scott Snyder and company better have a hell of a two-minute offense or a bunch of people are going to be really, really mad.  Count me in with that group.  To make things worse, the last couple of issues haven't pushed the story forward much at all.  Then, last week's issue ended with a silly cliffhanger that I'm convinced was supposed to piss me off personally. Tim Seeley is back again this week and the issue does address that cliffhanger.  Am I still pissed off? Let's see...


As this issue began, I noticed two things...Juan Ferreyra's great art and the reemergence of Hush. Sure, Hush has been hanging around in the background, but he's been more of a trophy than a character.  That changed right away this week.  Ferreyra's art made him look awesome and his little monologue was a not so subtle foreshadowing.

We then get to my favorite part of the issue...Julia Pennyworth.  She has been stuck behind the Bat Computer for most of the series so it's easy to forget she is a super kick-ass spy.  Donning a cool Bat Mask, she pays a visit with Selina Kyle that stole the show.  They both come across confident to the point of arrogance and I loved it.  Selina gives Julia the shipping manifest from last week and that's when the issue begins it's nosedive.

I said it above and I'll say it again.  The end of last issue was nonsense.  With only five more issues left, we are going to spend valuable time seeing what the Gotham Rogues would do if they won the lottery?  Batman has sent the Family off to keep tabs on them and we get Scarecrow with his "Fear Drones", Clayface producing a Batman movie starring himself in the lead, Mecha Bane fighting some luchadores and Mr. Freeze living in the past (How did a soda machine do that anyway??!!)  We are left to wonder what Joker's Daughter is up to, but frankly, I don't care.

The issue picks up a bit by the end.  Hush somehow gets out of his cell and starts some big trouble. He shoots Julia out of the Batcave on a rocket bed (?) and shuts down the Bat Jet.  The big thing you realize here is that he is not alone in the Batcave.  Is Hush the bad guy, is the other guy?  I hope we finally find out because I'm getting real tired asking.  The issue does end with Batman and Julia in a whole bunch of trouble, but it feels like a been-there-done-that moment.

This was yet another issue that felt like setup and even filler.  I want answers and I want them soon. I'm really starting to believe that the series will end with the villain reveal and that we will have to wait until "Year Two" to see how it ends.  I really hope that's not the case.

I said it at the start, but I'll say it again, I love Juan Ferreyra's art.  It did get a little inconsistent at parts, but when he was on, he was on.  Batwing and Mecha Bane were worth the price of admission alone.

Bits and Pieces:

Is Batman: Eternal messing with me?  There are only a few issues left and it feels like we are going nowhere...slow.  Hush has returned big time, but the cliffhanger feels tired.  I loved Juan Ferreyra's art, but in the end, this issue did nothing to get me excited going forward.

5.5/10