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Batman Eternal #9
Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and John Layman
Illustrated by Guillerm March
On the Cover: Guillerm March’s cover features a comically ripped/screaming (almost Liefeldian) Batman, fighting alongside Jiro, the Batman of Japan, against some devil-masked thugs.
How is the Story Progressing?: This issue takes Batman from Gotham to Hong Kong, to investigate what exactly Falcone was doing in his absence from the United States. There, Batman teams up with Jiro Osamu, aka Mr. Unknown II, aka the Batman of Japan, as well as his Robin and Alfred analogues, Kanaria and Master Hong.
While there, the gang corners/investigates Shen Fang, the mafia boss who, seemingly, defeated Falcone and sent him back to Gotham. It turns out that this is not the case, as Falcone simply sold his power to Feng for a 60% cut of his profits.
Back in Gotham, Falcone tells Forbes to shift his focus, temporarily, off of Batman and towards Catwoman. Eventually, she is entrapped by Falcone and his men, and led away to, presumably, be tortured or killed.
And, most importantly to the story moving forward, the masked woman in Hong Kong many of us assumed was Catwoman is actually a Special Recognition Regiment officer named Julia Pennyworth. As you can see form Alfred’s expression, she’s totes his daughter.
New 52 Debuts: Julia Pennyworth, in pre-Crisis continuity, went by the name Julia Remarque, after her adoptive father, Jacques Remarque, who raised Julia after her mother, the French superheroine Mademoiselle Marie, decided that her lifestyle would not be conducive to parenting. She was a minor character, never developed into anything, and was left dormant for nearly 28 years.
Also introduced in this issue are Kanaria and Master Hong, who follow the “Batman, Inc” model of each hero having an Alfred analogue, a Robin analogue, or both.
Finally, Shen Fang, the visual DC equivalent of the Kingpin, makes his first (and most likely last) appearance in this issue. Nice face tat, bro.
“Batman Eternal” Debuts: Jiro has been in the New 52 a few times, but this is his first “Eternal” appearance.
Visuals: Guillerm March is back for the second issue in a row, and his work continues to impress. What has been most surprising to me is how diverse his work has been, even within the same issue. Take the shot of Alfred from earlier in the article – incredibly expressive and Silver Age-inspired. Juxtapose that with this beautifully rendered, but much more “modern” styled image of Catwoman (and specifically the reflection in her lenses).
On top of that, his Batman is an actual, scary character. When he wants to be in the shadows, he is completely hidden. When he’s about to punch a dude in the head, see the cover for how physically intimidating he can be. His action sequences are cinematic without losing their expressly comic book kinetic energy. His work in this issue is a continuation of last week’s home run.
Three Big Questions:
1. Why No Batman of Hong Kong?
While this issue had great moments, one issue really lingered for me – if the creative team wanted to have this be so Japanese influenced, why not just have Falcone have been in Tokyo?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not an expert at the signature architectural style or culturally relevant symbols of Hong Kong, but I can tell you this: that’s supposed to be Godzilla in the Penthouse, and Jiro is the Batman of Japan.
If Hong Kong is truly important to the story, then there should have been a Batman of Hong Kong introduced. If it was important to get Jiro in on the action, it should have been set in Japan. This creative team should be above this sort of lazy cultural brush strokes.
Continued below2. Why Not Differentiate Between Julia and Catwoman?
It’s not just Zach who assumed that Julia was Catwoman last issue – I did the exact same thing. The “bloody hell” threw me off a bit, but not enough to really be suspicious. Look at the characters from the back – aside from the cat ears, they are wearing the exact same thing:
If Julia is an important character, just make her costume slightly different than Catwoman’s. A black, skin tight suit is a pretty iconic Gotham look. Again, this seems too lazy for the team of talent assembled here.
3. Does every city have a sweet Bat-lair?
Here is more of the Hong Kong weirdness – if the city has a Bat-lair (The Penthouse), it should have a Batman. Similarly, if there is a Batman of Hong Kong, how must he feel about his hangout being appropriated by foreigners at a moment’s notice. I’d also be pissed if I was the Batman of New York and all of the cultural touches are more reminiscent of Chicago than my hometown – and Chicago and New York are in the same country.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – This is a strong issue hampered by some lazy writing – but the art and overall story is strong as ever.
Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and John Layman
Illustrated by Riccardo BurchielliBatman and Catwoman – together again! Professor Pyg is back! And we get some answers about Falcone’s past, and his motivations!
On the Cover: Another Guillerm March joint, again showing the Image-influence he tends to show off more on his covers than on his interiors. The cover shows the Bat and the Cat going after Professor Pyg and his barnyard gang.
How is the Story Progressing?: The issue opens on Falcone and Catwoman – first showing how Selina gave Falcone his facial scars, then showing Falcone taunting and torturing Selina, after abducting her last issue. This lovely scene is quickly interrupted by Professor Pyg and his (what I’m calling) Barnyard Gang, who take them both hostage, threatening animal modifications to both Falcone, to something avian (drop the “e” on his name), and Catwoman, who he sees becoming even more feline.
We also get to see Julia’s convalescence at Wayne Manor, much to her chagrin, as well as the chilly relationship between her and her father. Also at Wayne Manor, Jason Todd pops up, and is charged with a mission – follow Batgirl to South America and make sure she stays out of trouble. This is an interesting pairing of characters that I can’t really recall seeing together elsewhere, and I’m looking forward to watching how (if) they interact.
There are two other stories that get advancements teased, with Bard continuing to leak GCPD info to Vicki Vale in an adorably innocent way, and Stephanie Brown going full From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and sleeping in the Gotham public library. There’s also a page revealing that Cluemaster knows that Stephanie is still alive. This story has been in stasis since week #3 it seems – it seems time to move it along some.
Finally, the big reveal at the end of the issue is that Falcone is not the big bad here, but merely another pawn in the grand scheme.
New 52 Debuts: I am not sure if there are any characters, aside from a few background characters, perhaps, who are making their New 52 debut this issue.
“Batman Eternal” Debuts: Jason Todd shows up for the first time, and it seems he will become a more integral character as the book progresses.
Visuals: This issue features “DMZ” artist Riccardo Burchielli, and his style is a welcome addition to these pages. His line is, perhaps, the heaviest of any of the artists who have been featured in “Eternal,” and he quickly makes the book his own, specifically through his action sequences, which are deliberate and striking. His “camera” work is spot on, and everything feels slightly grittier and more dangerous than it has in some other hands.
Continued belowThe one knock on Burchielli is that some of the secondary characters, like Todd and Brown, don’t quite match up, visually, to earlier appearances. However, that is quickly made up for by his singular style, which leads to some really visually interesting panels, even if a few seem to break the laws of human physics.
Three Big Questions:
1. Who is really behind this whole enterprise?
It is revealed in this issue that Falcone lets slip that he was tipped off to return back to Gotham by someone else. To me, the only player in the Bat universe who would be this organized and ruthless would be the demon himself, Ra’s al Ghul.
2. How does the Cluemaster fit in?
Sure, it is convenient for DC to bring Stephanie Brown back into the fold, but they chose “Eternal” as the place to do it for a reason, one presumably involving her father. He has clearly been shown as a two-bit supervillain, so I am struggling to see how he fits into the larger picture.
3. Why is Professor Pyg the only Grant Morrison addition to the Bat-verse to get play in this book?
We all know that the Grant Morrison “Batman” epic was a polarizing one – for everyone who loved it, someone else called it inscrutable and obtuse. Most of the characters and developments from his era have been, more or less, eschewed in favor of a more linear, easy to understand Bat-mythos.
But something about Professor Pyg has resonated – first appearing on Beware the Batman!, and now being one of Gotham’s major players in “Eternal.” This isn’t me complaining – I love the character – but it does have me wondering: will we see more Morrison-influence in “Eternal,” or is this just a one-shot deal?
Final Verdict: 7.2 – While the art continue to be excellent, this issue felt, at times, like a simple setting of the table for bigger things (the South American trip, the reveal of a different big bad).
The Series So Far: 7.5 – The series continues to be entertaining and visually strong, and I suspect, will read much, much better in an omnibus one day, where slower issues won’t be as noticeable.
