Welcome, friends to another installment of “The 3cap,” our weekly recap of DC’s three weekly titles: “Batman Eternal,” “Earth 2: World’s End,” and “New 52: Futures End.” Each week, we will take a look at the each issue released, while recapping the action and asking the burning questions. If you spot something we missed, make sure to leave a note in the comments!
Batman Eternal #35
Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Fernando Blanco
Reviewed by Zach Wilkerson
News, notes, and debuts:
This issue of “Batman Eternal” picks up in media res, with Batman driving the Batmobile out of Gotham skyscraper, just as depicted on the cover. We then rewind to three hours prior, which is actually two weeks after issue #34’s “Fall of Hush.” The jump in time finds Wayne Enterprises broken and in the possession of the Federal Government. This leaves Bruce financially destitute, homeless, with only a Batcave to his name (a cave that now resides under the repurposed Arkham Manor). It’s not only physical possessions that Bruce has lost. Long-time friend and ally Lucius Fox is now under the thumb of Jason Bard, who is prepared to use Fox as a weapon against the Batman.
In the issue’s B-plot, Vicki Vale shows that Bard has failed to pull the wool over her eyes, as she travels to Detroit to uncover the “Secret Life of Jason Bard.” It seems Bard has his own tragic past involving a lost loved one and masked vigilante.
When Bard lures Bruce out into the open, he uses Lucius to systematically dismantle his defenses, sending him on a twisted, superhero version of Speed. The issue ends at the beginning, with the Batmobile plummeting to the streets of Gotham.
Three Eternal Questions:
1. Where is the rest of the Bat-family?
It’s been quite a while, over a month in fact, since we’ve seen hide or hair of Barbara, Tim, Harper, or Jason. The focus over the past few issues has been very much on Julia Pennyworth, Spoiler, and Batwing. Jason’s absence is understandable, the last time we saw him he was leaving to rejoin the Outlaws. However, it seems very strange that so much time would pass without seeing these characters. Earlier issues played up the importance of the bat-family in a big way. It seems strange, and highly convenient for building up the tension of the story, that these characters are MIA.
2. Who is the Batman of Detroit?
Batman-esque vigilantes are a dime a dozen in the DCU. So, the obvious question is, is this an established character, or a new one? Was this a vigilante under Bruce’s guidance, part of Batman Incorporated, perhaps? It doesn’t seem like it will take long to find out, with Vicki Vale on the case.
3. If not Hush, then who?
“Eternal” has presented several red herrings as to the true “Big Bad.” Bard is still moving full steam ahead with his vendetta, even with Hush locked tight in the bat cave. So, once again we’re left asking, who’s in charge here? The number of big time Bat-villains is starting to run low. It’s very unlikely to be the Joker, as he’s currently plaguing Batman over in “End Game.” It could be Ra’s al Ghul, but he’s been prominently featured in recent issues of “Batman and Robin.”
One character that has been noticeably absent, at least physically, has been the Riddler. The Riddler’s clue from a few issues back stated that if Batman was smart enough to read it, he’s smart enough to know his foe. Being smart enough to decode the riddle would imply equal intelligence with its creator…the Riddler. Now, the reason this seems highly unlikely is that it’s nearly a beat for beat rehash of the original “Hush” arc.
Of course, this could definitely be yet another red herring. However, the Riddler’s absence is very suspicious. When this series began, I drew comparisons between the destruction of Gotham seen in the first pages of “Eternal” with that witnessed in “Zero Year.” That story saw the Riddler remake Gotham in his image following a flood of Biblical proportions. “Eternal” on the other hand seems to end with Gotham on fire. In the Bible, following the great flood, God makes a covenant with Noah that he will never again destroy the world by water. Greatly simplifying things, it’s written later in the New Testament that the Earth will eventually be destroyed by fire. Nygma definitely has what you might call a god complex. With “Batman Eternal” coming in such quick succession to “Zero Year,” it would make sense thematically for this to be the point where the Riddler exacts his revenge.
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Earth 2: World’s End #9
Written by Daniel H. Wilson, Marguerite Bennet, and Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Scott McDaniel, Tyler Kirkham, John Livesay, Stephen Segovia, Jason Paz, Robson Rocha, Guillermo Ortego, Eduardo Pansica, and Walden Wong
Reviewed by Vince Ostrowski
News, notes, and debuts:
– Something that the DC3 has noticed and has been talking about is how, compared to “Batman Eternal” and “Future’s End”, “World’s End” is a terribly straightforward book. That’s not to say that there haven’t been fun moments, surprises, or bat-shit crazy things happening. It’s just that there’s no potential for a “Batgirl in South America” episode or something as crazy as seeing Frankenstein fight a robotic bear. While I think the weekly has been worthwhile for those that are already fans of the Earth 2 titles, I’m not sure that the scope is vast or broad enough to pull in new readers and keep them around.
– What “World’s End” is full of is surprise death. If you’re the type of person that dislikes character death as a storytelling device (I’m not opposed to it), then “World’s End” will drive you nuts. Super spoilers about character deaths to come: Barbara Gordon gets gunned down in front of Dick and the kid – all that was missing was a string of pearls shattering.
– I’m getting a real kick out of Thomas Wayne, Asshole Batman, all hopped up on Miraclo. In recent years, the DCU has doubled down on grim and gritty. You’re probably sick of everyone talking about that. But “World’s End” has had a fairly even-handed and benign group of heroes, aside from Thomas Wayne, who stands out as the most heavy-handed and gruff prick I’ve seen in superhero comics this year. I mean, I don’t read “Axis” – there’s probably a few of ’em in there too.
Three Worldly Questions:
1. Who becomes the “Batman” to Barbara’s “Thomas & Martha Wayne”?
With Barbara Gordon taking a bullet in the street, it’s too much of a Batman origin parallel for the writers not to take it to the next step. Who will rise as Batman, out of her death, if anyone? Money is on Dick Grayson, who has not been shown to be a superhero on “Earth 2.” But hey, maybe the baby will get in on the act. There’s a Batgirl, a Robin, a Bat-Cow; why not a Bat-Baby?
2. What the hell is Paternus talking about?
Paternus claims that Mister Miracle is barking up the wrong tree in going after Darkseid. He claims that Miracle is not the son of Darkseid, but the son of another New God, and is merely being used as a pawn in a fight between the two. Who could Paternus be talking about? Surely it couldn’t be himself, could it? After all, “Paternus” would be just about as obvious a play on “paternal” as you could get. No, I think it’s someone else. And if they’ve alluded to it before in this series, forgive me.
3. Superman Returns?
Superman returning to action is teased in the closing moments of the issue. The heroes are surprised by Superman’s bleeding after Thomas Wayne punches him. We all know that no one makes Superman bleed his own blood. So what’s his deal? Is Thomas Wayne packing Kryptonite in that tank of a batsuit? Or has his time in stasis rendered him with a new vulnerability?
The New 52: Futures End #
Written by Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Jesus Merino
Reviewed by Brian Salvatore
News, notes, and debuts:
After a few issues of more focused storytelling, this issue brings back the “checking in on most everyone” technique that the first 25 issues or so utilized. Of course, the two most interesting storylines – Batman/Mr. Terrific destroying the future and Stormwatch, are totally missing from this issue, but it does do a good job of filling in the blanks of some near-forgotten stories. In particular, this issue brings back the long-dormant Superman/Constantine storyline, placing Superman against his greatest foe…a Brainiac bear?
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Aside from the bear telling Superman that Brainiac would dig him, we also got a half-naked Midge, a character I honestly barely remember, being some sort of somnambulist disciple of Brainiac, before the bear exploded himself (maybe?), causing Clark to have to fly everyone to safety.
We also got the first view of Green Arrow Island post-invasion, where he essentially has a private Club Med. He invites the Bakers to come hang out, and announces his official retirement. I sort of hope this is the end of this storyline, as seeing him and Buddy enjoying drinks on the beach is a pretty nice wrap up for these characters.
Back on the scorched Earth that was Cadmus Island, Faraday discovers that his precious DNA storage unit has sank into the ocean. Poor Faraday.
The two other stories this issue involve the new Firestorm – Madison and Jason – and Lois Lane and the E2 heroes. The Firestorm story, essentially, is Jason getting Madison up to speed on what it means to be Firestorm – a constant nagging voice in your head (that is tuned into your libido somehow?), no pooping, no eating – and having them secretly check in on Ronnie Raymond’s funeral.
But the book’s most “important” development comes from Lois Lane going public with the information that Cadmus was imprisoning all of the Earth 2 heroes. It appears that, among the survivors are Mr. Miracle, Red Arrow, Huntress, Dr. Fate, Fury, and Hawkgirl. Obviously, with the events of “World’s End” moving along, I am sure we will find out, sooner than later, what happened to many of the other heroes who weren’t imprisoned on Cadmus Island.
Back on pencils is Jesus Merino, who is (and we sound like a broken record here at the DC3kly) a fine draftsman without too much flair, but who keeps the stories moving along nicely. While the interior art has been solid, if unspectacular, Ryan Sook continues to produce absolutely stunning covers – even if this week’s is a little jumbled, message wise, as that scene appears to be Ronnie’s funeral, but shows a ton of a characters that don’t appear anywhere in this issue.
Three Future Questions:
1. What does “go home” mean?
Constantine tells Clark…well, just look:
Now, go home can be read any number of ways – does it mean to bring back his Superman persona, and fight against Brainiac? Does it mean return to space, where Krypton was, and fight Brainiac on his own turf? Does it mean that the only way to defeat Brainiac is to die, and therefore go be with his people? I honestly am not sure
2. Since when are the Justice League such dicks?
Now, I understand that no one is going to be saying that Ronnie Raymond was the best Justice Leaguer of all time, but none of his teammates show up at the funeral? Come on Stormguard, what else do you have going on? Volstagg, you’ve got early dinner plans? That is just cold, Justice League.
3. Would the public even care about what Cadmus did?
On a world with Earth Cards, and open discrimination against Earth 2 humans, would the public actually consider Cadmus Island a positive thing? If those heroes are from Earth 2, they can’t be trusted, and if heroes can’t be trusted, they’re villains. And villains belong in prison, which is what Cadmus Island was. Will the public flay Lois for her role in the unleashing of these “heroes?”
