With Bruce out of the picture, an enemy of the past comes gunning for the rest of the Bat Family. And a fan-favorite character finally makes her return.
Written by James Tynion IV & Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Tony S. DanielIt’s here at last—the sequel to the blockbuster weekly series BATMAN ETERNAL!
Five years ago, Batman and Robin worked the most disturbing case of their crimefighting careers-bringing down the organization of the ultimate human trafficker, the mysterious woman known only as Mother. At the time, Dick Grayson never quite understood the scope of that case, but now its darkest secrets are coming back to haunt him and everyone else who ever worked with Batman! With Bruce Wayne now lost to them, Dick and all his allies are out in the cold! Who can they trust? Is someone among them not who they say they are? And who is the deadly, silent young woman in black who’s come to Gotham City looking for Batman?
I, like many Batfans, have a special connection with the Bat Family. To put mine in the most simplest of ways, when the Bat Family is being written well, I’m content, when they’re not, it becomes a lot more difficult to care about what Batman is doing. I say this because, ever since the New 52, certain members of the Bat Family have reaped some great rewards (Dick, Barbara, Damian) while others have not been so lucky, whether it was being erased for an indeterminable amount of time (Stephanie) or being written by people that, let’s be honest, should never have been allowed (Tim). So it was with great excitement and with a load of nervousness did I anticipate “Batman & Robin Eternal”. It had everything I’ve wanted: a story that focused on the Bat Family as a whole, rather than on Batman with everyone else getting snippets as I feel “Batman Eternal” sunk into every now and again. It has a tighter focus at 26 issues instead of 52. And it features the return of one of my favorite female superheroes.
“Family” really is the big theme behind Tynion and Snyder’s story here. Whether it is the meet up between Dick, Jason and Tim at the beginning to give a very basic introduction to the characters. It’s fun, if tongue-in-cheek and does its job well. I mentioned in my micro review of “Grayson” #12 that the reunion there felt a bit unearned because of how it was just “telling” us rather than showing (the constraints of the 5-6 year timeline nonsense not helping). This moment was better simply by showing us the relationship instead of a mountain of exposition. And the promise that there will finally be some meaningful interactions between these characters after a noticeable absence in the New 52 is a good one.
But it’s not just the trio of Robins that show this theme of family. Harper and Cullen Row finally make their return. The scene between the two is good, discussing the disappearance of Batman and the rise of the Batbot, Jim Gordon’s suit is known as and Cullen’s worry about Harper’s new side profession as the vigilante Bluebird. I have been a fan of these two ever since they were introduced together and am glad to at least see that they are still around since their last appearances at the end of “Batman Eternal”. Although, if there is one criticism I can lobby at the writers it’s this: it is getting a bit tiresome to see Cullen be nothing but “Harper’s motivation”. Because while I do like the kid, it does nothing to calm the sneaking suspicion that he’s going to be Red Shirted to further Harper’s character development. And that was a dumb idea in “Identity Crisis” with Jack Drake and it would be a dumb idea now.
Also, that better be Metal Gear Solid V you’re playing, Cullen. It’s your civic duty.
So let’s address the first of the two big elephants in the room with this issue: Cassandra Cain. This was going to make or break the book because let’s face it, Cassandra’s fans have been screwed over in the past. And I am happy to say that, all things considered, this is the best and most realized interpretation of Cassandra Cain we could’ve possibly gotten in the New 52. Her skills and her personality are on full display here and her introduction scene is the absolute highlight of the issue and further exposition of her near the end of the issue will put some other fears to rest.
Continued belowA great deal of the praise for Cassandra Cain has to go to Tony Daniel and colorist Tomeu Morrey. Like Dustin Nguyen’s design of Stephanie Brown, their design for Cassandra is evocative of her iconic Batgirl, especially in the black and yellow coloring. It’s much more compact and has a bit more armor on it, but it never goes overboard. If anything, the outfit design actually reminds me of the Metalbending Cop uniform from The Legend of Korra to great effect. Seeing her in action is incredibly well done as well. Cassandra is the most skilled fighter out of all Bat Family with the possible exception to Bruce and she shows it her. Graceful and fluid, but with a great deal of power in the action. The art crew also display her ability to read people’s actions in an interesting way and we see how logically her moves counter her poor opponent.
If there is one criticism I can make about the scene it’s this. Colorists and editors: Cassandra’s eyes are brown, not blue. This may seem nitpicky, but when the whole white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes comes off as a “standard” when it really isn’t, it is more important to call this out.
But Tony Daniel, inker Sandu Florea and Morrey do a really good job overall with the issue. Daniel had to incorporate a lot of character designs that weren’t his and he does make all of them look pretty good. I suppose one criticism is that one panel Daniel drew Tim with a cape instead of the wings, but considering my own opinion on Red Robin’s New 52 design, that’s like complaining about a video game feature as if it was a bug.
So if the characters and art were really good, what’s the second elephant in the room? Well: the overall plot and driving point of it.
Look, I love James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder. I do. I’ve said before that Tynion is one of the few writers in the New 52 that I trust with any of the Bat Family members under the age of twenty and Synder deserves every bit of accolade that he receives. But I have come to notice a pattern with how their Batman stories begin: “Some secret from that past or something Bruce hid from the rest of his family is now coming back to bite the rest of the Family in the ass! Oh noes!” Seriously. James Gordon Jr., Court of Owls, Death of the Family, Endgame, Batman Eternal, and even Superheavy has that a bit now after Batman #44. The only possible exception is Zero Year, but that took place in the past!
Now, could the whole stuff with Mother and Orphan and whatnot change as we get further into the book? Sure, but it just feels like the same setup that I have seen a couple of times. I am hoping that character moments take precedence over big bombastic plot. It’s why everyone loves the members of the Bat Family and it’s so great to see them all finally reunited.
Final Verdict: 7.6- Cassandra Cain’s New 52 debut steals the show, but Tynion, Snyder and Daniel still give some good character moments for the rest of the Bat Family.
