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COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Batman Eternal #51 – Small Details

 
BMETRI-Cv51-ds-44e92
BMETRI-Cv51-ds-44e92
BMETRI-Cv51-ds-44e92

 
Overview
 

Story by: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
 
Art by: Alvaro Martinez
 
Publisher:
 
FG RATING
 
 
 
 
 
3.5/ 5


User Rating
1 total rating

 

Raves


Reminiscing the HUSH twist; Another unexpected twist; “If it’s worth fighting for” moments; Good penultimate issue

Rants


Inferior Batman suit?!?; Graphic blood and torture illustrations; Typical “revelatory” expositions.


To sum it all up..

Weekly comics are a big gamble in the comic industry. Sure, readers can wait for a week to read what will happen next, unlike waiting a month or two (or worse, months to year[s]). Ultimately, this endeavor boils down to the story’s execution and a devoted readers’ base to sustain this one. DC Comics is […]

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Posted April 14, 2015 by

 
FULL REVIEW
 
 

BMETRI-Cv51-ds-44e92

Weekly comics are a big gamble in the comic industry. Sure, readers can wait for a week to read what will happen next, unlike waiting a month or two (or worse, months to year[s]). Ultimately, this endeavor boils down to the story’s execution and a devoted readers’ base to sustain this one. DC Comics is a veteran to that risky move. What stands in my mind is that the weekly 52 is still considered one of the best weeklies yet. Others like Countdown and Brightest Day met either lukewarm receptions or harsh criticisms due to the failure of connecting directly to the main event or the overall quality itself, respectively. I mention this because Batman Eternal is coming to the close with its penultimate chapter, issue 51.

With the same collaborative team that chronicles the New 52 Batman’s quest of unmasking the real culprit behind the ensuing chaos in Gotham City after the imprisonment of the city’s Police Commissioner James Gordon. This fifty-first part picks up where the very first issue left behind—the chained Dark Knight! Last issue uncovered the real mastermind of the entire Gotham mayhem in the way we did not entirely expected (if so, go back to issue 3). This one sees how this unknown and unglamorous fellow outsmarts, outthinks and outmaneuvers the Dark Knight. This chapter reminds me how Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee surprised/bewildered comic readers then on their Batman event run named HUSH which in the entire time, the one we don’t expect is the one who inspired and orchestrated the whole time.

We know that Scott Snyder makes the entire story, and James Tynion IV either performs his role as the title’s “showrunner” and responsible for making the scripts/breakdowns due to his boss’s Batman assignments and other commitments, or provides additional inputs to the story overall. We can see here that Tynion slowly and surely shows his own writing style that distinguished from his master Snyder. Understandably, Tynion needs three “consulting writers” to make the narrative more consistent, cohesive, and coherent all throughout. The outcome is a satisfying twisting moment that will surely put the last chapter aptly entitled “ETERNAL” in our must-list next week. And surely, what’s a Batman issue without the old-fashioned fisticuffs between the baddie and the Dark Knight himself! Aside from this, we glimpse two more interconnecting tales that rationalize the justification of fighting/defending Gotham City at all cost. The most touching moment here are hands down the father-and-son Gordon scenes.

Alvaro Martinez serves as the artist and his clean lines of the characters involved and detailed (and bloody) illustrations of the main protagonist are a sure draw here. But my major reservation points to the unmasking of the Batman. It strips away the Dark Knight’s truism “prepared for everything” for the mastermind just rips the mask and cowl with great ease! I often look back that even Batman’s mask alone is equipped with nanotechnology devices to prevent enemies to unmask him. Or perhaps, one can reason of the New 52’s “inexperienced” moment, hence the rather easy removal of the Bat-mask. And, Martinez may not be as hyper-detailed as Fabok, but his own stands out nonetheless. Seriously, this is a good issue that leads to the ever classic Cain-Abel confrontation.


Paul Ramos

 


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