Batman Eternal #1

Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV - Writers

Jason Fabok - Artist

Brad Anderson - Colorist

Nick J. Napolitano - Letterer

 

Given the fact that readers are being bombarded with a mass amount of Batman material, is yet another Bat Book by the DC braintrust necessary? The answer is probably not. Does this book justify it’s existence or stand out from the line at all? The answer is sort of. If you are on a budget and really cannot afford this book, don’t worry because Scott Snyder’s main bat title will probably more important anyhow, also the slight continuity changes that this issue offers may only effect this tale, and not bleed out into the further line.

 

This issue focuses most of it’s attention towards the current state of the Gotham City Police Department, which is definitely interesting at the moment. We are introduced to the white bread milktoast character of Jason Bard, but there is nothing that will really hook readers in regarding the new hero. Nothing covered here that is so completely new that you will be hungry for to run out the store next Wednesday for more Batman Eternal. This is in sharp comparison to Snyder’s Batman #1 in 2011, which instantly sort of clicked into place for readers and commanded the page.

 

The superhero action in this tale does not work here. Batman is just sort of reacting to the different players in this story, and does not have a whole lot of material to work with. It is always amusing to see Professor Pyg, and his moment with the caped crusader is a memorable exchange, and a definite highlight of the issue. Unfortunately a scene with Commissioner Gordon at the end falls short of developing the story, and just sort of spells out what is already on the page in clear view. This is not a bad story by any means, just an underwhelming one that is not a shot in the arm that this franchise could use.

 

Jason Fabok’s art is fantastic in this issue, the artist does a great job evoking a truly cinematic feel in this issue. His enthusiasm leaps off the page here, as the backgrounds are lovingly rendered with an immense amount of detail with each and every moment in the issue. The artist proves that he understands how to be economic with his storytelling, as the motion in this series is nice and fluid, leaping from page to page with a heavy amount of confidence. Sometimes normal talking heads scenes can look slightly strange from the penciller, as there are a ton of lines on faces that make the everyday person look like some sort of weird alien, but those moments are dulled by the stirring representation of Batman in full costume. The penciller understands how to play with shadow in order to make the page truly leap out at the reader. Another thing that Fabok seems to juggle with to varying success, is how each individual seems to look extremely similar in too many scenes. All the members of the Gotham PD are mostly white men, so the artist could be forgiven for having trouble differentiating them.

This may not be the greatest Batman story ever told, but it is will keep the attention of those that are really invested in the mythos.