Batman Eternal #12 Review

 

Harper's laptop ignites, Batgirl feels a slight, the city indicts, and father and son reunite in this twelfth issue of DC's Batman weekly. We finally return to tolerable artwork, Tim meets the newest ladies in Bruce's life, and it seems like Jason Bard has a plan brewing to halt the gang war. There are also a few pages dedicated to previewing the new Batfamily comic, Grayson, and if you think you know Nightwing, you don't know Dick (actual DC product description), so that eats up some of the space.
 

This is how Funimation prevents simulcast leaks now.

 

Harper tries to out-geek the Geek Wonder, using her laptop in an attempt to hack into Red Robin's computer network. Unfortunately, Tim seems to be in the middle of breaking into prison to interrogate Professor Pyg (can't imagine the police are doing much good in their current state... or even in their previous one). He has her back hacked with extreme prejudice, frying her computer (harsh). It seemed kind of weird that Tim was just breaking into prison to beat Pyg up. I can't imagine Pyg would be a very good source of information, since he's pig shit insane. Apparently Tim agrees because he completely abandons the idea after fending off Harper's cyber attack.
 

In Soccerland, Batgirl throws a fit that Batman sent Red Hood, of all people, to retrieve her. Jason tries to argue that Bruce was just worried about her, but as far as she's concerned, she isn't being trusted. Jason points out that Babs essentially took a trip to South America to beat up a guy who had nothing to do with her father's incarceration, and she becomes a little more open to teaming up with him. Come to think of it, I would read a Batgirl/Red Hood team up book way before I would read either of their individual books (though Simone gets it right now and then with the former).
 

You are second rate, compared to Cassandra Cain.

 

I still have a hard time believing that there were even 162 people in the subway the day of the accident, nevermind that 162 people actually died as the result of the train crash, with 30 still in critical condition. Maybe it's because I've never lived in a big urban area, but it seems like there wouldn't be quite that many people there, let alone casualties in a single crash in a single tunnel. But apparently Jim Gordon is so screwed that even Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are at the beginning of the trial. And... Lex Luthor is the judge?
 

Lex, you're taking this Justice League appointment a little too far.

 

Back at the ranch, Tim bursts in to complain to Alfred about Harper, and meets Julia in the process. Apparently whatever Bruce said to Tim about Harper, he forgot to mention that she saved his life. Strangely, Tim immediately recognizes Julia as being in military intelligence, so does he just keep dossiers on British Intelligence agents or can he tell just by looking at her? I know Tim is kind of a wunderkind, but this is sort of pushing it.

 

Speaking of Lex Luthor, come on, Julia, you can figure it out.

 

Gordon must've known how good Bard was when he hired him, and made a great choice, because he's already got walls of connections in his apartment and a plan to end the gang war "by the end of the week". The plan is pretty bold though, because apparently in means catching Batman, and he wants Batman to cooperate in it. I can only imagine that the plan will go awry, however, since we're only 12 issues into what I believe is going to be a year long series.

 

Finally, fresh from the pages of Suicide Squad, James Gordon Jr. makes an appearance in Blackgate Prison, visiting his father, who thought he was dead (a batarang through the eye and falling off a building in the pages of Batgirl). What does he want? Probably to make things worse . Honestly, while I do think it's interesting that one of Gordon's children is a crimefighter and the other a serial killer, it's always been better as a concept than in execution, and when you really think about it, even the concept is a little hokey. I know Year One isn't canon anymore, but I'd have preferred to think the kid Batman caught from falling off a bridge didn't end up a maniac.

 

"When you comin' home, dad?" "I don't know when, but we'll get together then, son." 

 

Next issue: A Necessary Hell!

 

- Penguin Truth
(2014)

 

Story: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Script: James Tynion IV
Consulting Writers: Ray Fawkes, John Layman, & Tim Seeley
Art By: Mikel Janin
Colors By: Jeromy Cox
Lettering By: Taylor Esposito
Cover By: Guillem March & Tomeu Morey
Editor: Katie Kubert
Asst. Editor: Matt Humphreys
Group Editor: Mark Doyle
Batman Created By Bob K--AHAHAHAHA, NO. Batman Created By Bill Finger


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