Batman Eternal #40 Review

 

Batman plays in the snow, Selina's car blows (up), there's something Warren knows, and Corrigan makes Maxie glow in this fortieth issue of DC's weekly Batman series. Even though the direction the story has taken is a major improvement, I still can't help feeling the writers are dragging their feet here and there to fill in 52 weeks of content. They really could have combined most of what happened from this issue and the last one into one issue that was just a couple of pages longer, if at that. But this could just me being impatient while waiting for the big reveal of who's behind it all (Lincoln March).

 

"Ever since they opened up that second Applebee's, it's been absolute bedlam."

 

All that brimming confidence Riddler had before has completely crumbled as soon as he's got to overcome physical obstacles. I know that Riddler is more of a thinker than a tough guy, but he's the one who had the explosives planted, what did he think was going to happen? The minute any kind of hardship is thrust on him, he's this mousy little weakling. Is Nygma really afraid of whoever set everything up in Gotham? We're talking about a guy whose rubbed elbows with Joker without losing his smirk, so what's got Riddler so rattled? Is there a reason or is this just inconsistent writing?

 

Oh, and Batman. If you're going back to Gotham to bring Riddler to prison, maybe you should just put him in the glass tube you shoved Hush into, and keep him just as sedated. Then again, Hush knows most of your secrets, so its best not to alert Riddler to th--- huh. Wait, continuity burp there. It was Riddler who was behind the original Hush plotline in the pre-relaunch universe, so maybe he already knows.

 

I still wonder when and how Cluemaster's group got captured in the first place. I remember Stephanie getting her dad arrested by State Police several issues ago, but nothing was said about Signalman, Firefly, or Lockup. They all had their own tasks to attend to by their boss, and the only one really taken down was Arthur, because he was going after his daughter. Did the others just get caught jaywalking or something? Lockup forget to pay his taxes on time? What are they doing there? And why hasn't this group all gotten together and shoved Joker's Daughter into a cannon and launched her out of town? She's a disgrace.

 

"Tell me when you find all his whips." "I don't think Batman uses--" "That's not what Nightwing told me."

 

Wisely, Selina opts out of the direct approach to crime, choosing to remain a crime boss rather than just go around attracting Batman's attention loudly with his own weapons. Obviously this group is what it has always been in this book: a distraction. And frankly I think Batman should just employ some of his own operatives to take them on while he figures out who's behind this all (Lincoln March). Hell, at this point, Batman should call in some Justice League back up. Things are really out of hand. There's no shame in asking Clark or Diana to step in, at least to wrangle this super villain group while he figures out what the big plan is.

 

"Well, except that the water is undrinkable."

 

It looks as though we're catching up with that issue of Snyder's Batman that had Spoiler in Selina's custody, because she's looking for her and any secrets she might know (about Lincoln March).

 

Next Issue: Nano Your Business!

 

- Penguin Truth
(2015)

 

Story: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Script: Ray Fawkes
Consulting Writers: Kyle Higgins & Tim Seeley
Art: Davide Furno & Paolo Armitano
Colors: John Kalisz
Lettering By: Taylor Esposito
Cover By: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, & Rod Reis
Editor: Chris Conroy
Asst. Editor: Dave Wielgosz
Group Editor: Mark Doyle
Batman Created By Bob K--AHAHAHAHA, NO. Batman Created By Bill Finger

 

"She's the one that I want, ooh, ooh, ooooohhhh."
 


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