Batman Eternal #18 Review

 

The sewers are creepy, Jason is cheeky, and a toy shop is freaky in the eighteenth entry in DC's weekly Batman series. Jason talks Babs up as she falls into a trap, things get tense in Blackgate, we find out what happened to Killer Croc after Arkham War, and Batman is actually a character in this book again! What a week. Too bad the art is kind of... ehhh. Middling. It varies from page to page.

 

Vampire Hero hasn't been the same since the New 52 reboot.
 

We see that Killer Croc's life has been rough ever since his defeat at the hands of Bane during Arkham War. Apparently his friends in the underground have been disappearing or turning up dead (it likely has to do with the Deacon Blackfire cult) and of course the police and public in general are quick to blame him, Jason Bard included. As well-meaning as Bard might be, he's not used to handling guys like Croc, and though he's a longtime enemy, Batman at least somewhat sympathizes with his general situation. The question is, what the hell is that thing in the shadows following Batman, Bard, and Croc? It looks like the stuff of scream yourself awake nightmares. At least if the group runs into something that requires a lot of brute force to resolve, they have Croc on their team. I think.

 

Have fun sleeping tonight!

 

Things in Blackgate are about to get messy with Falcone, Penguin, and their respective gangs all on top of each other in close quarters. Leo speaks of human beings in tribal terms, knowing that there's about to be some violence between the two gangs in the prison. He's proven right when later in the issue Penguin's fishnet faced subordinate is lying injured or dead with blood pouring out of his mouth. Things are about to heat up.
 

In Brazil, Red Hood, Batgirl, and Batwoman come upon a sweatshop where children put together Batman action figures and are guarded by heavily armed men in bad company t-shirts. Apparently this is a thing that happens in Brazil now? Jason, of course, wants to get his murder on (and I don't especially blame him, since damn, enslaving children, man), and Batgirl and Batwoman are against it. Batgirl goes off on her own and finds a guy who not only expects her, but is playing with action figures of her, Red Hood, and Batwoman, and hypnotizes her with what I imagine is some kind of Spyral-esque hypnosis device. The man who does this looks like a burlap sack in a Hawaiian shirt. I don't recognize him amongst the usual crop of villains.

 


Michael Jackson? You're alive?!

 

Anyway, while Batgirl was sneaking around the factory, Jason is basically bragging about his huge boner for Babs, how she's supposedly better than all the Robins, and they know it, or some such bullshit. Since when? But after she gets hypnotized, she goes after her allies, so we'll see just how hard Jason is for her next issue.
 

Aw, man, I miss those!

 

 Next issue: Crocodile Dundeep

 

- Penguin Truth
(2014)


Story: Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV
Script: Tim Seeley
Contributing Writers: Ray Fawkes & John Layman
Pencils By: Andy Clarke
Colors By: Blond
Letters: Dezi Sienty
Cover By: Alex Garner
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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