BATMAN: ETERNAL #1 Review

Will this prove a worthy addition to the long list of Batman series’ and is it a worthy 75th Anniversary project? Read on to find out.

The official description from DC Comics:

Don’t dare miss the start of the Bat-story so big it’s going to take every week of the month to tell! A massive cast of Gotham City’s best (and worst) examines the relationship between Batman, his allies and his city. In this debut issue, Commissioner James Gordon is caught on the wrong side of the law!

Finally the series that all Bat fans have been waiting for has arrived. Batman: Eternal has had a serious amount of hype over the last few months with many anticipating the eventual return of Stephanie Brown. The series has however spun more questions as to the weekly aspect, with many feeling that DC are wanting too much from fans. I personally have not problems with this as (though my wallet may beg to differ) I feel that as long as it’s to a high enough standard there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be weekly.

Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV are the main writers on this script with Ray Fawkes, John Layman and Tim Seeley working as consultants (due to all writers having a creative influence on the series as a whole). In this issue the duo introduce a new character putting him in the middle of a explosive and exciting event. As a whole the writers do a great job of keeping the story in a suspenseful vibe, giving some classic Batman action. Despite the high quality there is however room for improvement as though this proved both shocking and exciting the overall story needs more development.

Jason Fabok is the first artist to feature on this series and following his art on Detective Comics I’m glad that he is. Much like his previous Bat work he gives us exciting and intense layouts with it giving a energetic pace to the story. The detail in his art is also as usual amazing as whether it’s dramatic facial expressions, explosive action or the general scenery everything is meticulously detailed. Fabok also does a great job of giving the dark and mysterious look to Batman and along with Brad Anderson‘s fabulous colours it gives that classic look that most Bat fans love.

Batman: Eternal gets off to a great start as though it’s got room for improvement with it needing a lot of development it has definitely drawn this fanboy’s attention. Highly recommended.