Batman: Eternal #30 Review

What caused the destruction of Arkham Asylum? Read on to find out.

The official description from DC Comics:

The last time Deacon Blackfire took control of Gotham City, Batman nearly died…How will the city fare now that he wields unspeakable power?

The Arkham developments seem to be coming to an end, and given last weeks launch of Arkham Manor it’s probably for the best. Things however remain as exciting as possible in the mean time, as though the events of this issue aren’t quite as engaging as the last, it follows nicely from the vast improvements that the last issue showed.

Ray Fawkes continues to script these developments, with Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV handling the story and Kyle Higgins and Tim Seeley acting as consulting writers. Giving a thrilling series of events, Fawkes continues to show some improvements, with the appearance of the Spectre feeling long overdue. I did however feel that these events felt a little too erratic, as though this is worth it to get the excitement, it ultimately makes the events less enticing.

Fernando Pasarin handles the artwork on this issue, giving and intense set of visuals to match the dramatic events. Despite this I did find some of the facial expressions to feel a little awkward, with Julia Pennyworth in particular looking odd. This doesn’t however take away from the exquisitely detailed panels that Pasarin produces, and along with the sharp inks of Matt Ryan it allows for a striking look to this story. Colourist Blond also deserves some credit, with his palette allowing for a mixture of deep and vivid tones.

Batman: Eternal #30 gives some thoroughly explosive developments to the series, also allowing acting as a nice prelude to Arkham Manor. It does however feel a little too chaotic at times, but nothing that overshadows the positives. Highly recommended.