Monday, June 16, 2014

Batman Eternal #10 - A Review

Batman Eternal #10 was of such dramatically dismal quality compared to the earlier installments I'm contemplating dropping the title.  Part of this is due to the artwork of Riccardo Burchielli, whose work on Conan The Barbarian I found utterly appalling and his work here is not much better.  I will say that Burchielli does do a good job depicting the misshapen and horrific creatures that make up Professor Pyg's gang.  Unfortunately, the normal human characters look equally misshapen and horrific.

Colorist Dave McCaig doesn't help matters with a muted palette that sucks the life out of the action.  Worse yet, the palette is unevenly applied, with skin tones changing from panel to panel with no indication of any change in light or position!  At some points Catwoman looks like her animated incarnation from the later episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, where she had blueish-white skin whenever she was in costume.  Again, this might be acceptable as an artistic choice were it evenly applied... but it isn't!


The script by John Layman is equally problematic.  I already raised objections to the idea that Barbara Gordon should be portrayed as a violent hothead, even allowing for her feelings regarding her father's imprisonment coloring her judgement.  I have even greater objections to this issue, in which Bruce Wayne asks Jason Todd to keep an eye on Batgirl and make sure she doesn't do something stupid and get killed.

I am going to say that again, because I think it's rather important.  And if you can imagine this next line being read by comedian Lewis Black, so much the better.

Bruce Wayne asks Jason Todd - his ex-sidekick who has anger-management problems up the wazoo and no qualms about killing - to keep an eye on Barbara Gordon - widely regarded as the most cool and logical of Bruce's protegees - and make sure she doesn't do something stupid and get killed.

... ARE YOU F#$%ING KIDDING ME?!?!


I'll give it one more issue.  That's it.

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