Batman Eternal #6 Review
As I read each new issue of Batman Eternal, I find myself flip flopping on whether or not I think the pacing for the series is sustainable. The first three issues set up what I thought was going to be the book's main arcs with the Falcone/Penguin gang war, the trial of Jim Gordon, and the reintroduction of Stephanie Brown. Then, issues, 4 and 5 each took turns from there with issues that each focused on different members of the Bat family. Issue 4 set up an arc for Batgirl and issue 5 set up an arc for Red Robin, but in both cases they felt much more connected to the story in the first three issues. Here, Batwing gets enters the book, with yet another setup that doesn't feel connected to the main story at all.
As with the last two standalone issues, the art is handled by a new artist, in this case, Trevor McCarthy. The inconsistency with the art is a lot less aggravating than it normally would be because each time they've switched artists they've gotten art teams that I am a fan of to soften the blow. Apparently, the book will have one more standalone issue before returning to three issue arcs a la the first three issues, which I'm looking forward to. Sure, the book is weekly, so there is theoretically room for this many different story threads, but it'll definitely help the book's pacing week to week to get bigger chunks of story with more consistent artwork.
All in all, I'm still very much on board with this book, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes, but the introduction of yet another story arc to follow is a little jarring. The fact that it is doesn't share the connection to the main arc set up in the first three issues that the last two issues had makes the change even more jerky. Luckily, there is only one more single-shot before we return to three issue arcs, so the book will be more on pace with where it was when it started.
