Jim Corrigan returns, did you forget about him?
In this issue, Jim Corrigan and Batwing go deeper into Arkham Asylum to uncover a mystical mystery; Batgirl is still looking for answers to clear her father's name; and Red Robin is looking for a cure for the Nanotech virus in Tokyo.
The Good
Again, I have to give props to Dustin Nguyen's awesome cover artwork! It is something about his art style, and the beautiful colors/inks, that really bring life to the comic before even reading the story! I was automatically drawn into the story, before I even read it; and even though the stories presented weren't all that great, still, Nguyen's cover did an outstanding job at capturing the three stories that were featured in this issue! In short, Dustin Nguyen's cover artwork for the Batman: Eternal series, is something that deserves to be framed and placed on your wall. (Especially this one!)
So the writers of this issue, continue to impress me! While the three stories presented in this issue, on their own, would not be able to carry an issue; I do like how, putting these three stories together helped make up for parts in each story, that were boring. (A good example is with Batgirl's story. Her mission for finding evidence to clear her father's name is starting to get repetitive. Thankfully, we had two other stories that helped add something fresh, or new, while enduring Batgirl's story.) So I'm glad that the writers paired these three stories together, because they help strengthen one another. Plus, these three stories do the groundwork, or setup, for a more interesting form of their stories that will undoubtedly happen later down the road. (Especially for Jim Corrigan's story in this series!)
The Bad
So the problem with this issue is, the three stories. (Mainly Jim Corrigan's.) While they were all weak in some area of their stories, Jim Corrigan's takes the cake. Out of the the three, Corrigan's was definitely my favorite and the most interesting (which is good), however, I almost forgot that he and Batwing were even a part of the series! I shouldn't feel like that. When I opened this issue, I was greeted by Corrigan and Batwing's story, however I was greatly confused! At first, I had no idea what was even going on, and went to the extent of thinking I missed an issue. However, after a couple of pages, I knew I had NOT missed an issue. Instead, with so much happening in this series, and how the writers prioritize things, Corrigan and Batwing's hunt for ending something mystical in Arkham, had completely went over my head. After reading a couple of pages, my memory was jogged [and I remembered why this is in the series], but afterwards I felt like that the writers have bitten off more than they can chew.
![How it feels being a reader of this issue. The reader [the receptionist] doesn't even work here, while the writers [Batwing and Jim Corrigan] know that you are confused and don't belong here. But they still don't do anything about it!](https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/3/36257/4015024-batman-eternal-015-%282014%29-%28digital%29-%28nahga-empire%29-002.jpg)
I'm hoping, that everything will make sense once this series ends, but with stories like Corrigan's, it just seems unimportant, and even forgettable. (Which, by reading the last paragraph, you know it is very possible!) Which is totally understandable for this story, as nothing interesting has really happened yet. (Well until this issue that is.) But still, the way I see is this. If for some reason in the future this gets turned into a movie of some sorts, either live action or animated, how will this entire story work out? Sure, things will get cut to feel more streamline, but how will those writers know what to cut from this story, or shorten, and still get the endgame point across? Yeah, it is stupid to compare writing formats between comic book format and movie format, but questions like this pop into my head when a story doesn't standout the way it should. It is just how the writers prioritize the MANY stories they have in this series. And how I wish they would do a better job at making certain elements of EACH story standout, so that a reader [like me] won't read 8 issues later and be like, "Oh! I totally forgot they were a part of this series! And, why should I care again?" If the writers can somehow find a way to make each story standout in a reader's mind, then I can 100% guarantee that every issue will feel meaningful to the reader, instead of a waste of time.
The Verdict
So in the end, this is a 3 out of 5! The stories were okay, but how the writers handled them was a part of the problem. (Especially Corrigan's!) Until the next one!
Batman: Eternal reviews
