The Good
The issue opens up pretty awesome as the reader is treated to a battle between Batwing and Gentleman Ghost. That's right. Gentleman Ghost is finally in the New 52. One really cool thing about BATMAN ETERNAL is that it is introducing a lot of characters in the New 52 as well as into the world of Gotham.
Gentleman Ghost is a complete redesign. Yes, he's still a ghost but he's all in black now and has a bit more of a ghost feel to him. Also, yes, he is still wearing the top hat. Another reintroduction is Doctor Phosphorus. He's appeared in the issues of CATWOMAN and FOREVER EVIL: A.R.G.U.S. before, but this is the first time he's dealt with Batman. This issue features a good chunk of characters from the DCU moving closer and closer to a confrontation with Batman.
BATMAN ETERNAL #6 incorporates Batwing extremely well into the book. Those who haven't read BATWING before won't feel lost or confused, the writing team does a fantastic job at throwing him in here and for a good reason. It strengthens the connection between Batman and Batwing as well.
Trevor McCarthy (art) and Guy Major (color) do a really solid job here on the art. It's consistent and fits the tone of the book very well. The opening pages featuring Doctor Phosphorus looks beautiful and the colors there fit perfectly. The light that emanates of him and onto the walls looks great and is a fine reflection of how Guy Major is an expert at his craft.
The Bad
The last issue dealt with Tim Drake, Harper Row, and Vicki Vale, but now, the next issue is about Batwing, Batman, and a few other folks who weren't in previous issues. The first three issues revolved around Commissioner Gordon, and because of this, there is a little bit of expectation that readers will get a chunk of a larger story at a time, which they don't.
While it's true everything happening in BATMAN ETERNAL is leading to larger, escalating tension, which will in turn become a gang war, the past three issues have felt so disjointed from issues #1-3.
A part of the frustration from reading the issue is the plots stacked up on each other that aren't getting resolved or built up. They are set up and feel forgotten. Obviously, that's not the case, but so much is being set up in these past 6 issues that it becomes hard to keep track of everything and know where this book is going.
The Verdict
BATMAN ETERNAL isn't bad, but there are problems with the direction of this book. It feels like they're just topping more and more and more story on top of one another without resolving or building on anything else. For the past three issues, there have been numerous new plots introduced within each issue. This issue, on its own, is a pretty good read, introducing the reader to new characters and elements within the world of Gotham. The art is solid and the color work is fantastic. While this particular issue didn't hit it out of the park, it was still a solid read and this series is still worth picking up every week.