Hey guys, Darius here, bringing to you my review of BATMAN ETERNAL #9…I can not believe it has been 9 weeks so far! Anyways, in this issue, titled “The Unburied Past”, questions continue to mount as we find out why Batman is in Hong Kong teaming up with Mr. Unknown/Batman of Japan. Loving the last issue, let’s see how this issue turns out with the Positives and Negatives!
Positives
- We can clearly see the extent of how powerful Carmine Falcone is. He controls basically the GCPD, he bought out his Hong Kong gang war opponent, Shen Fang, and basically made the man work for him, and he captured Catwoman by outsmarting her. I can see why Snyder and Tynion IV brought this character in for the BATMAN ETERNAL arc, the dude is such a badass villain! With their writing and John Layman’s script, Falcone is consistently a strong character and villain in every issue he is in.
- I love how John Layman’s script and Guillem March’s art helps many different character appearances feel impactful. Each appearance felt bigger in scale one after another, from the appearance of Jiro/Batman of Japan assisting Batman, to the reveal of Julia Pennyworth, Alfred’s daughter. I just loved each appearance.
- Speaking on Julia Pennyworth, it is revealed she was the unknown character that was scaling the side of the building at the end of issue #8, which at first I thought it was Catwoman, but then I thought: “Why is Catwoman in Hong Kong?” It is also revealed that she is a US government agent who was working a case on Shen Fang  for months. I can tell I am going to like her character’s stint in BATMAN ETERNAL because she was doing a little number on Batman and because of how she is a agent through and through. I can see her and Batman clashing politically and it should be interesting to see.
Negatives
- One small gripe I have is that I thought Batman defeated Shen Fang a bit too easy and that I wish his stint in Hong Kong was more than just an issue long.
Verdict
I loved this issue! BATMAN ETERNAL #9 continues the weekly tradition of great quality I am expecting this weekly arc to have and it help grow the story as far as it can with it being a weekly series and all. With beautiful and immersive art by Guillem March mixed with John Layman’s wonderful script and Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s dynamic writing, issue #9 is one of the best issues of the series! This is a must have and a must read!
Rating
