Laura McCarthy reviews Batman Eternal #11…
The trial of Jim Gordon begins!
…nope.
Oh, I have to write more than that? Alright, well, I try to stay kind of positive most of the time…but here we go. This is an issue of lies.
Admittedly, I came into this book kind of apathetic. I don’t make a point in hiding that I’m not much of a Barbara Gordon fan, mainly because I’m just not much of a Batgirl fan in general. Cassandra Cain or nothing, you know? Still, I wasn’t going to let that hinder my reading – I’ve enjoyed Batman Eternal a lot so far, even though I only just got into it a few weeks ago. I like books that include the entire Batfamily, and after finally finishing Death of the Family last month (yes, I know, I’m a year late), I’m curious to see if this will be the event that helps tie them back together. Plus, I’m crossing my fingers that if Stephanie has come back – than Cassandra can’t be that far behind.
But this issue? I just…I can’t. It’s not even the story or the writing that’s throwing me off, even though I can be pretty cold to Tim Seeley as a writer. It’s the artwork that ruins this issue for me.
Look at that cover – it’s pretty okay, isn’t it? The inside sure isn’t – I don’t think I have ever been turned off of a book so fast because of how it looks on the inside. I like bad artwork sometimes! Jhonen Vasquez and Angus Oblong are two of my favorite creators. Ian Bertram on the other hand? I could go the rest of my life without seeing his giant animu eyes, overly pouty mouths, and horrifyingly detailed skin. I’m all for experimenting with art in comic books, two of my favorite books right now are doing just that. But this just doesn’t seem like the place for Bertram’s particular style. I’m just saying, children don’t have the broad shoulders you’re portraying here, sir.
If I have to touch on the writing…it’s nothing really to write home about? We touch on a few different stories: Batgirl’s attempt to question a telenova star, Alfred and Julia having a conversation, Stephanie trying to learn about her father, and Selina in a graveyard reading a letter from her father. Jim Gordon doesn’t really show up in any of these stories and is only really mentioned in Batgirl’s – so soliciting this as where the “trail of Jim Gordon” begins feels a little cheap to those of us that are more interested in that part of the story.
Maybe next week will be better.
Laura McCarthy spends more time crying about fictional characters than being a productive member of society. Follow her on Twitter and Tumblr.
Originally published June 20, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
