Batman: Eternal #26 Review

Written by: James Tynion IV
Art by: R.M. Guera
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: October 1, 2014

...I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name

I enjoyed last issue of "Baternal" because of the Bat Family and especially the parts with Jason Todd and Tim Drake.  I know better then to hope to get a continuation of my favorite bits when it comes to this book, but for once, my wish came true.  This issue was pushed as a Hush origin story and while we get that, we also get some Bat Family and some Spoiler.  I liked the first two, but the Spoiler part seems a bit off this week.



Red Hood, Red Robin and Batgirl are pretty pissed.  They still have problems with Bruce dating back to "Death of the Family", but mainly because Bruce hasn't changed.  He still like to keep his secrets...except when it comes to Julia Pennyworth.  Jason is wary of her, but Tim and Barbara are quick to accept her into the group.  That gets put on the back burner, however, when Bruce drops the bomb that Hush is behind all of Gotham's problems.

Julia has been such an asset to Bruce, but she really comes in handy as a devise to show Hush's origin.  Bruce tells her the story of Tommy Elliot and it's as messed up as a psycho villain's can be.  It also makes complete sense with what he is doing to Batman and Gotham.  Then it gets worse.

Hush does something that is so messed up and really hits Batman below the utility belt.  I don't want to spoil anything, but it will be terrifying to any fan of the character in question.  It also involves my least favorite character of all time.  That's enough with the hints.  We then head off for some Spoiler action.

Stephanie has daddy issues, but so would you if your dad was Cluemaster and he was this much of an ass.  She heads off to see him in jail with the intent to go all wiki leaks on him, but it doesn't work out that way.  In fact, all her work has only lead her to be a wanted woman.  She just can't catch a break.  While the ending of this scene was interesting enough, Stephanie doesn't seem herself here and everything seemed a little too forced.

James Tynion does a nice job pushing the story forward while giving us a history lesson.  I'm not a huge fan of Hush, but I love the Bat Family coming together and must admit that Hush is a bad man.

I was not a fan of R.M. Guera's art this week.  I didn't like the characters (especially Batgirl) and nothing really stood out as good.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman: Eternal #26 gives us Hush's origin story and so much more.  Tynion gives us more Bat Family moments and Spoiler is in more trouble, but it's what Hush does that will stick with you after you read the last page.  I wasn't a fan of R. M. Guera's art, but overall, I liked this issue.

8.0/10