Batman Eternal #32 Review

Kyle Higgins and Jason Fabok have outdone themselves! This issue is officially in my top three best issues of Batman Eternal thus far, and I couldn’t be more pleased with it. We end up getting a massive number of resolutions to plot lines that were hanging out there and a fantastically explosive setup for the issues to come. While some may have felt that Eternal has been meandering about for a little bit, this story puts it firmly back on course and full steam ahead!

I’m not really sure how Mr. Higgins managed to pull this issue off. Usually when we have so many events occurring, things tend to get overcrowded and rushed. With this story, however, despite the large number of events that occur, I felt like the issue really spent it’s time establishing the scenes and atmosphere. There wasn’t anything superfluous about the included scenes, nor did I find myself wishing for anything more than I was given. Everything flowed well from one scene to another and every piece was necessary to the picture this story was painting. There were times that this felt extremely cinematic in nature. So much, that I could actually hear the kind of score in my head that would usually accompany scenes of these types.

Jason Fabok handles art for this story, and from the composition of his action scenes to the facial expressions and body language of his characters; from being able to highlight the quiet moments as well as the bombastic ones; for generally being all around competent in his ability to tell a story with visuals alone, Fabok shows a real mastery of his craft. His stuff has a similar beauty to it as the work of Jim Lee, but while Lee has a more stylistic comic look, Fabok takes it to a more realistic comic style. I love this shot of Batman standing in front of that fire. I wish that dialogue balloon wasn’t there. In my opinion it is not telling us anything relevant and is intruding in a beautiful panel.

Recommended if…

You want to see an awesome physical confrontation between Batman and Hush.
You find enjoyment in paced character moments that allow you to breathe in the scene.
Having stories show loose ends getting wrapped up is important for you.
You appreciate when scenes are aligned in an order that enhances them.

Overall:

This issue is officially in my top three best issues of Batman Eternal thus far. If you aren’t treating yourself to this issue, I can only assume that it is because you hate yourself, because there is nothing in the issue itself that would warrant you not buying it. This is the kind of comic I wish I could read every week. Action packed, emotional, and expertly paced. I tip my hat to you Higgins and Fabok. You have shown a real mastery of your crafts in this issue.

Get full review from Batman News here