Batman Eternal #37 Review

script: Tim Seeley / artist: Andrea Mutti So, Batman Eternal has been doing a good job of streamlining its formula to make itself a book that’s a little easier to follow. The result has been mostly satisfying, with great action beats, fairly consistent artwork and more character development. So now, Scott Snyder’s grand plan is sweeping the cobwebs off of one of the series longest running subplots. This week’s issue has us taking a look at Catwoman’s rise to the top as the new Kingpin of Crime in Gotham. As it turns out, following in her father’s crooked footsteps isn’t as easy as it looks….or as exciting. Meanwhile, Batman is on the hunt for a pack of his old rogues who’ve gone on the loose since the fall of Arkham Asylum. Also, Jason Bard’s little dust-up with Batman has him searching for a friendly face, but the damage might already be done.

Tim Seeley went back to Eternal old tactic of taking on quite a few plotlines in one issue, but handled it well, somewhat taking his time to develop each plot point so you feel like it’s going somewhere. I would have liked to have seen Seeley play a little more with the angle of Selina needing to alleviate her boredom and get up to her old tricks. Andrea Mutti’s artwork isn’t in the A list of artists we’ve seen on this book but it’s definitely well done. Selina’s “falling out” with one of the rival crime families was certainly the visual high point this week, though the moments of exposition left a little something to be desired. Bo…