All in all, I loved this issue of "Detective Comics", and I do not say that lightly. It was fresh, fun, and pleasantly simple. Batman/Villain team-ups are a gold mine that DC has really started to explore in the "New 52", and hopefully it continues. Pick this issue up if you're a Riddler fan.

While it was nice to see Batman beat up an abusive parent (thus adding a touch of social commentary and reality to DC's world), this was not a good issue. Despite this, there is great significance in the issue itself. That is to say, Batman has been around for seventy-five years, and this is a celebration of that fact. Therefore, if you're a collector, you should probably pick it up. If not, you shouldn't waste your time.

"Batman Eternal #18" was an amazing issue because it went beyond a mundane storyline. Rather it provided some very interesting social commentary. Social and philosophical commentary is not uncommon in DC comics and when done well, can actually be really amazing (take the Joker's monologue in "The Killing Joke", or Lex Luthor's epiphany in "All-Star Superman"). So without giving too much away, I want to look at this rather unique issue.