John Layman gets Batman: Eternal back on track with my favorite issue in a while. The reason: Gotham City Police Department, Lt. Bard and Stephanie Brown. This issue really moves the book forward and looks great thanks to Guillem March. This is the book I was hoping for after the first couple issues of the series and I hope the trend continues. Read Full Review

Batman Eternal #8 features unsung heroes and crafty villains, making for a wild read. Artists Guillem March and Tomeu Morey illustrate hefty and vibrant panels, incorporating everything from shoot-em-up drive-by shootings to Batman opening a can of whoop-ass on some sorry fools. Batman Eternal #8 is the best chapter of the series as of yet, so pick yourself up a copy this week. Read Full Review

Batman: Eternal takes a step in the right direction with this issue giving wonderful development points. Highly recommended. Read Full Review

Taken together, its safe to say this is one of Batman Eternals stronger issues so far. At this point, almost every character introduced is at an interesting stage, and I can hardly wait to follow them along in their progression. For those who have been on the fence about whether to continue following this book, take the plunge with this issue. Batman Eternal #8 is your exhilarating one-stop shop at experiencing Gotham on the brink of disaster, with a set of heroes that may just be in over their heads. 8.5 out of 10. Read Full Review

Layman handles the various GCPD characters well here, including Bard, who is stepping up to be very important to Batman. For fans wondering whatever happened to Stephanie Brown since last we saw her, this issue handles her whereabouts with a cleverly placed flashback. Read Full Review

This issue is a step back in the right direction. We're starting to see the growth of some earlier stories set up in previous issues and finally, there's a fuller-scope to this story as Falconi's grip slowly turns Gotham into what it once was, before Batman came around. March's art is really cool on here and gives this issue a pretty intense feeling. The only real downside was that the color palate was a bit to brown for the book. However, it's still a great on-going series and I highly recommend it. Read Full Review

Batman Eternal utilizes different writers and artists each week and this issue continues the great story being told about the dismal city known as Gotham, so if youre not reading this seriesSTART NOW! Read Full Review

Focus is what I said Eternal needed the last couple of issues, and focus is what it got. The series has moved past the constant introduction of new players and concepts, and has finally started to really develop some of those early plot lines that were promised. That's not to say we're done getting new characters and concepts, the final page is proof enough we're far from done, but for awhile there, Etenral was like walking through the perfume section from hell with sales associates spraying shit in your face left and right, but that time has passed, all the core ingredients are in place, and now it's time for the flavor... METAPHORS! But in all seriousness, solid issue, and I'm glad the core setup seems to be over and everything else is moving forward. Read Full Review

Batman is intimidating as hell in this issue and that is always fun to see. Remember criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. Emphasis on the cowardly in this instance. Read Full Review

Two months in, and "Batman Eternal" #8 shows that the series still has some legs. That's important at this phase of the game, since it's right around the point where I could see readers deciding to re-evaluate if they want to stick around. So far, I know I will. With a strong writing crew and good choices for the artists, "Batman Eternal" is paying off for its readership. Read Full Review

Batman Eternal has been more than a little frustrating to read for me. Not only because it has dragged down some talented artists but because it has simultaneously forced excellent writers into telling stories more disjointed and uneven than theyve told before. Cross-over stories get a lot of heat, and rightfully so, from a lot of comic readers. But Im left wondering if the story attempting to be told wouldnt have worked so much better as a story dedicated to its own maxi-series or being tied to relevant Bat-titles. This series has simply not delivered the goods in any way, shape, or form considering how much readers have paid for the last eight issues and the return they've gotten. All of this is made all the more frustrating by the fact that the story hasnt been a total train wreck; its just a square peg being shoved into a circular hole. Read Full Review

Batman Eternal might actually be a good story, but its weekly nature works against it. Not so much on the writing side, as the entire team are fairly capable. But the art really suffers by changing issue in and issue out. On some level, it limits what the artists can do because they don't have the opportunity to lay the same groundwork that they would on a monthly book. Readers are forced to readjust to a new style and different storytelling tendencies. That's great as a way to sample the line of Batman writers and artists that are currently working but it's not conducive to this story. There's more set-up in this issue but the plot is rolling forward. Since some issues thus far have felt rather plodding in terms of pacing, I'd call this one a net positive despite its artistic failings. Read Full Review

I can recommend this series, but it’s getting a low score because of the lack of any uniformity in the art. It just has never been as obvious as it was here in issue 8. And it's a damn shame, the story and dialogue are so solid! Hopefully #9's art brings things back to par. Read Full Review

I'm just not wild about this main story. I think it will be worth it if we get Steph back in any of her costumed identities, but they haven't confirmed that will happen, and I'm worried. This is the DCNU, and they are not know for happy endings. Read Full Review

At the end of the day though, Layman's work was not the biggest problem with Batman Eternal #8. Guillem March's artwork really drags the issue down. It lacks detail, especially in facial expressions, throughout the story. Moreover the artwork is often very dark and difficult to decipher. All of this contributes to a lack of clarity that prevents any sort of emotional connection to characters or a complete understanding of the story. Read Full Review

This is getting out of hand. I wanted to like Batman Eternal, I really did! I wanted to have faith! You have to believe me! A massive Batman conspiracy story that stretches across all corners of Gotham City, written by Scott Snyder and his band of merry men? It sounds too good to be true! And it is, it truly is too good to be true. Because instead, we get Batman Eternal and its utter dearth of logic. Read Full Review

Can't wait to see Forbes go down.

So most of the negative reviews I've seen are attacking the differences in art from week to week. Well duh, with different artists taking on the book week after week why is this such a shock? And no this week's issue wasn't the biggest art change for certain characters, that happened weeks ago so people should be over it. The series is as billed. I mean, the fourth Falcone didn't throw me off any more than the second. With that out of the way this week's Eternal was, in my opinion, the best issue storywise since the first few issues. Everything involving Batman was great and it was nice to see where Bard's allegiance lies (not that we had any doubt). And although it was very brief, we finally got an update on Stephanie Brown. If the series keeps up like this I won't be bowing out after issue #20, which is where the first trade ends. more