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Batman and Robin Eternal Threatens to Tear the Heart Out of Me

We knew this was coming. There had been hints and whispers, and we couldn’t deny them. The sequel to Batman Eternal is going to be called Batman and Robin Eternal, and it’s going to focus on the legacy of Robin as part of his 75th anniversary.

Part of me couldn’t be more thrilled…and another part of me remembers how much I loathed the first Batman Eternal. I’m at war with myself!

Thanks again to Comicbook.com for the scoop. 

The new weekly series (only 26 issues this time) was announced at Comic-Con Friday during the Robin Panel. Promised to be bigger and better than the original, Batman and Robin Eternal will be a globe-hopping adventure that celebrates Robin’s legacy.

The series will focus on three characters: Dick Grayson, Harper Row and, at long last, a returning Cassandra Cain.

“This series is going to reintroduce Cassandra Cain to the DC Universe,” returning co-writer James Tynion IV told reporters this morning. “We can’t talk too much about that just yet but this is a character that for me at least I have loved for my entire comic-reading life. The fact that we have the opportunity to bring her back in a very, very central role — she is on of the three leads of this story, her, Dick and Harper Rowe — I’m really pumped.”

I’m curious why Harper Row is going to be the focus of Batman and Robin Eternal. Could this be the chance I’ve been waiting for? Are there plans to eventually move Harper up from Bluebird to Robin? There’s still time! You can still make that happen DC Comics!

All I know is that my love of Robin is going to go to war against my hatred of the first Batman Eternal. Only one can win, and we’ll find out which when the new series starts in October.

Man, today has been a great day for Robin news.

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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 4/4/15

I come to you now at the turn of the tides. For the next two months, DC Comics is going to be doing a big Convergence crossover, taking their entire line of comics and doing a bunch of weird alternate reality things that I have simply not kept up with. I have no idea if I’m going to review any DC Comics for the next two months. I might check a few of them out individually, maybe haphazardly and randomly, but I just don’t know for sure.

(Although Greg Rucka’s Renee Montoya comic is an absolute must!)

So we’re going to spend this week saying goodbye to a few of DC’s regular releases. Not only do we (finally!) have the last issue of Batman Eternal, but Batman and Robin comes to an end with a rather amazing Annual issue. It won’t be back after Convergence. And Harley Quinn delivers a pretty fun cliffhanger in advance of the break.

Out of all of them, I’m going to have to give Comic Book of the Week to Batman and Robin Annual #3. You’re going to have to read this one to believe it!

This is a thing that happens in the comic!

Over at Word of the Nerd this week, I reviewed the prologue issue for the new Uncanny Inhumans series. Black Bolt is the star of Uncanny Inhumans #0, and the issue shows why he could easily carry a comic book all on his own.

I am also super pleased to announce the launching of www.GamerGirlandVixen.com, a new site for my own self-published comic! We bought the domain name and are gearing up for our Kickstarter coming next month! Visit the site and follow along with the production!

Comic Reviews: Amazing Spider-Man #17, Batman Eternal #52, Batman and Robin Annual #3, Doctor Who: The 9th Doctor #1, and Harley Quinn #16.

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The 6 Biggest Problems of Batman Eternal

The final issue of Batman Eternal came out today, and I am not proud to say I have read all 52 issues. I am disappointed in myself for going through with it. I wish I had allowed myself to quit reading a long time ago. But for some insane reason, I just kept buying, just kept reading, and documented my thoughts in my weekly Hench-Sized Reviews every Saturday. I would say this was a Herculean effort, but it’s probably more like Sisyphus.

Gear up, everybody. This is gonna be a big one.

Still, I read the entire series, and I’m more than ready to plow through the final issue. But a feat of this magnitude deserves a little something extra. I have hated Batman Eternal since the beginning — but plenty of other reviewers around the web have loved the comic. So I’ve decided to do my best to explain why I hated Batman Eternal so much. This was a popular comic, and DC is already planning Year Two. A lot of people loved it, but why did I hate it so so much?

Join me after the jump to find out!

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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 3/28/15

I’m happy to report my busy week has come to an end! I was covering a murder trial in my day job as a mild-mannered newspaper reporter, and the guy ended up being found guilty. He had it coming, trust me. But all that day job stuff cut into my blogging and comic book reading, so unfortunately it’s going to be a somewhat light week. It helps that Marvel Comics didn’t really put out anything too crazy this week.

Though Marvel did put out Uncanny X-Men #32, which wins Comic Book of the Week for finally kicking off Cyclops’ final journey!

And does it vive?

DC Comics filled up the rest of my week, with new issues of Batman Eternal, Batman and Robin and Gotham Academy. It seems I really read a lot of Bat-books. That’s largely unintentional, they’re just the best that DC has to offer. That’s not a bad thing, right?

Oh, and you can check out my review of Darth Vader #3 over at Word of the Nerd. Good times in Dark Lord of the Sithing!

Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #51, Batman and Robin #40, Gotham Academy #6 and Uncanny X-Men #32.

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I Called the Big Bad of Batman Eternal!

I did it! I called it! Ha! Score one for the Henchman! I got something right for once!

Normally I’d wait until my Hench-Sized Reviews on Saturday to talk about the latest issue of Batman Eternal, but I just had to stake my claim here and now to totally calling the super big evil bad guy of the year-long series! I never get this sort of thing right! My theories about Lost were way off! But this one I got! I didn’t really have any clues, I didn’t really know it was coming. I just put my thinking cap on and gave it my best guess!

First of all, it’s not Cluemaster, as was alluded to in the final page of Batman Eternal #50.

He spent money on those glasses!

The new issue this week – Batman Eternal #51 – is all about Cluemaster taunting a defeated and bloodied Batman. Cluemaster monologues like a total pro, going on such a rant that it legitimizes Syndrome’s entire ‘monologuing’ gag from The Incredibles in the first place. The guy just won’t shut up, so proud to finally tell Batman (and the readers) all about his ‘clever’ plan to be evil and awesome. I’ll admit that the issue, written by James Tynion IV, is alright. It’s better than Batman Eternal has been for most of its run. But there is a whole heck of a lot of monologuing.

Then, at the very end of Batman Eternal #51, we’re introduced to the real villain of the series…

Join me after the jump to find out who! SPOILERS, obviously.

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