BATMAN ETERNAL #10 Preview/Discussion

[InformationGeek]

Batman and Catwoman - together again! Professor Pyg is back! And we get some answers about Falcone's past, and his motivations!

Full preview here.


And thus we wrap up Layman's last arc I believe and with a different artist, Riccardo Burchielli. This is going to end rather interestingly.

[Bruce Wayne]

Some of that art is really iffy especially the panel with Falcone knocking down Catwoman in her chair.

[Punisher007]

Oh Carmine, you do not want to get on Catwoman's bad side. Ask Black Mask #1 how that worked out for him. And you really think that you can "make Gotham sane" again? You really think that YOU can deal with maniacs like the Joker and Professor Pyg? I can't decide whether Falcone is insane himself, or just plain old stupid. He clearly has NO IDEA what kind of people he's messing with. He might be even crazier that the "freaks" if he thinks that he can control them.

[Maxpower00044]

Some of that art is really iffy especially the panel with Falcone knocking down Catwoman in her chair.

I was actually going to say the complete opposite. The art looks really strong here. March is a good artist, but the last two issues had a lot of wonky panels/bad anatomy (most notably the Catwoman kick panel, and the Batman kick panel).

[Claude]

"All the animals are going back in their cages" - yeah, we're going to get some Owl Involvement down the line, aren't we? They'd have a better motive that most for wanting to get rid of the more... colourful way Gotham is run.


But I'm actually rather enjoying this theme of Norms Vs Freaks throughout the whole series, with Stephanie Brown "walking in" on her Dad and outing him, and Batman being seen as part of cavalcade rather than it's solution. Which ties in rather nicely with the Zero Year timeline where Batman adopts the animal-themed costume in response to the rise of supervillainy rather than prefiguring it.

[dropkickjake]

I do dig the art here, I just wish it was used for a full 3 issue arc rather than just capping one off. It really feels like a shift style wise. But I can live with that.

The Horsehead/grim reaper sickle/Hawaiian shirt combo is about the freakiest henchman combo I've seen in years. Touche.

[FHIZ]

Some of that art is really iffy especially the panel with Falcone knocking down Catwoman in her chair.

Yeah, that panel is particularly bad. Just really stiff.

[Godlike13]

Arts not bad, but the layouts could use some work. I mean the panel of Falcone slapping Catwoman with his giant hand is pretty goofy.

[king of hybrids]

random thought, but what if Joker WAS a patsy in the Red Hood 0's suit when he went in the acid bath, what if whoever took over from the original red hood escaped zero year?

could he be the guy behind falcone and cluemaster?

[ReverseReverseFlash]

I love seeing Pyg, but I can't help but feel he's being misunderstood. Pyg is disgusting in unspeakable ways, and seems a bit tame lately. He's rooted in a bizarre psychology that is more than just gross visuals and villainy.

Also, Pyg doesn't constantly wear that apron. He was just wearing that because he was making Dollotrons in his first appearance. Pyg's default outfit is actually a three piece suit. He's a former british spy, so that aspect of him is still there. We see him wearing a maroon/purple suit in the future and also in the Return of Bruce Wayne story. That's more his 'regular' look.

Also, he's a british super villain. I'm not sure he'd just stay in Gotham for no reason.

[K. Jones]

I love seeing Pyg, but I can't help but feel he's being misunderstood. Pyg is disgusting in unspeakable ways, and seems a bit tame lately. He's rooted in a bizarre psychology that is more than just gross visuals and villainy.

Also, Pyg doesn't constantly wear that apron. He was just wearing that because he was making Dollotrons in his first appearance. Pyg's default outfit is actually a three piece suit. He's a former british spy, so that aspect of him is still there. We see him wearing a maroon/purple suit in the future and also in the Return of Bruce Wayne story. That's more his 'regular' look.

Also, he's a british super villain. I'm not sure he'd just stay in Gotham for no reason.

Strictly speaking I thought he was a Russian national, but anyway his origins are actually pretty wholly laid out in Morrison's run - it's just in pieces, narratively.
1. Ethnic Russian chemist recruited into Spyral. Worked with Kathy and Santiago for Otto Netz.
2. Developed the black smoke mind-altering agent.
3. Dedalus' used the black smoke and Leviathan ship to test him for some reason, good or bad; he went insane. Mother issues turned into weird perfection angle.
4. POSSIBLY found his way to Willowwood military psyche center and came to the attention of Doctor Hurt. Issues likely pushed further in Hurt's "care".
5. Used circus freak show as cover for developing Dollotron mind-control techniques. Russian connection used by Hurt to recruit low-level underlings.
6. At Hurt's behest develops the addictive virus, releases it into Gotham and triggers it at a later date. Makes everyone sick.
7. Jailed, put in Arkham, and doomed to mid-level Batman "rogue" obscurity and mediocrity.

We also know his son Johnny is in his twenties/thirties, is "less insane" and was likely part of the fake Russian freak show gang, learning from his mad father. Who the mother is, unknown. Was still in contact with Otto Netz.

Where's the British bit come from, did Beware the Batman give him a British accent? Certainly there are Russians in London and having U.K. ties makes sense with the Spyral ties, but in the comics it's by no means definitive. Also the "My Fair Lady" connection works with it. 'enry 'iggins indeed.

Anyway, I'm okay with the art though that panel did stand out as awkward. Should be fun. I definitely support doing a bit of an Animal Farm homage with Pyg's henchmen. I suspect this'll be the last bit of the Pyg rampage to be "central" to the Eternal plot. While not taken off the board completely, for future cameo or twist or pop-ins, I bet Batman captures him this issue and puts him back in the barn.

[ReverseReverseFlash]

Actually, he probably is Russian. I believe Sasha and her father were as well?

Beware the Batman did give him a sort of cockney voice to fit his theme with Mr. Toad. Tv show Pyg was a weak interpretation.

[Punisher007]

To be fair, I'm surprised that they even tried to do Pyg in the show at all. He's one of those villains who doesn't really fit into a show that's trying to be "all ages," he's too disturbed/gross/creepy/etc. Heck, he might be too disturbing for a Nolan film.

[ReverseReverseFlash]

At the very least, he could have been a mad scientist trope. They made him into a bland eco-terrorist.

[CBR News]

Batman and Catwoman - together again! Professor Pyg is back! And we get some answers about Falcone's past, and his motivations!


Full preview here.