I'm not really sure where to go here. This issue is just so insanely over the top that it's hard to believe that we're going to be anywhere believable at the end of the year.
First, I have trouble (to put it mildly) believing that Harvey Bullock would happily allow a bunch of murderers go free, simply because he didn't want to waste the effort to haul them to prison with Forbes' standing order to release anyone that Batman caught. I just don't see how three of Batman's stronger writers -- Snyder, Tynion, and Layman -- could possibly think that Bullock would react this way. Words fail me here, so I'll just move onto the next topic.
Second, I have an even more difficult time believing that Bruce is so naive that he thinks that he can actually work with Forbes. We're not in "Zero Year" here. He's not some green superhero trying to hone his instincts and gather some information. If Forbes had any chance of ever becoming Commissioner, Bruce would've made it his business to know everything about him, meaning that he'd have to know that Forbes was crooked. As such, under no circumstances do I believe that a fully matured Batman would walk into a clear ambush and leave himself so undefended that he has to rely on a rookie cop to save him.
Third, Stephanie Brown's parents have become so callously diabolical that we've gone past the point where they're even believable characters. The mother basically dares Cluemaster to kill her. We still don't know her mother's involvement with Cluemaster, but, if she really is this callous, then why didn't she just go get Stephanie and kill her herself?
John Layman did a great job on "Detective Comics," and I can't believe that he gets saddled with this clunker of an issue for his debut on "Batman Eternal." I'm just going to try to forget that this issue ever happened.
* (one of five stars)
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