We're finally starting to get somewhere here, but Snyder and Tynion once again initiate this progress through developments that don't make a lot of sense when you think about them.
I find it hard to believe that Bard would've been so sloppy as to get caught on camera visiting the Architect in Arkham. The only way that remotely makes sense is that Hush knew that Batman would eventually find the tape, leading him directly to Bard's apartment and the trap that Hush had laid there for him. But, it's hard to believe that as well. Was Hush just sitting in a room patiently waiting for Bruce to stumble upon his hologram so he could narrate the exchange? Was Bard sleeping somewhere else just in case Batman came when he was actually in his apartment? Was he walking everywhere to make sure that his car was there for Batman to trace? Again, it's just really hard to believe that Bruce would've been successfully manipulated into the confrontation with Hush in the way that we see here.
That said, Snyder and Tynion redeem themselves somewhat with Jason and Tim's easy banter. Jason notes that Alfred would've liked nothing better than seeing them give each other grief over girls, and it's not a stretch to say that Alfred serves as a stand-in for the reader in that sense. (Also, I'd be quite happy if Jason and Tim spent more time with Barbara and Harper, respectively.) It's possible that Snyder and Tynion revealed the real point of "Batman Eternal" in this issue, undoing the damage that "Death of the Family" did to the Bat-family. It's certainly a nice moment in the last scene when Barbara, Jason, and Tim rescue Bruce, and, unlike Batman barging into Bard's apartment, it feels organic when it happens.
*** (three of five stars)
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