In 'Batman Eternal #33,' It's Batman Vs. The Police
Each week, MTV News is breaking down the big moments in DC Comics' "Batman Eternal," the weekly series that is redefining Gotham City as we know it.
This week, we talked to writer Kyle Higgins about the big, and only getting bigger battle between Batman and the GCPD:
MTV News: This is something that cropped up last issue, but how does Batman – a guy famously allergic to guns – build so many weapons? What’s his deal?
Kyle Higgins: Well, there are a couple different ideas going on here. I think, at his core, Bruce is very much an ends-justify-the-means guy, with the exception of using guns… and killing. As you say, he’s as anti-gun as you can get. But, more and more, it feels like every story I read features some weapon or piece of technology that seeps into the gray area of firearm classification.
Grapple guns fire projectiles and could very easily be used as weapons, bat armor fires projectile Batarangs, not to mention the smoke capsules, explosives, acid, etc, which—while not necessarily gun-oriented, are still incredibly dangerous. Plus, depending on which story—and which medium—you look at, the Batmobile is decked out with rubber-bullet-firing (and in the films, real-bullet-firing) firearms. This idea, coupled with the rise in Bat caches seemingly hidden at every turn around the city, was the genesis for this story. This has always been something of a hard issue for me to rationalize. But, that’s also what makes it an interesting topic. In my opinion, anyway.
Bruce can, at times, be incredibly stubborn. To me, that’s the Bruce that is able to justify his weapons under the caveat that “these things help me save lives.” However, when those very weapons can be turned around and used against people—as Julia brings up—I think that’s a topic worth exploring.
MTV: Bard clearly turns a corner of some sort here… Why was this beyond the pale? Is he getting too deep in his role and losing the villainous mission, or has he really had a change of heart.
Higgins: You’ll have to keep reading to find out for sure, but look—Bard’s not a monster. He’s doing what he’s doing, and got involved in all this, for a very specific reason. And, in his mind, it was a noble reason. But issue thirty-three sees him just after he ordered his men—per Hush’s instructions—to an area of town that Hush then blew up. The number of people who were hurt and killed makes it very hard for Bard to continue to try and justify.
MTV: The SWAT guy seems pretty hardcore, but Batman wastes no time – just a cape – taking him down. Is this the GCPD’s big move? Do they have anything that could legitimately challenge Batman?
Higgins: You’ll have to wait for this arc to wrap up to find out!
MTV: Things aren’t just looking bad for Batman now, they’re bad for Wayne Enterprises… Is this the end of Bruce’s fortune?
Higgins: In some ways, that’s a very real possibility. At least, as far as Bruce’s control of Wayne Enterprises goes…
MTV: Julia says, “I won’t let you down,” and Batman tells her, “I know.” Beyond being a nice “Star Wars” reference, why is Batman trusting her so much, so quickly?
Higgins: Their relationship has been forged in a pretty big fire—they first started working together almost immediately after Alfred was taken out of the game, and also during the Architect’s attempts to tear down the Beacon tower. She’s learned on the fly, made mistakes along the way, but even still… has proven herself to Bruce. The more they work together the more he trusts her.
MTV: Julia has training, but Hush has… Well, he’s Hush. Is she any match for him?
Higgins: I would never underestimate a Pennyworth!
