Detective Comics 980: You Have a Purpose

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Batmen Eternal, Part 5

James Tynion IV - Writer, Scot Eaton - Pencils, Wayne Faucher - Inks, John Kalisz & Allen Passalaqua - Colors, Sal Cipriano - Letters, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Martinez & Brad Anderson - Cover, Dave Wielgosz - Assistant Editor, Chris Conroy - Editor, Jamie S. Rich - Group Editor

Initial Reactions

This was a pretty cool issue.  There was plenty of action, but the heart of the issue is at the end.  Our heroes seem to finally be making the turn against Brother Eye and his soldiers thanks to the strong ties of the Bat Family.  With this being the final arc for Tynion IV, we are wrapping up in a great way.  If you have enjoyed Detective Comics since Rebirth, I think you will appreciate this issue.

The Story

The issue opens with Montoya and Bullock bantering about going through some old paperwork.  Montoya receives an urgent call from Kate Kane telling her to run.  Before they could move, the OMACs crash through the windows and begin shooting up the cops.  As Brother Eye Batman kill the officers, he assures them that they will be given purpose as OMACs.  When he encounters Montoya, he tells her that she will cause him trouble once she is commissioner.  As she orders the officers to open fire on Brother Eye Batman, Batwoman takes him out.  As is apparently part of the plan, she draws the attention of the soldiers, who are ordered to kill her.

Meanwhile Batman, Stephanie, and Cass are on their way to the heart of Belfry 2.0.  Stephanie's drones are keeping the trio untraceable as they progress, but Batman seems to remain unconvinced it can last.  On the other hand, Cass continues to assure her that she believes in her.  Jacob Kane is back at the base running point.  They are waiting for Batwing and Azrael to get extra Batwing suits online to join the fight.  Batman, Stephanie and Cass are able to make it to the Brother Eye hub, where they are detected by Ulysses.  

Batwoman is still on the run from Brother Eye Batman.  She tries to appeal to the real Tim, but Brother Eye continues to insist that that Tim hadn't seen her true nature.  Kate turns around and decides to fight him head-on.  Unfortunately, she is subdued, and Brother Eye Batman says she will show her her future actions.  She is shown a future where invades Wayne Manor with Colony soldiers to take out Batman.  This devastates Kate.

At the Belfry 2.0 Stephanie is still trying to disable the program enslaving Tim.  Brother Eye comes across screens all over the room where he monologues to Batman.  He calls him inadequate and chastises him for not using it to its full potential.  Meanwhile, it tries to break down Stephanie's confidence by telling her that this timeline has stolen a lot from her life.  Brother Eye shows a hologram of Stephanie and Cass both as Batgirls.  If this is a true projection from the alternate timeline, it confirms that Post-Crisis and Pre-New 52 Batman stories are from this time.  Brother Eye does this to try to show her just how little they both matter in this timeline.  These visions make Cass and Stephanie cry, seeing how much potential they have.  However, Stephanie just starts laughing, which is strange to Brother Eye.  She took advantage of this revelation to find a way in.  Brother Eye starts to malfunction.  Instead of letting this news cripple her, she is inspired by it.  She tells Ulysses and Brother Eye,
"The only thing you just told me is that no matter what timeline I'm in, I'm freaking amazing."  

Final Thoughts

I am happy the team is finally making way against Brother Eye.  Even moreso, I really enjoyed the continuity call-out to the old stories involving Stephanie and Cassandra.  How Tynion IV leverages this to grow the current version of the characters is something I really appreciate.  I believe the next issue is the last for this team, so I am looking forward to a satisfying conclusion.

At some level, I am willing to bet we all have a fear of not measuring up to our own standards.  We can become crippled by our own self-doubt.  This is a common approach taken by Satan.  He wants to tear us down and tell us that we are not good enough.  Satan even tried this with Jesus at the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4 ).  Please know that you are good enough, but not because of anything you've done.  It is through Christ that you are declared worthy.  You have been given many gifts from God, and through Him you have a purpose!


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