Beautiful, but nearly inaccessible. And that goes both for the book and for Batwoman herself.
What They Say:
Batwoman faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City’s underworld–and new trials in her life as Kate Kane. Will Kate train her cousin, Bette Kane, as her new sidekick? How will she handle unsettling revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? And why is a certain government agency suddenly taking an interest in her?
The Review:
One of the books I looked forward to the most this go around is this one as Batwoman is a character I’ve long been curious about but have read little of. With this series originally slated to release earlier in the year, but pushed back so it could be part of the relaunch, what we get is a bit of a difficult release because it doesn’t really make itself all that accessible. And in a way, that’s good and bad. With the character having such a long and varied history at this point, it’s kept true to what J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman intended from the start by dropping this into the middle of ongoing continuity. There’s no change to their vision and their vision is certainly appealing as we see events unfold here.
The book revolves around its namesake, also known as Kate Kane, who has a tenuous relationship with Batman at best as she essentially does her own thing. Very pale skinned, deep red hair, she moves through the night as a real avenging angel in a way that Batman is not. There’s a different kind of coldness to her that keeps her from resonating and appealing on a personal level. Even when she’s being personable, such as asking detective Maggie Sawyer out on a date, she feels aloof and distant that makes you wonder what Sawyer sees in her to pursue her. Other than knowing someone who dated her for a long time and the sheer beauty of the woman in front of her. She may not be a bombshell in a way, but there’s something highly appealing about her.
The other interpersonal part here that’s brought into play is that of a Bette, who was once known as Flamebird, that’s working as an apprentice of sorts even though she was once a Teen Titan and went toe to toe with one of the big guys. Kane has a great comeback to that, and she’s pretty dismissive of Bette from the start and continually refers to her as a plebe. But like Sawyer and Kane herself, there’s very little back story here to really draw us into them as characters because it has such a history to it. What helps pull things together a bit is what looks to be the main arc of the series at start with a mysterious spirit of sorts call the Weeping Woman who has been abducting kids in the area recently and has more than twelve at this point. It gives it a dark and almost mystical feel while still being very grounded because of Batwoman herself, and the great little cameo at the end with Batman that makes their relationship clear in just a few lines.
Digital Notes:
This digital edition of Batwoman from Comixology contains the first printing cover with no extras available to it. There is a single Hot Wheels ad at the end of the book as of this writing.
In Summary:
There’s a whole lot of appeal to the book in the way it’s written and especially with the way it’s drawn as Williams really has a great look to all of this. The Batwoman costume is highly appealing when contrasted to the red hair and that gives us something very different from Batman himself and eve how Batgirl has been portrayed over the years. But at the same time, Williams loves double page spreads as we get eight of them here. Eight. There’s still the same amount of information as it’s more layout than big splash pages, but it just gives it a very different feeling, like you’re going through it too quickly. And combined with how new-reader unfriendly it is, it doesn’t make it feel like a good book to invest some time and money in. But there is something to it, a hook that’s hard to pin down beyond the art itself and the somewhat clunky and aloof writing. This is a book that’ll need a whole arc to really come together, and to see how it handles itself after that as it gets into the “New 52” mood properly.
Grade: B-
