WTF? I’m reviewing a DC title? But don’t I always make disparaging remarks about DC Comics? WTF?!
Oh well. Lets give this a go anyway.
Written by JH Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Illustrated by Trevor McCarthyWhat is the shocking family revelation that can turn Batwoman’s world upside down?
“Batwoman” is one of those titles that has certainly beaten the odds. After a very long delay between when it was written and then released, as well as some other artistic controversy, the book has given us 21 issues of solid content (including two zero issues and the issue being reviewed) that offers up something different from other books in its family, let alone comics in general. See, that’s “Batwoman’s” thing: its a Batman book, but it’s not, and it’s a comic book but its got better art in a more design-focused fashion, with a cast that actually promotes diversity as opposed to the empty promises of. In all of DC’s rather average line, “Batwoman” is usually a book that can be pointed to for something different, something really showing off what creativity can do in the work-for-hire world of company-owned comics.
And the book has become complacent. And you really tell.
The biggest issue that the book seems to have is that, for all intents and purposes, it has become stagnant. It’s big storyline ran on a bit too long to maintain proper focus, wrapping up nicely enough to lend time for a segue issue (which this issue very much is). However, it’s little more than that: a few notes from the last story are capped off while the next one is set-up, but it’s not that exciting anymore. When Batwoman originally took over “Detective Comics,” Rucka and Williams III had managed a very interesting balance in the short time that they spent on that book together, one that had a great sense of mystery amidst some beautiful artwork. Here the art is still intriguing and engrossing, but the story fails to draw the reader in like it did before. In fact, it would seem that the book’s main draw is that you should just know it has to be good without it really having to deliver on that promise, because of the team and the big draws of the series.
That’s not to say it’s all bad. Like I said, it’s just a segue issue into the next arc. Not too much is supposed to happen here other than giving “Batwoman” a chance to catch up with the universe it had been ignoring for some time. Batman is darker, and Batwoman should react to that as well as her supporting cast. If we are to pretend that “Batwoman” isn’t just doing its own thing (emphasis on pretend) then there are a few issues that need to be addressed, all of which are. It leads to a rather slow issue overall, one that doesn’t really live up to DC’s WTF promise in any way, but it gets its job done. There’s certainly something that could be said for that, I suppose.
However, when looking at this particular issue in a series, it’s easy to see how worn the novelty of it all has become. Memories of issue #18 are distant and difficult to recall; as far as reading purposes go, this could very well have been any other issue of the book. Nothing about the book particularly matches the initial gusto that the book had, nor does it seem to be able to match the former balance between story and art. The main reason to buy the book has become the art (which we’ll get to in a minute), and while that’s certainly a mark in the pro column for the title it’s not an overly compelling reason to continue following it anymore. The book needs to re-establish some sense of identity, to show that it’s not just another Bat-book and to remind us why we’re all interested in the ongoing adventures of Kate Kane. We’re given this book that verges on daytime soap drama, with poorly executed “twists” related to family that seem to be interchangeable and have little impact on the greater tale, and it’s fairly disappointing to see what was once such a bright spot within the DC Bat-line become just another spot within the DC Bat-line.
Continued belowTrevor McCarthy is really coming into his own though, even if his main job on this book is to ape JH Williams III’s style. That may sound like a back-handed compliment but it’s not intended to be; J3 and DC have made it perfectly clear that this book is to have a very specific style, and that’s not something everyone can pull off. Yet, as time passes and McCarthy does more in this series as the alternating artist, it’s becoming clear that he’s picking up a great deal of what Williams is putting down. What makes JH Williams III’s art so fascinating is his appreciation of the entire page as an intricate part of the layout of the story, and McCarthy is slowly acquiring that design aspect into his own storytelling quite well. Some of it feels a bit forced, mind you (the rotating fight sequence, for example), but other instances allow for more fluid storytelling (the “no” sequence) that draws you into this book in a way that very few DC books do.
“Batwoman” is a comic that has been enjoyable for people who want “Batwoman” to be “Batwoman,” and on some level that’s fine. The book is definitely in cruise control right now, though, and it is beginning to feel stagnant. Comics don’t necessarily have to be all lightning and explosions all of the time, but you should at least be able to get a feel for what direction a book is headed in. Either Williams is playing it all extremely close to the chest, or he’s just winging it now that the first big story is done and they’ve passed the cancellation prospects; either option is plausible. Lets just hope that the next big story this book has up its sleeve picks up the pace a bit more and returns this book to a top tier position within the Bat-titles, as opposed to just another average one.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – Buy it if you’re buying “Batwoman,” which you probably are. Otherwise? Move along.
