Batwoman #24 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (story), Trevor McCarthy (art), Sandu Florea & Derek Fridolfs (finishes), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: If you’re gonna go after Batman, you might as well make it worth his time.

The Review: I’m afraid we can’t get down to business until we discuss to some extent the circumstances leading to Williams-Blackman’s impending departure.  After sorting through all the various accounts of what happened, the whole controversy boils down to this: frustrated by regular, oft-times sudden editorial interference and a mandate that Kate Kane cannot marry, Williams-Blackman chose not to continue a story that was increasingly no longer their own.

Since I don’t know the specifics behind the other editorial mandates reported of, I won’t comment on those.  At any rate, editor-creator tensions are old hat for mainstream comics, and by and large, it’s often impossible to tell exactly when and how they affect any given series.  Only on these rare occasions when a writer airs his grievances publicly do we get real evidence of how an intended storyline gets thrown off course or stonewalled by a decree from above.

Batwoman #17 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III (story & art), W. Haden Blackman (story), Dave Stewart (colors)

The Story: What’s a mother to do when her daughter’s got a heart of stone?

The Review: I don’t often respond directly to the opinions of my fellow comic book reviewers, but I have to protest the comments of Aaron Duran in his assessment of this month’s Batwoman.  Maybe it’s the truncated nature of Newsarama’s Best Shots Rapid Reviews, but I just didn’t feel his gripes with the issue justified giving it a 5 (out of 10) rating.  While he had some valid criticisms, they overlooked a lot of the issue’s key strengths.

It’s true that the defeat of Medusa comes across a little anti-climactic, given how much time has been spent building her up as a villain, only for her to be brought down by a trick out of Greek Hero 101.  Seriously, if a reflection is all it takes to vanquish her, then wouldn’t she have perished by accident a while ago?  But while this particular resolution is a little lame, the rest of the arc wraps up in an appropriate, satisfying fashion.

Batwoman #16 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III (story & art), W. Haden Blackman (story), Dave Stewart (colors)

The Story: Even monsters love their mommies.

The Review: Although I readily agree that as a half-visual medium, comics shouldn’t really need too much text to move itself along, I don’t actually think a heavy script is a flaw unless it doesn’t serve a purpose to the story.  It’s one thing when a writer injects a whole lot of fluff for no other reason than simply to enjoy the sound of his own voice, but if all that text actually tells you something that the art itself doesn’t, then that’s a good reason to have it in there, right?

In this case, if you didn’t have all that character narration in each scene, much of the issue’s subtleties and development would be lost.  Dialogue and art can only convey so much; neither can really let you delve into a character’s mind or reveal the fantastic details that make a living, breathing story.  Williams can deliver nearly any imagery possible, but even he can’t convey smell through visuals.  Do you realize how rarely comic book writers pay attention to these kinds of things?  As Batwoman fights her way across Medusa’s army, she notices,

Batwoman #11 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (story), Trevor McCarthy & Pere Perez (art), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: From woman to man to dog—the devolution of Maro.

The Review: At one point in this issue, Maggie remarks, with total affection, “Oh, Kate…you never do anything half-assed, do you?”  And while this is trademark Bat-family behavior, for Kate this seems especially true.  She has a persistence that slides well into stubbornness.  She may be resistant to change, but once she decides to, she doesn’t transition into it like most of us; she goes for it heart, mind, body, and soul.

Take this case of Gotham’s disappearing children, which Batwoman has investigated since nearly a year ago.  With each arc, the opposition gets only more formidable and the stakes bigger, yet she’s clearly committed to seeing this mystery through to the very end—whenever that may be.  Just when you thought her underground confrontation with Maro and four supernatural minions would top everything off, you learn there’s a greater battle yet to come.

Batwoman #9 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (story), Trevor McCarthy (art), Guy Major (colors)

The Story: Kate Kane has it all—the good life, the love life, and definitely the night life.

The Review: I know I’m a bit late to the party in saying this, but I think it’s pretty amazing how naturally people have taken to this title as an ongoing series considering how its lead is an openly lesbian character living an openly lesbian life.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this makes Batwoman the first mainstream comic of its kind, and beyond even that remarkable achievement, it’s impressive how few people have given it a second thought.

And why should they?  Certainly Kate and her supporting cast do not.  Perhaps the complete lack of discrimination shown in Kate’s world thus far seems a tad idyllic—fictionally so—but it also emphasizes that Kate’s sexuality is irrelevant to the demands of her story, except insofar it determines where her relationships with certain characters will proceed.  In many ways, this situation represents the way things might be, or ought to be, in the future.

Batwoman #4 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (writers), J.H. Williams III (artist), Dave Stewart (colorist)

The Story: Unlike another firebird themed heroine, Bette Kane may not rise again.

The Review: I’m always doubtful when artists take on the writing role, and that’s admittedly a bit unfair.  After all, there are those who dedicate themselves entirely to writing and yet much of what they produce is disappointing, to say the least.  And I’m honest enough to admit that as a writer, the idea that someone can draw and write well irks me to no end.  So it’s with some chagrin but mostly pleasure for me to say that Williams is doing wonders in both art and words.

And before anyone gets indignant, yes, Blackman co-writes the series and his role in its success is undoubtedly essential, possibly critical.  Whatever the case, he and Williams have produced some of the most consistently gripping scripts in the new 52, and this issue exemplifies that with every page.

Let’s start with the opener.  Last issue, Bette reacted quite violently to her cousin’s declaration that she’s not cut out for the vigilante business.  Here, she goes out of her way to prove Kate wrong and in the process does almost the opposite.  While she makes small work out of your common thugs, and shows some grit against an impossibly bigger opponent, her bravado (“You know how many heroes have me on speed dial?”) ends up her undoing.

In most circumstances, the scene would underscore Flamebird’s trademark egomania, but then she follows up by stressing she’s “the real deal.”  Considering how pained she was being told she didn’t have what it takes, her boasts here feel less like overconfidence and more like an attempt to convince herself of her competence.  That makes her defeat all the more painful to watch; you’d like for her to beat the odds, but she only highlights her own limitations.

Batwoman #3 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III (co-writer & artist), W. Haden Blackman (co-writer), Dave Stewart (colorist)

The Story: As always, having too many women in your life can be a big problem.

The Review: Comics rely on a sympathetic collaboration between words and art.  When the artistic pedigree of a title reaches the kind of heights you see here, sometimes the story becomes almost irrelevant, which can be tough on a writer-centric reviewer like me.  But so far, this title has managed to beat the odds and be a powerful force on both a visual and textual level.

Take the opening of this issue.  Setting aside the jaw-dropping imagery for a moment, the scene itself has great integrity.  It not only starts you off with an immediate sense of peril, it also has importance to the story long after it ends.  When the Weeping Woman drags Kate into the depths of a Gotham river, Kate takes on the form of her twin sister.  You don’t know if this is a supernatural effect from the ghostly lady, or if it’s Kate’s drowning fancy of how her sister might have died, but whatever it is, its effects can be felt throughout the rest of the issue.

Kate carries the trauma of that experience back home with her, and it unfortunately leads to a very messy confrontation with her cousin.  It’s a very painful exchange.  Kate’s near-miss earlier that night has clearly rattled her, and she projects that anxiety onto Bette in the harshest way possible: You don’t have what it takes… The only thing you ever lost was a beauty pageant.”

When Bette originally appeared as the flippant, attention-seeking Flamebird, you were almost forced to not take her seriously.  But in the pages of this title, she’s shown her dedication to the Bat has been sincere (even at the cost of ditching of her sunny outfit and taking on the codename of “Plebe”).  Her wounded reaction to Kate’s rejection tells you exactly the pain she’s feeling, even before the quiet tears come: “Why, Kate?  What did I do?  What happened?”

Action Comics #888 – Review

By Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann (writers), and Pere Perez (artists), Javier Mena (colorist) and Travis Lanham (letterer)

The Story: Flamebird continues the fight against false Rao, alone since Nightwing is incapacitated. Luckily the cavalry arrives in the form of the JSA and Wonder Woman to even the odds.

What’s Good: I love the way Rucka delves into Kryptonian mythology; and then allows it to play out again before our eyes. It gives the whole arc a very Joseph Campbell Hero With A Thousand Faces vibe that I really, really like. Flamebird and Nightwing continue to be two of my favorite characters (although I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the return of Superman in the book too.) Not only do Flamebird and Nightwing have interesting histories, Rucka does a great job of characterizing them here. Flamebird takes center stage as she did in the last issue, but Nightwing isn’t short-shifted by any means—and if the cliffhanger is any indication, he’ll be coming back strong for #889.

Perez does quite well on art. The scenes in the Phantom Zone are just awesome. The very creative panel layouts look very J.H. Williams-esque, which is about the highest compliment I could give. The biggest problem is that it feels very inconsistent. It has moments that it reaches great heights, and on the very next page will slip into “just okay” (although, it’s worth noting that the art is never bad.)

There is a backup feature, and its serviceable enough. Captain Atom has never been one of my favorite characters, but this kept me entertained in spite of that. The writing was decent, if clichéd in places, and the artwork was quite enjoyable. It didn’t add a whole lot of value to the book for me personally, but I think someone who likes the character more would get much more out of it.