Inhumanity #2 – Review

by Matt Fraction (Writer), Nick Bradshaw, Todd Nauck (Artists), Antonio Fabella, Andres Mossa (Colorists)

The Story: The world begins to react to the massive terrigenesis as Medusa begins to act as the queen she needs to be.

The Review: However you approach it, there are some comics that are made for specific purposes. While entertainment will always be a factor in the production of serialized stories, there is always the matter of building up events, scenes and many other things in order to entice readers to check out what might come next. Some comics, of course, do it better than others.

This comic, sadly, has the task of setting up many elements for an eventual ongoing starring the inhumans, a whole franchise that might set itself more clearly in the Marvel universe. While the characters and concepts are sound, events from Infinity and the need to set up many elements in other places makes this issue kind of a chore in many aspects.

One of the main problem of this issue is the constant reminding of what just transpired, with some events that are unfortunately already known to the readers who were actually aware of much of what happens in the Marvel universe. While the way Medusa informs Captain America of what is happening and how she reacts to the disappearance of her husband and son does inform new readers, there is a certain lack of surprising reactions or actions from her part. There aren’t many twists and turns to what is shown here, which does make for some dull reading.

That’s not saying that there aren’t any, however. Matt Fraction does try, in some ways, to add some characters and potential problems to the ongoing narratives that is the emergence of inhumans. Factions, cults, new characters and hidden agendas are in this comic, providing some potential to the future stories that should be told from all of this. Where it fails a little, however, is that there isn’t that much context nor is there any explanation given to most of these things. While the arrival of a liberator of inhuman cocoons and the general research done on those newly affected beings does makes for some rather interesting story ideas, here it is used merely as a pretext for actions scenes and a few ominous lines at best.

FF #16 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Scott Lang gives a good speech, along with a beating, to Doom in order to remind him how much he sucks. After that, it’s BBQ time!

The Review: It’s always hard to see something beloved go. Many series never get the chance to reach the ending their designated writers and artists have in mind for them, which is always a sad thing to see. Winter Soldier, Dial H, Journey Into Mystery and countless others have received the short end of the stick in this matter, which makes it always a bit infuriating for those who were eager to support them.

However, there are also the rare book that naturally end, with the story simply concluding for actual reasons instead of sales or unpopularity. While it is equally sad to see those go as well, there’s always a certain feeling of satisfaction at seeing something reach the ending the creators had in mind. This is the case of such works like Uncanny X-Force and now FF, with the kooky adventures of the teachers and students of the future foundation finally reaching the point where their journey went full circle. However, while it it’s all nice and good that this series end on its own merit, is the conclusion actually satisfactory?

There could have been some missteps, but in a positively surprising manner, this story hits close to all the notes in a way that manage to give readers and fans most of everything they could have hoped for and perhaps a little more. With the story divided in two segments, there is a clear disparity in the tones of each scenes, yet it all adds up to the general themes of the book in a way that feels not only natural, but earned.

FF #15 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: As it turns out, video games can actually help you beat evil and be a useful addition to society. Robots and tacticians do help too.

The Review: Whenever a book is close to reaching its inevitable conclusion, it needs to have either huge climaxes or a big load of payoff for its reader base. After all, the last few issues are the culmination of everything that went before, which means that the themes, characters and conflicts have to be portrayed in ways that can satisfy those that went on to be invested in the story in itself. With FF closing in to the final issue, does this one provide enough to sate those who have followed the series thus far?

The answer is a resounding yes. With plenty of what made the book interesting and entertaining being put on the page, not only does this issue respect the heart behind the series but it also manages to bring everything together neatly. Bluntly put, this is a gem of an issue.

For one, everyone in the book gets to shine a little bit, with the huge cast participating in the assault against Dr. Doom together in the most maniacal, yet fun of ways. With the kids taking part in the battle as if it was a video game and a competition, their zaniness are all brought forth to their maximum degree, with Bentley-23 being his crazy-self, Dragon Man being the voice of reason and so on. Even Caesar, Maximus, Sun Tzu and others are present with a certain role to play in the amusement and the chaos that ensues on the pages. The four teachers are of course here as well, yet their part in the battle comes as a bit less fun in this issue. They are effective in the story and for the progression of events and they do manage to work with the context presented, yet they pale in comparison to the rest.

Inhumanity #1 – Review

Matt Fraction (Writer), Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Dustin Weaver (Artists), Israel Silva, Laura Martin (Colorists)

The Story: Karnak tells the Avengers and other guests the story behind the inhumans and what could be the possible future for this blooming species.

The Review: Launching franchises must not be particularly easy stuff. To get people invested in something that needs to be huge must be pretty challenging. Sure, most indie creators do that each time they launch a new series, but right now there must be a lot of weight on Matt Fraction’s shoulders.

Tasked with bringing forth the inhumans as a viable franchise, as a new race that can thrive in the Marvel universe as a whole is something rather big. With a track record which indicates that he might just be better at more ground-level and independent stuff, can he actually pull off a way to make these concepts and characters feel new again?

Unfortunately, it’s a mixed bag filled with elements that are executed really well, while others really aren’t. While it does leave a certain impression and does its job at bringing excitement about the new titles and some of the changes to the Marvel universe at large, there are multiple flaws in this story that makes it weaker than it needs to be.

FF #14 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Both sides of the imminent battle prepares as both Dr. Doom and the Future Foundation gets their stuff and strategies together.

The Review: Cohesion is not something to be underestimated or dismissed in terms of importance. Sure, every readers desire a certain amount of memorable scenes, great lines and solid action, but not everyone thinks about their context and how important it is that every scenes follow each other in a natural manner. We may get fan-favourites characters or some of the best concepts ever put on paper, there needs to be a setting in which they can grow naturally to perfection before being unleashed for the readers enjoyment.

This issue, in a way, shows a certain lack in that regard as while the crazy antics and the rather fun mix of serious and comical matters are still very much present, not all of the scenes leads up to another really well.

It’s a bit of shame, as a lot of the very best elements that makes this series enjoyable are present, with the children’s antics, the willingness to mock some of the elements of its premise and the use of the odder ideas of the Marvel universe. The council of Dooms, the search for various robotic replicas, the Watcher and his girlfriend, Dakor the magician along other such ideas are used rather well in this issue, with a certain degree of importance, yet levity given to them.

FF #13 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: The Future Foundation lands on the blue area of the moon as they play and discuss about past and future events to come.

The Review: This will come off as a rather silly question, but do you prefer fun over drama in your comics? Would you rather have the characters play around with fun concepts and have adventures rather than simply press along with their ongoing storylines, vying for drama and further complication in an endless way?

If you answered yes to these questions, then FFis exactly the kind of comic you might be looking for, as the characters and the story seems to gravitate more toward a certain sense of optimism combined with pure entertainment. It is a joy to read if you are looking for something that isn’t afraid to be silly and to simply point out some of the more out-there elements of the Marvel universe.

A lot of this general vibe come from the kid characters, who let their general enjoyment of things and their sense of adventure permeate the story. Their sense of innocence combined with their playfulness makes their exploration and reactions to what they see on the blue area of the moon fun to see, with the Moloid kids messing around with the apes following the Red Ghost lost in the time mist, or Adolf walking with Luna while holding hands. The kids aren’t the only focus in this issue, yet their scenes are still as delightful as ever.

FF #12 – Review

by Matt Fraction, Lee Allred (Writers), Michael Allred (Writer/Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: As the teachers prepare for the rescue attempts of the Fantastic Four and the students mess around, Dr. Doom and Maximus mess around on their own.

The Review: I don’t believe I was the only one that was a tiny bit afraid that this title would receive a drop in quality with Matt Fraction leaving his scripting duty. Change, in comics as in anything else, is never easy as Lee Allred took on the title with Michael Allred, making this series an all-Allred affair until the sixteenth issue. However, change isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if it’s handled well.

To the major credits of the new creative team working with the notes left by Fraction, the tone is quite intact, as the adventures of the children and adults of the Future Foundation are still very enjoyable as they are. To an even greater amount of credit, they even went on with the plot, moving along several pieces without compromising what made this series fun to begin with.

Most of this effect is achieved through the excellent pacing, as Lee and Michael Allred have a knack to keep the momentum of the issue, moving each subplots at a steady pace without making it look rushed. Ant-Man gets some development about his issues with the death of his daughter, the kids get some more cute moments, the annihilating conqueror teased since the beginning of the series is being hinted at, Maximus and Caesar mess around and a deal of other stuff do happen here, as none of these scenes clash with the progression. It is a sign of excellent pacing as each scenes really do accomplish what they seek to do. They vary in terms of success, but for the most part it’s done well.

Infinity #2 – Review

Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Jerome Opeña, Dustin Weaver (Artists), Justin Ponsor (Colorist)

The Story: Things heat up as Corvus Glaive wants to claim a tribute from the Inhumans and the Avengers are off with the rest of the Universe against the Builders.

The Review: Cautious optimism is an attitude that many readers learn to have when dealing with a great many things. Sometimes, despite the fact that many elements are lining up together in a way that feels too good to be true, it is normal to have some kind of defensive mechanism against too much hype. This kind of position is one that is very connected to event comics, as those type of stories are usually much hyper, with key sentences like ”nothing will ever be the same again” or ”this will have key repercussions across the whole line and the future of the shared universe”. With so many events failing to actually live up to their potential, it seems normal to adapt our desires to being a bit disappointed, as many events begins on a strong note only to falter in its own conclusion as each chapters reveals flaws that just kill the hype for its readers.

By having this attitude, a reader can also receive something that is not the norm to see, yet is always utterly pleasant when it arrives: surprise. This issue of Infinity definitely fits that very description, as the strong, yet mysterious direction does serve the story and the themes quite well. As the two fronts are given some attention, both of them receive either a ton of action and emotions, while the other receive mystery and revelations that really do make for two distinct stories that never really clash against each other.

The first angle being covered is the one on Earth, as Thanos and his Black Order are invading and seeding chaos everywhere they can. Opening up with a scene featuring Abigail Brand and Sydren of S.W.O.R.D., the comic swiftly switches to the Inhumans, then finishes up with the Illuminati. The second angle, all the while, features the Avengers and the Shi’ar with favourites like Mento and Gladiator fighting against the Builders. If there’s one thing that Hickman is doing right in this event so far, it’s selling the point that this is a story encompassing the Marvel universe, with a special emphasis on the universe part.

FF #11 – Review

by Matt Fraction (Writer), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: The replacement four meets the Impossible Man in their voyage to save the Fantastic Four. Meanwhile, the future foundation gets a class on how to conquer.

The Review: There are some book out there that could be only described adequately with one word: fun. There are dozens of other ways these types of books could be called, yet it all boil down the essence of pure entertainment. Sure, the role of every comic is to provide some form of amusement with its stories, characters, actions and so forth, yet there are some that have that special ”fun” factor that is hard to describe, yet can be felt when they are read.

FF could certainly be qualified as one of those books, with its non-grandiloquent way to look at their characters and their problems, the general adventures they have and the fact that the main story isn’t even that important to begin with. It’s all about the current adventure and how they make us perceive the action and the conflict they need to solve, which makes this book entertaining in ways that some book simply can’t emulate.

This issue as a perfect example as Matt Fraction use one of the classical characters from Fantastic Four created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. While he could have gone ahead and made a more traditional use of the character, making him do crazy stunts and be generally annoying toward the protagonists, he instead subvert the expectations of the readers by showing him in a role unseen with the character: as a father.

FF #10 – Review

Matt Fraction (Writer), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Marvel pays a visit to the FF to write a comic book in order to create a better reputation for the replacement team. Meanwhile, Alex Power tries to find help in order to be free of Dr. Doom.

The Review: How far can charm push a title forward? That’s a legitimate question that most people could ask themselves when reading certain comics. A lot of comics nowadays (and even before then) relies a lot on the likability and the feel-good attitude of their characters and setting in order to bring readers onboard. It’s a strategy that has its appeal, though in the long run it may not be the most efficient.

FF, a lot of times, relied a lot on the kid characters and the awkwardness of its setting in order to bring readers there, bringing in emotions and a certain light-hearted attitude towards its stories. While none of the issues have been empty of content plot-wise, it has never been as big as a Jonathan Hickman comic or serious as a Greg Rucka penned issue. While it can give us some nice issue like the pool party issue, it creates a mystery as to where the book might actually be going. Where is the book going and what shall be the major themes that will drive the book forward?

New Avengers #8 – Review

Jonathan Hickman (Writer), Mike Deodato (Artist), Frank Martin (Colorist)

The Story: Black Bolt prepares for the inevitable future of the Inhumans, Reed and Tony share some disturbing information between each other as Namor receive a surprise that will shake him to his core.

The Review: How do you continue a book that has its sight on something large? How does one can prolong the fun and intrigue of a book that has dealt with huge concepts and with characters that are familiar with such concepts?

The answer, if Jonathan Hickman is to be believed, is to go even bigger and personal. Just a couple of issues after the incursion events, the fact that the multiverse was in turmoil and that the Illuminati would need to make difficult choices to preserve their Earth, Hickman goes right in and provide some more problems as Infinity looms in.

What is actually quite solid in the book, so far, is the fact that the writer seems able to juggle with multiple plots, with each of them starring one or two characters, making him use close to each of his characters effectively, with a few exceptions (sadly, there is no Beast and close to no Doctor Strange in this issue). Each of these plots either advance in a way that is interesting in the long term, or is vague enough to let us theorize about just what this all might mean.

FF #9 – Review

Matt Fraction (Writer), Joe Quinones (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

The Story: Pool Party! That and also the meeting of Julius Caesar and the teachers.

The Review: This is a strange title. It is a curious way to start a review, but it also the truth. Let us consider exactly what we are reading: a bunch of superheroes teach a group of hyper-intelligent and very diverse group of children in order to form them for humanity’s future and betterment. In this group, we have a robot dragon, a bunch of children that comes from underground, with one of them having discovered his true gender a being much more feminine than what his masculine body would foretell, one being a head in a flying jar. I could go on with how bizarre all of these characters are but the point is this: this is a rather weird book.

While it may sound like a flaw of the book, let me reinstate this in the other way by pinpointing the fact that this is the strongest point of the title. Superhero books live by the fact that we can accept that some things aren’t here to make complete sense or to be completely logical, which this book accepts and even make it his biggest selling point. Where else could you get a book where all those students learn the joy of having a pool party, splashing around as their interaction provide the crucial entertainment we so crave?

As much as the teachers, the replacement FF are interesting and fully formed as characters, it is clearly the kids that are the stars of this book. The main reason is surprisingly simple: they actually behave as actual children, with their high and lows, their desires and their amazement toward some of their discovery. In making them so likable in their optimism, Matt Fraction managed to make it so incredibly gifted and talented kids can be so incredibly relatable as we see their actions. Who never splashed around when they were in a pool, trying to rush water toward the other to satisfy that primal urge of fun and action? These kids do in this issue and while it may sound as the most boring thing to describe in a comic, it is quite entertaining to read as these characters feel quite alive, as Bentley-23 tries to discover who the aquatic students, Vil and Wu are, while the other reacts differently to this whole basin of water that is there for their enjoyment.

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,

FF #3 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (story), Michael Allred (art), Laura Allred (colors), and Clayton Cowles (letters)

The Story: The mysterious visitor from beyond the veil turns out to be more familiar than thought, telling tales of a horrifying (and pretty ludicrous) villain.  Also, the Yancy Street Gang strikes!

The Review:  I had high expectations for this book and as such, I ‘d be lying if I didn’t say that the first issue disappointed me a bit insofar as nothing much seemed to happen.  Then, last month, it started to click.  Now, with the third issue, I think this might stand along Hawkeye as among the very best books Marvel is currently publishing.

The reason for this is one word: fun.  That is really the best and perhaps only word I can use to describe this issue.  It’s off-kilter, it’s genuinely funny, it has a team with great chemistry, it’s thoroughly mad-cap, it’s human, and it’s clear that the creative team is having a great time putting it all together, which really shines through in their work.

Batwoman #15 – Review

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

The Story: It’s rough to be a mortal cop in the midst of a mythic crisis.

The Review: If there’s one area where superhero comics as a genre still lags, it’s in the treatment of supporting characters.  Any prose writer worth his salt knows that when these characters get motivations and plotlines all their own, they make the world of a story even richer.  After all, everyone in the real world is the hero of their own story; fiction should at least try to reflect that, even if happens to feature one star.

And sure, I get why most writers might shy away from that kind of work.  If you have a series titled Superman, readers pick up an issue expecting to see the Man of Steel.  But that to me seems a simple failure of making Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Cat, and the rest of the gang interesting characters in their own right.  Give the support cast half the respect you give your star, and the possibilities for compelling stories suddenly multiply exponentially.

Fantastic Four #2 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (Writer), Mark Bagley (Artist), Mark Farmer & Mark Morales (Inker), Paul Mounts with Wil Quintana (Colorist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

The Review: I made a point in my FF #1 review that, though I felt the comic itself was excellent, I was concerned that its potential audience may be put off by the fact that it seemed like you had to be reading Fantastic Four as well to really get the most of it. I certainly didn’t expect for things to be the other way round, but somehow that’s what we’ve got; if you’ve not read FF #1 or been keeping up with all things Marvel NOW on the Interwebs, Fantastic Four #2 may leave you feeling like you’ve missed something.

First, a recap. Fantastic Four #1 established the premise for the series: Reed, Sue, Ben, Johnny, Franklin and Valeria are set to take a year-long vacation through time and space, ostensibly to spend some quality time together as a family but secretly so that Reed can find a cure for the cancer he’s found to be working its way through his body. However, not wanting to leave the Earth undefended for the four minutes (Earth-time) that they’ll be away, a temporary team had to be put together to take their place, with each member of the group choosing their respective replacements. Take a skip over to FF #1 and you’ll see that team get put together.

FF #1 Review

By: Matt Fraction (Writer), Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Color Artist), Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

The Review: Despite its creative pedigree, I still worry about the levels of commercial success this book will find. The Future Foundation is so intrinsically linked to its ‘big brother’ title The Fantastic Four that I guess a lot of people may feel that if you’re not buying the latter, there’s little point in buying the former. After all, this series was originally born out of necessity; Jonathan Hickman had too much story to fit into his Fantastic Four title alone, and now that Matt Fraction has taken over the franchise the same is true. With Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben heading off into Space for (‘relatively’ speaking) a year, someone needed to take their place keeping watch over Earth. This relaunch follows the team formed for that purpose. Their first challenge? Proving that they’ve got what it takes to hold your interest and to make this series a standalone essential.

Batwoman #14 – Review

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

The Story: Suddenly, the rampage of a sadistic clown seems the least of Gotham’s problems.

The Review: If Brian Azzarello has given us the prototype for what Wonder Woman’s core character should be for the current generation (and it really should be, given how strong and nuanced it is), then it’s up to all other writers to follow his lead and portray her as closely to that core as possible.  I’ve already made it clear that Geoff Johns hasn’t done so hot in that respect, but Blackman-Williams have done a model job in being faithful and creative at the same time.

In a lot of ways, their Wonder Woman falls into the same kind of self-doubt that Johns’ does.  Here, she doesn’t know if she’s done the right thing.  You can say her grim choice of action toward Pegasus is rational, even justified (“It will take eons for my wounds to heal,” he pleads, “Every day will be anguish…”), but is it the right thing to do?  She doesn’t go so far as to say that, but she can confidently say that she did it out of “mercy.”

Batwoman #13 – Review

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

The Story: Old-school monsters versus new-school warriors—guess who wins.

The Review: This has been a pretty grand week for Wonder Woman.  Not only did her critically acclaimed ongoing series release a new issue, but she got her a personal arc in Justice League and a sizable guest role here.  This gives us the rare opportunity to examine her character from three different angles at once.  Brian Azzarello’s Diana is compassionate, classy, wise.  Geoff John’s Diana vacillates between blithe naivety and hardened conviction.

Blackman-Williams offer a Diana who winds up coming across as the most human of all of them.  If she appears at first blush as somewhat remote, it has everything to do with Batwoman’s anxiety at merely being in her presence.  While Kate makes a valiant attempt to keep it cool, her nerves manifest in little ways (the plane she pilots shudders every time Wonder Woman speaks).  Well aware of her comrade’s tension, Diana keeps quiet, wisely or not, and seems distant for it.

Batwoman #12 – Review

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

The Story: Amazon meets Marine.  It may be a match made in heaven.

The Review: I’ve spoken quite a many times on the enigmatic persona of Wonder Woman, how remote and difficult to pin down she is, but now lately, I wonder if that’s as negative a quality as I’ve made it out to be.  In a way, she can’t avoid being removed from us because of her unique nature.  As a mixture of goddess and mortal, as a member of a mythic race, as someone who prescribes to a lifestyle and ideology all her own, maybe she has no choice but to stand alone.

That may explain why, after all these years, Wonder Woman still has no one you can consider her definitive partner.  I don’t count her Trinity status, which often just feels like her getting shoehorned between the World’s Finest.  Nor do I view her relationships with Donna Troy (if indeed the character still exists in the new DCU) or Cassie Sandsmark as true partnerships; she’s more of an occasional mentor, happy to meet up every now and then to dole out a new Amazon warrior trick, but uninterested in any long-term collaboration.  And we’ve definitely never seen her get intimate with any of her peers in the superheroine community.

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 #10 – Review

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

The Story: Sometimes people are so close, it’s like they share one body.  Sometimes they actually do.

The Review: This fragmented approach to storytelling that Williams-Blackman have taken on has been an interesting experiment, and a pretty successful one.  Keeping six different plotlines running at the same time in each issue and somehow delivering a coherent, unified read is no easy feat, so in that respect alone, Williams-Blackman have been wildly effective.  But up until now, there didn’t seem to be any reason to write the arc this way except for sheer novelty.

Now, however, with each plotline running closer to each other in time, all coalescing into the “Now” of the present story, you can see how each informs and plays off the others.  Imagine one of those photo-mosaics, where you have scads and scads of little pictures, each with a distinctive subject of its own, yet all coming together to form a single, focal image.  We’ve been too close to the individual pictures, and only now do we step back and see what we’re really looking at.

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 #8 – Review

By: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman (writers), Amy Reeder (penciller), Rob Hunter (inker), Guy Major (colorist)

The Story: Kate demonstrates she’s not exactly girlfriend material.

The Review: A black friend of mine once told me that to make it in this world, “you can’t work as hard as a white man; you have to work harder.”  A dim outlook, but one no less wise for it.  I think the same philosophy applies to women as well, perhaps even more so, and perhaps especially to women in the superhero business.  One of the long-running, subtle themes of this series is Batwoman’s struggle to craft a heroic identity beyond “the female Batman.”

The first step in that struggle involves her lack of resources.  Though independently wealthy, she doesn’t have the technological connections and inventiveness to be as well-equipped as the Dark Knight.  Working for the D.E.O. has clearly caught her up some.  Here, she gets to put her voice-controlled throwing dart (with the bit of alien A.I. inside) to use against Medusa’s monster minions.  As cool as the dart’s versatility is, it takes away from Batwoman’s abilities to a certain extent as it takes down all her enemies for her, all in a row.

Still, considering she’s outnumbered by supernatural foes, the extra help is warranted.  Besides, she proves her chops later in the issue (but earlier in the story) by singlehandedly executing a breakout at sea, clearing two boats full of GCPD cops, including her girlfriend, in the process.  The scene plays out yet another complication in Batwoman’s life: the overlap between her civilian identity and her night job.  Batman’s had a long time to separate his personas, but now that Kate’s dating Batwoman’s direct competition, such divisions don’t seem feasible now.