Review Shooter: Batwoman #1

Writers: J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

Artist: J.H. Williams III

Colours: Dave Stewart

   Batwoman #1 follows the title character as she tries to solve a bizarre serious of kidnappings, while dealing with her father and trying to groom her cousin to be her partner.

This book has been coming for a long time. First (officially) solicited for November of last year, it suffered from numerous art delays, and was eventually pushed back to accommodate this big relaunch. Is it worth the long wait? For the most part, yes.

We’re missing Greg Rucka on writing duties this time, but J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman definitely do a solid job of filling those big shoes. The book is a serious and mature crime comic, just as it was before, and it’s a real page turner. The pacing is really excellent, in that it never goes too long without giving some action, but even the more talky scenes aren’t hard to get through at all. The character interactions are well written and vary a hell of a lot, making each scene different and exciting, whether it’s a dialogue between Kate and detective Sawyer, or an argument between Kate and her father Jacob, while her cousin Bette is stuck in the middle. And speaking of detective Sawyer and Kate, I want to give props to them for handling the lesbian aspect tastefully. Oh, and one last thing: it did seem to still carry on with what the Detective Comics run did (villains, her father, etc.), and I have a feeling that may cause some issues with new readers. But anyway, even with Rucka absent, it’s still fantastic.

The one thing that is exactly as it was on Detective Comics is the art by J.H. Williams III and Dave Stewart. It’s downright gorgeous on every page of this issue and doesn’t really have any technical flaws. One thing that’s especially awesome about the art is how diverse it can be. The action scenes have a very distinct look that makes it feel very gothic, creepy and ramps it up, while the dialogue scenes have a more realistic and somber approach to them. Also as usual when it comes to the artist, there are some fantastic panel separations/ full page spreads. Now, there is one issue I had with the art, and again, it’s not a technical thing. As usual with super hero comics, there are a few pages of changing into the costumes, and latter back into civilian clothes, but here they featured some gratuitous shots of female anatomy, which seemed really out of place, considering how they handled the fact that she’s a lesbian earlier on (aka very tastefully). Maybe I’m nitpicking her, but those panels bugged me and I had to bring them up. Regardless, the art is still fantastic.

Survival Rating: LIVE! IF they can get the art done in such a way that the book can come out on a monthly basis, and that’s a big if, this series should go on.

Recommendation: BUY IT! If you’re a fan of the character, crime stories, Batman, or are just looking to give a new book a shot, check this out!

batmanboy11

Just a Canadian who likes video games, comic books and all that cool stuff. You can find me most places as batmanboy11.

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