Batwoman: To Drown the World (Volume 2)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  To Drown the World (Volume 2)
J.H. Williams III
W. Haden Blackman
Amy Reeder
Trevor McCarthy
2012

The Summary
"Murder.  Madness.  Monsters...

"MEDUSA.  Taking its name from the horrifying creature of myth, this global conspiracy of crime has taken its war against goodness to Gotham City.

"There, its sinister agents prey upon Gotham's children, using the guises of urban legends.  Ghosts in the mirror searching for bloody retribution.  Monsters in the sewer hungering for innocent lives.  Crazed specters spreading their pain in a tide of blood.  Brutal killers wielding death with a hook-bladed hand.

"At Medusa's dark heart stands the Mother of Monsters.  Her goal is to drown the world in darkness.  But the Mother isn't Gotham's only dark spirit.

"Batwoman's mind, body and soul have been battered like never before.  But she's emerged from her trials stronger than ever.  Now on a collision course with MEDUSA, no one--not the GCPD, not the shadowy Department of Extranormal Operations, and not the men and women who care about her the most--will stop her from seeking justice for the lost."

The Good
Like Hydrology, Batwoman:  To Drown the World is at once beautiful and macabre.  It's full of twists and turns, dark creatures and, as the back cover attests, "Murder.  Madness.  Monsters..."  With the Mother of Monsters set to be released, Batwoman must fight against urban legends, terrifying villains (and I include the DEO in this), and old gods that have lingered deep beneath the surface.

I enjoyed learning more about Kate Kane, about her family and her friends, about the seedier side of Gotham City and the DEO as they try to unmask Batman.  There's so much happening in To Drown the World between the appearances of Bloody Mary and Killer Croc, the reappearance of La Llorona, and the sudden upswing in paranormal activity.  And all the while Batwoman is finding herself drawn deeper into the clutches of Director Bones and the DEO.

It's exciting and terrifying at the same time.

This volume actually convinced me to read Elegy, a prequel to the Batwoman franchise.  Hydrology  offered a glimpse into Batwoman's past, about her encounter with Alice and the Religion of Crime, and about the sudden rift with her father; however, To Drown the World gave me a little more information--and it was almost tantalizing.  It offers a few more bread crumbs to Batwoman's/Kate's past and dives deeper into the dark and sinister world of Medusa.

I couldn't wait to read more.  I was pretty much committed after reading this volume.

Then again, seeing Wonder Woman involved in the next volume might have had something to do with it.

The Bad
Confusing illustrations and panel directions.  It doesn't help when psychedelic drugs get involved, sending both Batwoman and Officer Sawyer into a veritable tale spin.

The Ugly
More blood, more gore, more violence.

It gets worse (if that's even possible).