Batwoman: Webs (Volume 5)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  Webs (Volume 5)
Marc Andreyko
Jeremy Haun
Trevor McCarthy
Guy Major
2014

The Summary
"Murderous ghosts.  Machiavellian government agents.  Man-animal hybrids.  Monsters from myth and legend.  Members of her own family.  In the course of Kate Kane's crimefighting career as Batwoman, she has battled an array of adversaries and lived to fight another day.

"But she's about to fall into the web of the Wolf Spider.  And her luck's about to run out.

"A mercenary armed with terrifying toxins and backed by a billionaire's cash, the Wolf Spider has come to Gotham City for reasons unknown.  But one fateful encounter with the Batwoman claims a shocking casualty:  the private life she's fought so desperately to preserve.

"When the calling she's chosen could cost her the woman she loves, what will Batwoman decide?"

The Good
I really enjoyed this volume.  It provided resolution for This Blood is Thick, which I appreciated, and it had an appearance by Batman who was his usual, awesome self; however, it also serves as a nice fulcrum point for the second half of the series.  Hydrology, To Drown the World, World's Finest, and This Blood is Thick have a very distinct artistic style that's simultaneously beautiful and confusing, whereas Webs seems to take the series in a new direction.

It remains visually appealing, like its predecessors, but I noticed it has a distinctly different flavor as Marc Andreyko takes over composition.  The panels are a little easier to read, a little easier to follow, which I liked.  Plus, I enjoyed that Kate's story veering back to the streets of Gotham after such a long and convoluted plot involving Medusa and the DEO.

And, for some reason, I enjoyed the Wolf Spider's story arc immensely.  As a villain, I liked him.  He was snarky, self-serving, and strangely compelling.  Granted, I wanted Batwoman to take him down--and take him down hard (he deserved it)--but, oddly enough, I liked him and I'd like to see more of him down the road.

Overall rating:  Excellent.

The Bad
Cliffhangers.  I really, really hate cliffhangers.

Plus, I was a little less enthusiastic about Nocturna and her plot line.  She wasn't as interesting to me, despite her black widow/creature-of-the-night vibe.  I much preferred Wolf Spider's unexpected and exhilarating romp through Gotham with Batwoman at his heels.

The Ugly
Batwoman:  Webs has the usual blood, gore, gratuitous violence I've come to expect; however, I wasn't expecting the level of heartbreak I'd have to endure.  I like Detective Sawyer and Kate Kane as a couple.  They may not be perfect, but they work so well together.  They have a mutual respect for one another, an affection that is both endearing and enduring--and I hated to see that fragmented in a million tiny pieces.

And I definitely didn't like the direction things went after Natalia became involved.