Batwoman: The Unknowns (Volume 6)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  The Unknowns (Volume 6)
Marc Andreyko
Georges Jeanty
Karl Story
Guy Major
2015

The Summary
"Clayface:  a desperate man driven to madness and monstrosity by a magical artifact that transformed him into a shapeshifting killer.

"Ragman:  a guardian of Gotham City whose supernatural suit is woven from a thousand lost souls.

"Etrigan the Demon:  a prince of Hell bonded to a human host a millennium ago, desperate to free himself ever sense.

"And Batwoman:  a crimefighter whose alter ego, Kate Kane, maybe have just lost the love of her life, only to find passion in the arms of a creature of the night.

"Heroes, villains, something in between--to each of them, the others are a complete unknown.  But an ancient evil has returned from beyond the grave:  Morgan Le Fey, the mad witch who destroyed King Arthur's Camelot and would do the same to all civilization.  It's an evil this fearsome foursome can only stop together--if they don't tear each other apart first..."

The Good
I was intrigued by this volume collection.  After the cliffhanger leftover from Batwoman:  Webs (Volume 5), I was desperate to get my hands on the next installment of Batwoman's adventures.  What would happen between Batwoman and Nocturna?  And I couldn't help but be drawn in by the cover.  I recognized Clayface and Etrigan, but where were the other two--and what kind of threat did they pose?

I had to find out.

Although The Unknowns feels like it branches away from the familiar artistic style and general feeling crafted by J.H. Williams III and W.H. Blackman, it's still an excellent volume.  Marc Andreyko and his team seem to take Batwoman in a different direction, crafting something new and equally appealing.

The artistry is simplified.  It's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it's much more straight-forward.  It's filled with all the beautiful detail and art that originally attracted me to Batwoman, but it's easier to distinguish the movement of characters and the direction of panels.  It has changed, but it's not a bad change.

Moreover, the story seems to take a different direction.  It's still dark on an emotional and visual level, but it simply feels different.  Kate's still faced with the same complicated relationships, still faced with the same violence and depravity for which Gotham is known, but she seems to face it with a bit more humor.  And her story has a different flavor to it, a subtle shift in her demeanor or a change in the direction of her story that makes it feel different, but easily likable.

Overall, I enjoyed it.  I liked the characters--Ragman and Red Alice were probably my favorites, aside from our leading heroine, of course--and I liked the story.  Granted, I'm a bit tired of Morgan Le Fey.  I've seen enough of her in literature and the DC Universe to know I'm getting a bit sick of her interference; however, I think it was a well-done story and I liked getting to know Etrigan again, as well as some new "heroes."

The Bad
I did not care for the book end chapters of this volume.  I didn't need Kate's origin story rehashed in Secret Origin, and I wasn't exactly thrilled with Batwoman:  Future's End.  The first, I didn't like the repetition; the other, I didn't like the way it ended.  It left me wondering if this really was Batwoman's fate in five years, or if it was just a one-shot just-for-fun issue that creators are wont to do.

Honestly, I can't tell.

But I know I probably won't be reading it.  It's bad enough that Kate is manipulated by Nocturna; it's worse that they turn her into a vampire.  I'm still a little confused on that, honestly, and I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the whole thing.  It confuses me, rather than amuses me.

The Ugly
Blood.  Gore.  Violence.

You know, the usual.

Batwoman: Elegy (Volume 0)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  Elegy (Volume 0)
Greg Rucka
J.H. Williams III
2010

The Summary
"She is the Batwoman, Gotham City's newest protector.

"And battling her at every turn of her still-young crime fighting career is a crazed cult called the Religion of Crime.  Led by a Lewis Carroll-quoting madwoman known only as Alice.  They plan to turn Gotham City into a wonderland of carnage.

"But Alice has something special in store for the Batwoman--something that will show her everything she thought she knew about her life as a caped crusader is wrong.

"It this one-woman army fighting a war she can't win, against an enemy with more power over her than she could have every guessed?

"Writer Greg Rucka (Gotham Central, Action Comics), J.H. Williams (Batman, Seven Soldiers of Victory), and Dave Stewart proudly present one of the most acclaimed comics of the year.

"Collecting the first seven pulse-pounding, visually stunning issues of their landmark collaboration (Detective Comics #854-860) featuring an expansive behind-the-scenes section, and an introduction by Rachel Maddow, Batwoman:  Elegy unveils the shocking origin--and chilling archnemesis--of one of the DC Universe's most memorable characters."

The Good
This book is intense.

Not only do you get the opportunity to see the formative years of Kate's life when her mother and twin sister were killed during a terrorist attack, but it also shows the beginning of her career as Batwoman--that is, her training, her father's involvement, her first steps onto the mean streets of Gotham with the bat symbol on her chest.

And it's great!

However, it's also very, very sad and emotionally gripping.  Not to ruin anything, but it's terrible to see the toll her line of work takes on her--and a heavy loss that wracks her with grief all over again.  It makes for an interesting story, but it's all a little tragic, very morbid, and, of course, unexpectedly twisted.

Honestly, I liked being able to see where it all started.  I've heard Greg Rucka's name in the past, so I was anticipating some great work out of him, and as I'm familiar with J.H. Williams, I was excited to see how they kicked off Batwoman.  And they did it with a bang!  Overall, it was great, and I'm glad I actually went back and read the prequel.  It definitely cleared up a number of questions for me that I had when I jumped into the first volume.

The Bad
Again, confusing artwork.

I know this has been a pretty consistent complaint for me, but it's a quirk of Batwoman that has staying power.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the artwork and the creativity and the beautiful illustrations between individual issues; however, it makes Batwoman a bit of a trial.  I'm used to it now, for the most part, but it still leads me on a merry chase, making me wonder if I'm really understanding the story...or if I'm completely misinterpreting it.

The Ugly
The usual:  blood, gore, death, violence, explicit material, etc.

And there's a nasty little surprise regarding Alice, which you'll know what I'm talking about if you (like me) started with Hydrology instead of Elegy, but I can't say anything else or I'll ruin the story for readers starting out.  Just trust me, it's an ugly surprise that, if I hadn't read the first three volumes before Elegy, would have left me shocked and appalled.

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.

Batwoman: This Blood is Thick (Volume 4)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  This Blood is Thick (Volume 4)
J.H. Williams III
W.H. Blackman
Trevor McCarthy
Francesco Francavilla
Guy Major
2014

The Summary
"Family ties.

"For the vigilante known as Batwoman, fighting crime is a family affair.  Her military-trained father is her former mentor.  Her costumed cousin--code name:  Hawkfire--is her sidekick.  Her fiancee, Gotham City Police Captain Maggie Sawyer, is her closest ally.  And her long-lost sister, the madwoman called Alice, is her greatest enemy.

"But other sinister forces are at work.  The supernatural cult known as the Religion of Crime and its many monsters continue their obsession with Batwoman.  The powerful government agency DEO is using her as a pawn in its cloak-and-dagger games.  And gliding over all is the Batman himself--the dark center around which heroes and soldiers, villains and vigilantes alike all orbit."

The Good
As Kate becomes more entwined with the DEO--as she struggles to free herself from the dreadful machinations of Director Bones, as she tries to free her sister from his clutches--her story becomes more complicated.  Her mission becomes very personal, which This Blood is Thick all the more intriguing, because, eventually, it causes her to cross paths with the Batman.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see the Batman re-enter Kate's life.  I loved his appearance in the first volume, Hydrology, as he sized Kate up and set the baseline with which all future adventures with Kate would be judged.  He helped comic book fans segue into Kate's story, helped give her the boost she needed to be put on our collective radar.

And it was nice to see him back again, this time trying to save Kate from herself and a demented DEO director.  I couldn't help feeling a tinge of excitement as Kate took on the Bat himself and tested her mettle against Gotham's greatest superhero.  It was a conflicting chapter, of course, because I've grown to love and admire Kate, but Batman is my first love...and I found it difficult to root for one or the other.  It's complicated, to say the least.

But, overall, it was a great next installment for fans of Batwoman.

The Bad
I was still a little confused, as I've noted in previous volumes of Batwoman, but I think I'm getting used to it.  That or it's changing as new writers and illustrators make their way to the fore, offering changing standards for the graphic novel.

The Ugly
Blood, gore, violence, explicit material.

Same old, same old--but throw in a killer cliff hanger.

Batwoman: World's Finest (Volume 3)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  World's Finest (Volume 3)
J.H. Williams III
W. Haden Blackman
2014

The Summary
"Goddesses among us.

"Trained at West Point and battle-tested on the mean streets of Gotham City, Batwoman is one of the world's finest crime fighters.  But the crimes she's fighting now are not of this world at all.

"A monster straight out of mythology is preying on the children of Gotham, using supernatural horrors from the city's urban legends as her foot soldiers.  Together they serve an organization called Medusa--and worship the Mother of All Monsters.

"Teaming up with none other than Wonder Woman, Batwoman begins a perilous journey into the underworld of Greek myths to rescue the children and save her city.  Can these two women warriors triumph over the stone-cold creature they must face?"

The Good
I was so excited to read Batwoman:  World's Finest.  I mean, I was still a little on the fence about my commitment to Batwoman, but, truthfully, this volume kicked me over the edge and turned me into an ardent Batwoman fan.  That, and it made me want to read the new Wonder Woman comics.  (Wonder Woman is amazing, just in case you didn't know.)

World's Finest is the culmination of a plot that has spanned three volumes and multiple issues.  In it, we get to meet Medusa and see the horrifying results of her plan, we get to see Wonder Woman in all her Greek demi-goddess glory, we get to finally--finally!--see Batwoman at her finest as she rescues the people she loves and the city she was sworn to protect.  It was awesome.

Please excuse my fan girl squealing.

The Bad
Confusing art direction.

I love the artwork in Batwoman, I will never deny that, but I was consistently frustrated by the panel arrangement in this volume.  I understand the need to be creative, to do something that's not often seen, to give detail and depth to a story through the art.  The illustrations help fill in the gaps when dialog cannot, which I totally get.

But I was not a fan of this:

The centipede thing is Nyx, goddess of Night.  Creepy, isn't it?
DC Comics

I was lost.  Completely and utterly lost.  Maybe that was the point, I don't know, but I didn't like it.  Not one bit.

The Ugly
Oh.  My.  Gosh.

I thought Hydrology and To Drown the World were macabre.  They're nothing like World's Finest, which basically confronts world-ending events when the Mother of All Monsters is summoned.  Whoo boy.  It gets ugly.

Very, very ugly.

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).

Batwoman: Hydrology (Volume 1)

Batwoman:  Hydrology (Volume 1)
J.H. Williams III
W. Haden Blackman
2012

The Summary
"Gotham City is drowning.

"They call her La Llorona.  'The Weeping Woman.'  A spectral presence that drowns her own sorrow by destroying the lives of others, dragging innocent children to a watery grave...or to an even worse fate.  The hero called Batwoman is no stranger to sorrow herself.  Estranged from the father who was once her partner in crime fighting, she blames him for the death of her mad sister in Gotham Harbor--but she blames herself most of all.

"Now she has a new partner, her cousin Flamebird.  Together they're on the hunt for La Llorona, the children she's abducted, and the shadowy forces behind it all.  But the hunters are hunted as well:  Everyone from government agent to Gotham cops wants to clip Batwoman's wings.

"A tide of danger and death is coming in to Gotham City.  And it will be all Batwoman can do to keep her head above water..."

The Good
I quite liked Batwoman.  I won't say I fell in love, but it's close.  Batwoman is thrilling and enthralling and, truthfully, beautiful.  The plot, like it's protagonist, is complex and surprisingly deep.  La Llorona is a tragic figure, an urban legend of the Weeping Woman who mourns for the loss of her children--for the loss of her own life--while simultaneously lashing out at others.  It's incredibly sad and undeniably tragic.

But there's a deeper red thread in the narrative, a villain who is controlling things behind the scenes like a maniacal puppeteer.  It's terrifying and it cultivates a feeling of danger, suspense, and terror that's sure to keep you hooked.  I enjoyed getting a glimpse into this dark, deviant world of shapeshifters and skinwalkers, urban legends and myths, paranormal creatures that seem to step right out of nightmares.  It was fascinating.

It was terrifying too, and I sat at the edge of my seat the entire time.  But it was absolutely fascinating.

I also liked Batwoman as a character.  Don't get me wrong, her story is sometimes hard to stomach, but she's a fascinating character.  Her mother and twin sister were killed in a kidnapping gone wrong when she was only a little girl, she was dismissed from West Point for being gay, she was nearly killed in some back issue when a blade nearly pierced her heart, and she has suffered innumerable wounds at the hands of horrifying villains--and yet she keeps coming back for more.

She's strong, she's dedicated, she's smart and she's capable.  I loved watching her in action, getting insight into her life as she struggles to balance her nightly escapades with her superhero responsibilities and her family.  She's a complex character facing a complex world, which I enjoyed.  She has depth, she faces burdens that seem impossible to bear, fights that seem impossible to win.

But she just keeps going.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Batwoman.  It has beautiful art, great character development, intriguing and/or terrifying villains, and an incredible story.  It's a great first collection for the Batwoman, and it's easy to jump into even if you don't have any previous experience with the franchise.

Plus, I like that Batman has his own little cameo as he attempts to gauge Batwoman's skills and her ability to be a protector of Gotham.  It's interesting to observe Batwoman through his eyes, to see how she stacks up in his estimation.  It gives readers the inside track on her abilities and, when Batman is suitably impressed, we can't help be find ourselves impressed as well.

The Bad
Although I loved the art in Batwoman, I was sometimes (okay, frequently) confused by the direction of the panels.  It's wonderfully detailed and incredibly beautiful, but it can get a little too "artsy" (if that's a word)--that is, it can become muddled in the illustrator's attempts to create something new, something dynamic and inventive.

It is inventive and dynamic, and it's new (to me, at least); however, it's also hard to read a story when you're not sure exactly where the first panel begins and the last panel ends.  It's confusing and, honestly, it's a little frustrating.  Moreover, it makes me less enthusiastic to read the next one.

The Ugly
Death.  Blood and gore.  Murder.

Batwoman does not pull punches when it comes to violence, even when children are involved.  It's graphic and, occasionally, borders on explicit.  It goes for perturbing, I think, and it certainly does a good job of making you hate the villains for the horror they unleash on Gotham.