DC Comics 2017
Written by Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Steve Epting
Coloured by Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Deron Bennett
The criminal haven of Coryana has changed completely in the years since Batwoman left! The biggest change of all? Her closest friends are now her enemies — or they’re corpses! It’s time for Kate Kane to cut to the heart of what’s happening here, and find out who brought the deadly bioweapon Monster Venom into Coryana…but she might get her own heart cut out in the process, by the unbeatable assassin known as the Knife!
So with everything that spun out of the Detective Comics run gave Batwoman, who is currently working with Batman, her own title again. Which by the by was long overdue. I’ll be honest at first I wasn’t sure I was going to like her being tied so closely to Batman but this issue proves that she really isn’t. Yes they have some end goals that are the same but overall this is her book and things will happen her way. I’m also glad that we are seeing Kate’s kind of a womanizer and that she’s had plenty of lovers over the years and we’re getting introduced to them through these stories.
I’m not even really bothered by the fact that Kate’s been set up with her own Pennyworth in Julia. I mean it beats her dad, who’s on the run and a massive basketcase megalomaniac. Though I do want to see Bette pop up in these pages, it’s only natural and only right that she do so since Kathy Kane and Bette Kane were the original Batwoman and Bat-Girl. Not asking for her to be her regular sidekick but backup when needed yes indeed please and thank you. So Julia suits Kate’s personality quite well and it seems the two will form a nice working partnership so here’s to the future!
I’m really digging the interiors here. Steve and Jeromy do some marvelous work and it makes me happy to see the backgrounds in play like they are both in and slightly out of focus. The perspective is used greatly to really sell the Island aspect of the locale and I gotta say the utilisation of page layouts is phenomenal. We get this really strong comic book feel to the work that lends power to Batwoman and what she’s trying to do and it’s nice to see this this time around.
It does seem a lot of folks know Kate is Batwoman so there goes the secret identity. I mean wow seriously though she’s a pretty remarkable and unforgettable woman and with that milky white skin and flaming red hair… That many of her foes are former associates isn’t underappreciated either. Though the introduction of the twins that’s a new twist and one I look forward to seeing fleshed out more. I will spectacular job in making them creepy, even creepier than the Shining twins and that’s saying something! Which leads me to a kudos for keeping that element of her previous runs intact. While I don’t mind seeing Kate go up against run of the mill bad guys the supernatural element which leads to creepy ass characters appearing needs to be peppered in throughout.
Keep her on the fringes and sometimes associating with the rest of the mainstream and this series will be more than a mere success.