Review: Batwoman #18
It has been a couple of crazy weeks for the second lady (behind Batgirl of course) of Gotham. Firstly, Ruby Rose is announced to become the first official Bat of the CW universe, then Ms Rose leaves Twitter due the number of people who can’t tell the difference between Kate and Babs. Then this week, the final issue of this comic run hits the stores. Talk about a roller-coaster!
Batwoman is an important addition to the Bat-family for any number of reasons. As a strong female character, she should be out in front as a naturally created diverse character. The fact that she is a lesbian, in essence falls by the wayside. Sure its great that LGBTQ have a hero they can enjoy, but is Kate really defined by who she dates? I guess so, because this whole run seems to have rotated around the lost year; a tale of whimsy that somehow didn’t connect with the Batwoman in Detective Comics. This issue is really no different to the past 17 issues; its all about who Kate ends up with.
Marguerite Bennett, whose indie work has been outstanding, has pretty much charted the same course since the books inception. By doing so, there has been little flexibility to fix a number of problems with the book. Lost years are well and good, but they have to have an impact on the present or what is the point? Bennett’s dialogue works well, its the characters that kind of feel changeable. It is almost as if Batwoman is two different characters. The other element to consider is how good Bennett’s writing is on Batgirl #25. It is a true mystery. If only there was a detective we could get on the case.
The art is provided by Fernando Blanco, a comic veteran who has been around the Bat universe, and Kate in particular for quite some time. By doing so, he has created a style of art that eschews the big “action pose” for a more creative panel design, which at times can feel cluttered. The art does convey the movement through the story, though I am not sure if Blanco has become the artist of choice due to the relationship angle that is always prevalent rather than the action, which can seem convoluted. John Rauch is the colorist who for a while seems to see the world through a ochre lens, which in turn gives the book a unique look.
There is a problem with Batwoman that people, including those at DC never talk about. Its nothing to do with her being a girl or a lesbian or the fact that the hair is a wig. The best stories that feature Batwoman were arguably, the Greg Rucka and J. H. Willaims III run from Detective Comics and the series written by J.H. Williams III, who supplied the art along with Amy Reeder Hadely and co writer W. Haden Blackman. The loss of these creators helped to actually push back Batwoman’s cause, essentially rendering her just another hero. I am sure that as the CW show gets closer, we will see yet another restart for a character that seems to get short change from her publishers.
Writing – 3 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors -3 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Marguerite Benntt
Art by; Fernando Blanco
Colors by; John Rauch
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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