Tag Archives: Kate Kane

Review: Batwoman Rebirth #1

Posted on by

batwomanrebirthcoverMost of Batwoman Rebirth #1 is a rehash of the past ten years of major storylines featuring Kate Kane from the tragic murder of her mother when she was 12 to the most recent “Batwoman Begins” arc in Detective Comics. Writers Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion provide a decent primer for potential new fans of Batwoman while dropping some very intriguing teasers for her ongoing series that starts next month. It’s nice to have the whole of Kate Kane’s arc in a single issue of a comic, but most of it feels like a single issue of a comic-length “Previously on Batwoman Elegy” that costs $2.99.

However, Steve Epting‘s art and Jeromy Cox‘s colors present a possibly compelling reason to at the very least flip through some gorgeous, red tinged full page spreads. Epting’s skill with espionage action from his work on Captain America and especially Velvet with Ed Brubaker serves him well in a scene set in Kate Lane’s lost year where she was living with her girlfriend Safiyah on a Mediterranean Island. The interaction between shadows, shifting angles, and a focus on the background instead of the foreground during certain panels definitely whetted my appetite for more stealth incursions in the Batwoman ongoing title. Epting also plays off J.H. Williams stellar work with layouts by setting up pages at the beginning and end of the comic that look like something has shattered in Batwoman with figures from her past accusing her and asking her questions about what she’s doing with her life. The faded red from Cox evokes her costume as well as her rage and tumultous life from childhood to being kicked out of West Point and even the past year of Detective Comics. And the juicy image on the final page shows that these events have taken perhaps a little bit too much of a negative toll on her.

batwomanrebirthinterior

Most of the big beats in Batwoman Rebirth #1 were already explored in depth in the excellent Batwoman Elegy comic, but Bennett and Tynion make a valiant effort to add shading to that classic story. The interactions between Bennett is an excellent writer of flirting as seen in Bombshells, the Angela comics, and Josie and the Pussycats, and Epting’s gift with body language along with close-ups on lips and hands create instant chemistry between Kate and her three girlfriends that pop up in the flashbacks. The nearly silent page  of Kate and Renee Montoya is a pure masterpiece and a visual argument for why they should be a couple. Except these hints of romance are suddenly swept away for boring recaps of “Batwoman Begins” combined with one tantalizing image at the end. The scales of interesting and a skippable re-do aren’t evenly balanced though.

Batwoman Rebirth #1 has fantastic art and colors from Steve Epting and Jeromy Cox, who will hopefully return her book’s visuals to the lofty heights of J.H. Williams and Amy Reeder several years back. Bennett and Tynion’s plot is skippable for long time Batwoman aficionadoes, and Elegy is a better introduction for new fans so this is definitely a comic you pick up just for the art and the occasional spark of intrigue or romance.

Story: Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV Art: Steve Epting Colors: Jeromy Cox
Story: 6 Art: 9 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Batgirl Annual #3

Posted on by

batgirlannual003When reading the modern medium of comics, it is easy to forget that comic stories did not always have the same format.  As opposed to the modern day where one-shots are an absolute rarity, they used to exist more or less in this format across the entire medium.  Long story arcs were rare, and heroes usually met a villain and dealt with them in a short amount of time.  These stories which can be more easily located in the silver age, had a fairly common format of hero encounters villain, is beaten at first but then quickly recovers and wins.  This format is interesting because it is still occasionally used, but also because it is used in this most recent Batgirl Annual, and used quite cleverly.

Facing off against a mysterious villain and organization tied to the name Gladius, Barbara is forced to make some unlikely alliances which take her around the bat-family.  The cover alludes to the one that fans would be the most excited about, with an encounter with Dick Grayson, but there are also some clever other interactions as Barbara follows the trail of Gladius.  She encounters two other former Batgirls from previous years (Stephanie Brown and Helena Bertinelli) as well as Batwoman, a decent collection of Bat-ladies that is only missing Cassandra Cain.  The story diverges in an unexpected direction as well, crossing over what might be DC’s two best titles at the moment, as Batgirl and the residents of Gotham Academy get to meet for the first time.

What is most interesting about this story, is that while it is told in a series of separate vignettes, each with their own style, it also still manages to be a fluid story that makes sense, without the cameos seeming too forced.  Barbara is still the star but she cedes that status easily to those that she teams up with, making this issue more than the sum of its parts.  While the main series occasionally gets tied down in its own plots, this annual seems to represent a desire by the main creative team to cut loose a bit and have some fun with the character, and they succeeded.

Story: Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher Art: Bengal, David LaFuente, Ming Doyle, Mingjue Helen Chen, Gabe Eltaeb, Ivan Plascensia
Story: 9.4 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.4 Recommendation: Buy

52 Reviews, Part 2

Posted on by

So, for the fun of it, I’m going to be collecting all 52 DC #1 issues. And I’m going to review them all. Keep in mind, though, that I’m generally a Marvel fan and, while I’m working may way through DC’s recent big events, I’m only up through the middle of Countdown and I haven’t read any of DC’s non-event comics in a long time, so I’m coming at these stories with a bit of a disadvantage in terms of chronology and character knowledge. Since DC is certainly trying to attract new readers, though, this makes me come at them with a perspective similar to their hypothetical new fans…

Batman and Robin #1 (DC) – This one starts and ends with heavy action and has a good amount of character development in between. It all works. I’m in.

Story: 9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.75

Batwoman #1 (DC) – I’m relatively new to the character of Kate Kane, but I have to say I like what I see so far. The creative team on this one appears to be top-notch and this is a comic I’ll definitely keep reading.

Story: 9 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5

Deathstroke #1 (DC) – I’m pretty conflicted about this one. It looks great and the story does a good job of establishing the horrible person that Deathstroke is while also showing that he’s a total badass. But there aren’t any characters here I want to root for (well, at least not by the last page) and I’m not enough of a fan of the character to follow him along as bad as he is here. The comic is well-done, it’s just not my type of thing. I’ll probably read issue #2, though, because of the quality of this issue.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Demon Knights #1 (DC) – I’m really not a fan of the fantasy premise behind this one. It’s not a bad premise, it’s just not one I want to read a lot of. I won’t read any more of this series, but it’s not because of a lack of quality.

Story: 7 Art: 8 Overall: 7.5

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 (DC) – I was totally unprepared for how much I liked this story. It is totally not at all the type of thing I would have expected to like and yet it was one of my favorite reads of week 2 of the New 52. It doesn’t break any new ground and it is incredibly similar to the recent Frankencastle run in Punisher or Hellboy, but the execution is so good, it’s a great comic. I’m definitely coming back for more.

Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.25

Green Lantern #1 (DC) – There is a reason why Geoff Johns is where he is today and this issue is a great example of his success. The story is entertaining, including action, intrigue and humor in a perfect balance. You have compelling characters and plotlines that require the reader to tune in next month, which I will definitely do.

Story: 9.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 9

Grifter #1 (DC) – Not knowing anything about this character before this issue, I’m not sure what the point is. I don’t particularly like him after reading this comic and nothing here made me interested in finding out more.

Story: 6 Art: 7 Overall: 6.5

Legion Lost #1 (DC) – This comic does a good job of juggling a big cast without making them all clones and while getting across a story that is intriguing. I’m not completely sold on the comic or the concept, and I don’t like the cartoonish art much, but I’m at least coming back for the next few issues.

Story: 8.5 Art: 6 Overall: 7.5

Mr. Terrific #1 (DC) – I had high hopes for this book, having recently discovered the character and liking him quite a bit, but I felt this was a bit of a letdown. The art wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great, despite some great sequences. The story also starts out solid before going off on a strange tangent at the end that didn’t seem to fit. Some of the things going on were a bit confusing, too. Hopefully future issues will perfect it. I’ll hang around to find out.

Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7

Red Lanterns #1 (DC) – This is my first time reading any of the extended Laterns material and I’m going to say that it grabbed me. The art is at times brilliant and the story maintained a good balance of exposition and action that I liked a lot. It had some ridiculous moments, most notably with a cat, but I can let that slide.

Story: 8 Art: 9 Overall: 8.5

Resurrection Man #1 (DC) – Not a great comic, this one was just good enough that I’ll check out #2, but I’m skeptical. The art was pretty weak in places and I just didn’t get enough from the story that’d hook me. The premise is one I like though, so I might hang around to see where it goes.

Story: 7.5 Art: 6.5 Overall: 7

Suicide Squad #1 (DC) – Reading this issue as a noob, I loved it. The villains and the scenario were great, the horror of it was engrossing, the characters were varied and I wanted to know more about them. It was both violent and funny and the ending was a nice little shocker. I’ve never heard of Amanda Waller before, though, and was unfamiliar with the character. It seems she used to be a much larger and more reserved woman and she’s been slimmed down and sexualized. That’s a shame because that one arbitrary panel brings down an otherwise excellent issue.

Story: 10 Art: 9 Overall: 9.5

Superboy #1 (DC) – Another comic I really like. This is very different than your usual Superman comics. You don’t really know who is good or bad or what they are capable and it’s very difficult to predict what is going to happen next. That’s all great and on top of that, you get some very good art.

Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9