ReV13WZ!! (of Comics) | Batwoman #6

Expect a lot more of this in the future.

Weekly recaps of favourite comics alongside movie reviews of new and classic sci-fi, fantasy, or the geeky-related, in-depth television schpeels, and roundups of any new content floating around in the ether that catches the eye of this blog will be featured, just for you.

 

My hopes are, the more content I put up, the more you’ll care about this blog, and the more people you’ll send this too. Also, for me to get better and talking about things I like. That’s always good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BATWOMAN #6
Written by: W. Haden Blackman & J.H. Williams III
Pencils: Amy Reeder | Inks: Richard Friend & Rob Hunter

The sixth month of DC’s “New 52” publishing initiative is calling for some lineup changes to keep things fresh. One of the bigger stories was with Batwoman, mainly because William’s artwork for the series is up there at "challenges fine art” level and we get to see how Amy Reeder, a cult favourite especially among female readers, fares in comparison.

She did a damn fine job. I’ll get to story in a minute, but the big pull with this issue other than being the guest artist is that readers want to know how her art’s going to play out for the book—the visual style may be completely different, but reading it evoked the same grit and grime on one page, and fullness and lush expressions on the next. William’s proved that he can be diverse, and Amy’s followed up with her own signature take on that.

What stayed consistent, I think, was Guy Major’s flat colours that dominate most of the pages, transferred from Williams’ work on the previous five issues. The distinctive look of Batwoman’s costume, chalk-white skin, and burning red hair (you can tell from the cover) haven’t been tampered with. Reeder’s art team respects Williams’ take with convincing devotion.

What enticed me was an entire change in pacing, structure, and especially panelling. Right here I should mention that this is a a whole new story arc, so a great jumping-on point if you want to get into a great character, and a great Batbook. It’s a mulit-plotted read, with Kate (Batwoman’s secret identity) at the center of it, and like a puzzle, it unravels for us with each panel. There’s a mix of static, nuanced character moments for each of these plots, against some beautifully rendered action to balance it out. Motion is a big part of this issue, Williams and Blackman gave Amy an opportunity to flex her anatomical muscles—the movement here is great.

Content-wise, I’m pretty hooked. This new plot comes straight off the last one with the new Weeping Woman villian, a self-contained story—but like the ghostly, mystically fluid powers Batwoman had to battle with, it sends ripples outwards to the beginning of this plot. And, above all, what anyone would like about any good Batbook is that there’s some investigating involved, albeit in a non-linear fashion this time around. And that’s not a bad thing at all. 

So, amidst DC’s shuffling of creative teams dominating the scene right now, Reeder’s addition to Batwoman met, and probably exceeded everyone’s expectations (a very tall order). And if you didn’t have any beforehand, then great, this is a book with great art, great story, and most of all, amazing character. There is no other superhero like Kate Kane out there, at least not of her calibre. Guarantee that. 

Lots of people work looking forward to this team-up, and Amy Reeder’s proven in twenty minutes she knows the book like the back her hand. She better stick. Williams is showing his capabilities as a artist-turned-writer (along with Torontonian superstar Francis Manapul on Flash) and the whole creator line-up is just poised never to fail.

It’s one of the best superhero comics out there right now, and it shows no signs, even when new guys are put into the mix, of stopping anytime soon. Pick this issue up.