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.
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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.
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