Detective Comics #949
Writers: James Tynion IV & Marguerite Bennett
Art: Ben Oliver & Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: DC Comics
James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics has had some high-level stories in its short life. “Rise of the Batmen” and “The Victim Syndicate” were both major events for the Batfamily, so it’s nice to scale back with a smaller story that builds on the existing narrative in “Batwoman Begins.” I can’t say I’m happy that they’re drudging up plot points from “Night of the Monster Men,” but you can’t please everyone all of the time. One of the key themes throughout this issue is the basic difference between Bruce and Kate. Bruce is the detached, almost reluctant leader who doesn’t play well with others and Kate is the solider without a war. They have played very well off each other up to this point, and this story serves as something of a closing note for this chapter of the overall Detective story.
Kate is a difficult character to pin down. She’s much more complex than a lot of a people might give her credit for. Her presence in this book has really dialed up the effect of the overall story, and it wouldn’t be as successful without her. With her feet in two different worlds, so to speak, her journey has been captivating. A spiritual sequel to “Rise of the Batmen,” this story further brought Batman out of his street-level world and onto a military playing field where he was a subject. It’s a fascinating approach, and I hope Tynion gets the chance to further play with those story threads. This is the issue where we really get a glimpse into what Kate is going to do with her vigilante career. She’s taking the first steps here that will eventually turn into major plot points in her upcoming book, and I’m great enjoying the presentation. Tynion and crew have taken a B-level hero in Batwoman and slowly crafted her into a major player. This two-parter was written with Marguerite Bennett who will be scripting the upcoming Batwoman ongoing, so it was truly a transitional piece. The team has given us enough answers that I’m satisfied, but enough hints of what’s to come that I’m anxious. Hopefully these books maintain a close connection as I feel not doing so would be a missed opportunity.
Ben Oliver’s art was on point throughout the issue. His style would seem somewhat out of place if this were a standard Batman story, but this arc’s focus on Batwoman makes it feel much more at home. Just like part of the story is showing how their base character differs, the art style shows that as well. My only complaint would be the jarring art change for a pair of middle pages in the book where Szymon Kudranski briefly takes over. The pages feel overly rushed and unpolished, totally against what Oliver capably does throughout the rest of the issue. The absence of story-based reason for the art change leaves me scratching my head as to what the powers that be were thinking when this was put together.
“Batwoman Begins” did exactly what it needed to do. Gave a bit of background on Batwoman, brought her to the forefront for a quick moment, and gave us the setup we need for her upcoming ongoing. I was originally on the fence about whether or not I’d be adding the title to my already-packed list, but I’m leaning towards it after getting this taste.
Art: Ben Oliver & Szymon Kudranski
Publisher: DC Comics
James Tynion IV’s Detective Comics has had some high-level stories in its short life. “Rise of the Batmen” and “The Victim Syndicate” were both major events for the Batfamily, so it’s nice to scale back with a smaller story that builds on the existing narrative in “Batwoman Begins.” I can’t say I’m happy that they’re drudging up plot points from “Night of the Monster Men,” but you can’t please everyone all of the time. One of the key themes throughout this issue is the basic difference between Bruce and Kate. Bruce is the detached, almost reluctant leader who doesn’t play well with others and Kate is the solider without a war. They have played very well off each other up to this point, and this story serves as something of a closing note for this chapter of the overall Detective story.
Kate is a difficult character to pin down. She’s much more complex than a lot of a people might give her credit for. Her presence in this book has really dialed up the effect of the overall story, and it wouldn’t be as successful without her. With her feet in two different worlds, so to speak, her journey has been captivating. A spiritual sequel to “Rise of the Batmen,” this story further brought Batman out of his street-level world and onto a military playing field where he was a subject. It’s a fascinating approach, and I hope Tynion gets the chance to further play with those story threads. This is the issue where we really get a glimpse into what Kate is going to do with her vigilante career. She’s taking the first steps here that will eventually turn into major plot points in her upcoming book, and I’m great enjoying the presentation. Tynion and crew have taken a B-level hero in Batwoman and slowly crafted her into a major player. This two-parter was written with Marguerite Bennett who will be scripting the upcoming Batwoman ongoing, so it was truly a transitional piece. The team has given us enough answers that I’m satisfied, but enough hints of what’s to come that I’m anxious. Hopefully these books maintain a close connection as I feel not doing so would be a missed opportunity.
Ben Oliver’s art was on point throughout the issue. His style would seem somewhat out of place if this were a standard Batman story, but this arc’s focus on Batwoman makes it feel much more at home. Just like part of the story is showing how their base character differs, the art style shows that as well. My only complaint would be the jarring art change for a pair of middle pages in the book where Szymon Kudranski briefly takes over. The pages feel overly rushed and unpolished, totally against what Oliver capably does throughout the rest of the issue. The absence of story-based reason for the art change leaves me scratching my head as to what the powers that be were thinking when this was put together.
“Batwoman Begins” did exactly what it needed to do. Gave a bit of background on Batwoman, brought her to the forefront for a quick moment, and gave us the setup we need for her upcoming ongoing. I was originally on the fence about whether or not I’d be adding the title to my already-packed list, but I’m leaning towards it after getting this taste.
A Look Inside
