Batwoman #20
The story surrounding Batwoman has been sloppy and hard to follow over the previous issues that did not feature series regular J.H. Williams. Fortunately this issue has a very clear sense of clarity that has been missing in the title for some time. When the title was dealing with non-linear storytelling, following the page was an absolute mess. While the story is simple here, there are still some ugly boxes of dialogue covering up the competent art that ruins the reading experience overall. Often times comic books are meant to be read at a furious pace to keep up with the stakes of the storytelling. This is one of the few titles of The New 52 that should under no circumstance be read fast.
The story picks up at a very important moment in the life of Kate Kane, who has just made an important new development with longtime girlfriend Maggie Sawyer. This pair has had the heavy burden of Kate keeping her double life away from her love during their entire relationship. Since The New 52 the extremely unique dynamic between the protagonist and her father has been absent in these pages. Luckily this issue reintroduces all of the supporting cast to each other. This important dynamic will likely strengthen many of the subsequent issues of the comic, as this title has been in desperate need of being more grounded. The DEO’s appearance is intricately written, as most of the scene takes place in a flashback. Black Mask is an infrequently used character in the DC Universe, that is put to impressive work here. His dialogue is expertly crafted and taken advantage of with every word balloon.
The real problem here is the art, which looks good enough from a superficial standpoint. Anyone looking deeper or reading the comic will be off put by the poor sense of storytelling plaguing the surroundings of the book. Pretty double page spreads are wrecked by an abundant amount of dialogue assaulting the page. The best pages in this issue are completely wordless. The other calamity facing the issue is that Trevor Mccarthy only draws half of the title. This is inexcusable as different artists are constantly in rotation on this comic. There are also two pencillers on the title. The worst part here is that when comparing Mccarthy and Williams the former artist simply falls short. Marvel has had many miniseries that come and go, which also at times also receive sequel miniseries. The medium is not being played to its strengths here and DC would be wise to change the format of this title, as it would likely become stronger exclusively under the hand J.H. Williams.
Even with massive art problems this is still a return to form for Batwoman and company. Getting to the roots of a character and breaking down the supportive cast and what they mean to Kate Kane is more interesting than any monster of the week. The greatest villain in the legacy of this member of the Bat-Family also makes her chilling return here. If readers overlook some art problems, there is a ton of enjoyment to be had in this title.
The story picks up at a very important moment in the life of Kate Kane, who has just made an important new development with longtime girlfriend Maggie Sawyer. This pair has had the heavy burden of Kate keeping her double life away from her love during their entire relationship. Since The New 52 the extremely unique dynamic between the protagonist and her father has been absent in these pages. Luckily this issue reintroduces all of the supporting cast to each other. This important dynamic will likely strengthen many of the subsequent issues of the comic, as this title has been in desperate need of being more grounded. The DEO’s appearance is intricately written, as most of the scene takes place in a flashback. Black Mask is an infrequently used character in the DC Universe, that is put to impressive work here. His dialogue is expertly crafted and taken advantage of with every word balloon.
The real problem here is the art, which looks good enough from a superficial standpoint. Anyone looking deeper or reading the comic will be off put by the poor sense of storytelling plaguing the surroundings of the book. Pretty double page spreads are wrecked by an abundant amount of dialogue assaulting the page. The best pages in this issue are completely wordless. The other calamity facing the issue is that Trevor Mccarthy only draws half of the title. This is inexcusable as different artists are constantly in rotation on this comic. There are also two pencillers on the title. The worst part here is that when comparing Mccarthy and Williams the former artist simply falls short. Marvel has had many miniseries that come and go, which also at times also receive sequel miniseries. The medium is not being played to its strengths here and DC would be wise to change the format of this title, as it would likely become stronger exclusively under the hand J.H. Williams.
Even with massive art problems this is still a return to form for Batwoman and company. Getting to the roots of a character and breaking down the supportive cast and what they mean to Kate Kane is more interesting than any monster of the week. The greatest villain in the legacy of this member of the Bat-Family also makes her chilling return here. If readers overlook some art problems, there is a ton of enjoyment to be had in this title.
A Look Inside
