Another rag tag issue of Batwoman as we jump back finally to the vampire arc with Nocturna, showing just how possessive of her progeny she can really be.
Well it’s another disappointing issue even if we finally are back on track with the story. I can’t express how poor the writing is without saying do not waste your $5 on this issue. Again the story has no real plot except for in your face relationship between the confused Kate and Nocturna. Though I love her character for being openly gay, this is just shoving it in for a sexy factor which doesn’t need to be placed into this comic. That brings me to the way Andreyko is treating the long standing relationship between Kate and Maggie, break them up but it was rude to then go back and insult their once beautiful relationship with such bitter words.
The artwork for the issue is a huge hit and miss, with some of the splash pages looking nice, the facial details were a huge stuff up. Uneven eyes and bad facial expressions just made this painful and awkward. I don’t know how Karl Story could have inked the panels and not seen the huge flaws in the work. George Jeanty usually does beautiful pieces but has everyone dropped the ball and given up?
Positives
Once again Alice is the saving grace of this comic. Her stunning entrance, though short, was enough to make me smile and perhaps wonder if she will knock some sense in to her brain washed sister to repay the favour of saving her own life. Her array of outfits is also clever and unique fitting to her new personality very well.
Negatives
Too many issues have still not been cleared up though we are starting to see the arrival of the rest of the Unknowns. As much as I can waver the jumpy story plot aside for now, the artwork on most of the facial panels just really threw me for a loop. They were so badly drawn I wondered if it was Batwoman I was really reading anymore. Also the relationship that Kate now seems to be in with Nocturna is purely just to tease fan boys into some sexy, scantily clad panels of the good girl now gone bad. Its sending signals of relationship abuse and emotional manipulation that Kate is being subjected to and conforming as her normal day life making it appear that all this is ok. I was really unimpressed with the level that Kate’s intellect has been brought down to and I don’t see any of the strength or grace she once had even when she is wearing the cowl. She is constantly lost, confused and seemed to be just being used for the sake of some popular vampire story line. Not to mention what the hell happened to the space issue?
Verdict
It was sad to read the weakening story of this week’s Batwoman not giving much hope to the female hero who once could beat down the Batman and live to tell the tale. Let’s hope that Alice has more up her sleeves than just a fancy costume and funky hair to help save her sister and bring her back to the Bat ways.
Rating
