Included as bonus material are five beautifully drawn alternate covers, showing us other artists takes on Batwoman. And most of all, we learn that she is most certainly not simply a 'female Batman.' She definitely has her own style.

She discovers that maybe Alice is a little less crazy that she'd originally thought.Īnd, of course, Batwoman's 'origin' story - what made her want to fight crime, vigilante-style? We learn Kate Kane's chilhood tragedy, personal drive, and unimpeachible integrity. This collection will take you through Batwoman meeting a major villian in the form of Alice, the new High Priestess for the Religion of Crime, an organization Batwoman seeks to destroy since their previous leader tried to kill her (see52, Vol. I collected the Detective Comics issues as they came out, and I never could decide which I liked more - Rucka's story, pitting a more realistic and tragically complex Batwoman against a villian who is so twisted and dark - or is it Williams's psychadelic, uber-detailed, gorgeous artwork? The answer is actually simple: we're so lucky that they worked on this project together. It's not that often that such a perfect marriage of story and art comes along.įrom the classy introduction by Rachel Maddow to the voluminous bonus features that end this book, it never ceases to amaze. This oversized hardcover is highly recommended. Fortunately, Williams will be taking over the writing and continuing the story, but it may be a while until the Alice character returns. Also, the book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and Rucka has now left DC. A couple of the page layouts were so complex that it took a few seconds to figure out the order in which to read the panels.

I can only think of a couple of negatives. Rucka also does a fantastic job of making Batwoman Kate Kane into her own character, and not just a female version of the Batman. This is sort of a 'Batwoman: Year One' (with some sections even mimicking the style of Batman: Year One), but it also gives us a memorable new villain in the psychopathic, Lewis Carroll-quoting Alice. No such worries here thanks to writer Greg Rucka (Queen & Country). There are even details in the art that you don't really notice until after you've finished the story.īut what of the story? There are plenty of comics that have terrific art but are poorly written.

It's also obvious that a lot of thought went into the overall design of each page, not just individual drawings. These pages are painted with a B&W ink wash and then the talented Dave Stewart (Hellboy, The Umbrella Academy) adds the colors, and the result is stunning. Williams (Alan Moore's Promethea) employs several different styles over the course of the story, but his primary style (for when Batwoman goes into action) is especially beautiful. The first thing you will notice about this book is the spectacular artwork.

Batwoman by Greg Rucka