Batwoman: Elegy (2010)
Written by Greg Rucka
Drawn by J.H. Williams
With all the comics I have read over the years, surprisingly, this was my first time reading a Batwoman title. I've come across her character from time to time, but never in her own book. And even though I knew of Batwoman, I know absolutely nothing about her origin and who is behind the mask.
I've heard some pretty good things about Elegy and most suggested this as the book to dive into to get my feet wet with Batwoman. So, was this book as good as most have raved about? No. First things first, I will say what I did like about the book. I thought the idea of Kate/Batwoman being a Lesbian was pretty interesting and grounded the book more in reality that even a Superhero can feel more like a real person, showing her struggles in maintaining a relationship, regardless of sexual orientation.
The other thing I liked was the art by J.H. Williams...for the most part, which also leads into what I don't like here. Williams seems to have a knack for jumping in and out of styles to service the story that's being told. To my eyes, when Batwoman is doing her thing, the art is very reminiscent of Travis Charest. The flashback sequences definitely take a page from John Byrne while the current stuff outside of the Batwoman costume is a completely different style. That's the good thing. The bad thing is Williams panel layouts. At times, it can come across as a thing of beauty and really adds to the story. But the rest of the time, it creates far too much confusion because it doesn't give a clear idea of how to read it and I guess I lay the blame with the one doing the Lettering for the series at fault here. It's not good.
Also, the rest of the story to me was just okay. For me there really wasn't anything all that compelling and the book just kinds of ends without a clear cut resolution. It's almost more like a cliffhanger...but not.
Honestly, I can' recommend this one. Maybe one day I may re-read it and see if my opinions change. But right now, it's not likely.
Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Review by Chiprocks1
