Customer Reviews

Batwoman: Elegy

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first thing you will notice about this book is the spectacular artwork. Artist J.H. 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. 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. It's also obvious that a lot of thought went into the overall design of each page, not just individual drawings. There are even details in the art that you don't really notice until after you've finished the story.

But what of the story? There are plenty of comics that have terrific art but are poorly written. No such worries here thanks to writer Greg Rucka (Queen & Country). 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. Rucka also does a fantastic job of making Batwoman Kate Kane into her own character, and not just a female version of the Batman.

I can only think of a couple of negatives. 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. Also, the book ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, and Rucka has now left DC. Fortunately, Williams will be taking over the writing and continuing the story, but it may be a while until the Alice character returns.

This oversized hardcover is highly recommended. It's not that often that such a perfect marriage of story and art comes along.

From the classy introduction by Rachel Maddow to the voluminous bonus features that end this book, it never ceases to amaze. 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.

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. 4). She discovers that maybe Alice is a little less crazy that she'd originally thought.

And, 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. And most of all, we learn that she is most certainly not simply a "female Batman." She definitely has her own style.

Included as bonus material are five beautifully drawn alternate covers, showing us other artists takes on Batwoman. The one by Alex Ross is amazing. Also we get to see a few story boards for important scenes, and early character sheets for Kate that show us her personal style, and a very informative rough of the batwoman costume, with handwritten notes on changes made to it since her debut in 52.

Overall, this book is so worth owning, even if you collected the monthly issues. If I could have made only one entertainment purchase for myself all year, it would have been this book.

There's not much that can be said about this impressive volume that hasn't already been said by those professionally involved in the comic community, who have a much more important opinion than mine... but I will try.

From those editors and published reviewers - This story and brilliant artwork have been much lauded; and has earned artist JH Williams III the Artist of the Year distinction from Wizard Magazine and an Eisner nomination.

This graphic novel contains the story arc from Detective Comics issues 854-860. Normally the bastion of Batman, during this time, the care and protection of Gotham has been turned over to Kate Kane ... aka Batwoman. ( please, oh, please do not refer to her as Batgirl )

This intricate plot follows multiple, but clear, storylines. We learn of Kate's family, her military service, her origin as Batwoman. We get a glimpse into her personal life and more importantly, we get insight into her character. Kate Kane is a complete and compelling superhero. Her lines are not always clearly drawn and she has a conscience. It's her need, her compulsion, to SERVE that puts Kate into Batwoman's uniform.

The story is wonderful, Greg Rucka is a very talented writer. It is the artwork, however, which I think brings both Kate and Batwoman to life. It is, simply stated, stunning. The page layouts and panels are brilliantly rendered by JH Williams III. His style draws the reader through the story with a kind of cadence and tempo that is really remarkable. You need only to look into his representation of Kate Kane's eyes to see into her soul. That is saying something.

Much has been written regarding Kate Kane / Batwoman's "outing" as gay in the 52 storyline, and her personal life is continued here, of course. What I can honestly say regarding Kate being gay is that Kate being gay is simply one aspect of a very complex character. And rightfully, her being gay is not made to be a big deal, or a spectacle. It just is. And as written here, Greg Rucka has found a way to incorporate Kate's being gay into Batwoman's origin in a very believable and very real way. Kudos for that. ( This story arc is a 2010 GLAAD award winner for Best Comic Book )

As far as the physical aspects of this book go - this book representation of the Elegy storyline is top rate. The paper quality is outstanding and the artwork by JHW3 and color by Dave Stewart really pop off the page.

We're treated to some nice extras - all the variant covers are gathered ( work by Jock, Alex Ross, JG Jones, Adam Hughes ) as are some preliminary sketches of Kate / Batwoman by JHW3. We're also shown an few pages of Greg Rucka's scripts followed by the associated art, which helps show insight into how comics go from idea to realization.

Without a doubt, this is a must have for comic fans.

And for fans - there's more of Kate to be had ... Kate Kane / Batwoman returns to the DC Universe line-up in late 2010, IN HER OWN TITLE - this time with both writing and art in the capable hands of JH Williams III.

This is not a book I would ever have purchased were it not for the Eisner award it received and sadly I would have passed up a fantastic collection. I first noticed J.H. Williams III art when he drew an issue for Grant Morrison's Black Glove and was immediately impressed. Having collected comics since the late seventies (taking a fortunate break in the nineties) I cannot deny that many of the artists of today are far superior to ANYONE pencilling comics in previous decades and Williams is one of the best of the current crop. Artists like Williams have taken comic art to a whole new level and somewhat give justification to the much higher price of today's comics. I will return to Williams later.

Rachael Maddow wrote the books introduction which seems only appropriate given that the main character is a lesbian but Kate Kane (Batwoman) is more than just a comic heroin who happens to be gay. Her homosexuality is pivotal to her character and is treated entirely respectfully throughout; at least from my perspective as a straight reader. Greg Rucka delivers a decidedly character driven story which is a tremendous breath of fresh air from what DC usually sends out. When Barry (the Flash) Allen died in Crisis on Infinite Earths I remember that it made little emotional impact on me compared to the death of Rorschach which occurred the same year. Despite the fact that Rorschach was only developed for the twelve issue series, Alan Moore gave him more dimension and depth than the rest of the DC writers managed to give The Flash in nearly three decades. Rucka gives Kane that same kind of depth to where the reader actually cares about the character and in my mind that places this collection on a plane of writing above and beyond the super event of 2009-2010, Blackest Night.

What's interesting is that Rucka creates such a believable character that I began to ponder things best left unpondered in super hero comics. For instance, the absurdity of a woman choosing a career in vigilantism and having her father help send her into harms way to battle crime. But if you think about it it's far less absurd than a man acquiring the ability to move at greater than light speed and the best he can come up with is to use his abilities to foil bank robberies. This is not a criticism of Rucka but praise for creating a character that feels so real.

Getting back to J.H. Williams, he's certainly deserving of his Eisner Award for best penciller and if I had one complaint it's that the order of the frames can sometimes be difficult to follow but that is more of a stylistic decision on the artists part rather than sloppiness. Williams draws pages with a true artist's mentality. For instance in one scene Kate is facing off against an opponent and rather than draw a sequence of fight frames the frames are jagged and red toned and placed clockwise around a central image. It sometimes takes a little effort on the reader's part to discern exactly what is happening. Williams also draws the scenes of Kate in her Batwoman costume in a completely different style then when she is in street clothes to the point where it looks like two different artists drew the comics. The scenes where she is not wearing her costume are far less artistic and much easier to follow.

Detective Comics sales spiked with issue 853, Grant Morrison's last issue, and has seen a steady decline in readership since. It can't really be blamed on Batwoman since even when Batman returned the numbers continued to drop. Its sales numbers on Amazon, among graphic novels, is pretty ho hum which is a real shame because this is great stuff. I can't even brag about my own ability to see talent that others ignore since I never would have bought this if it weren't for its Eisner award. For some reason the numbers seem to imply the Rucka just isn't connecting with readers. The critics love it, serious fans love it but by and large the public seem ambivalent. I hope more comic fans will discover this gem even though the team of Rucka, Williams and Kane has already broken apart.

This volume reprints DC Comics' eponymous Detective Comics issues #854-860. This volume is scripted by Greg Rucka and drawn by JH Williams III. I am most familiar with Greg Rucka's work on the Queen and Country comic book, and JH Williams' work on Starman. I had no prior knowledge of this Batwoman, though I remember the `original' Batwoman, also named Kathy Kane (and the original Batgirl, in the red dress). I picked this up in my local library out of curiosity. It is a very interesting read, and the artwork is superb. The back-story is explained clearly enough, though whether the origin told here is new or already known, I have no idea. However, it is an excellent book from the current Batman Family universe.

I had been questioning whether or not to pick up this graphic novel for quite some time. I've always been a fan of strong female ass-kicking characters, but something made me wary of the new wave of DC's up and coming characters. I finally had the chance to read Batwoman: Elegy, and simply put, I was blown away. The pairing of Greg Rucka's clever honest writing and J.H. Williams III's intense art was perfect for the story. It reads as both an epic drama and an internal struggle from Kate Kane's perspective, and it is done very very well. Batwoman: Elegy deserves the awards and praise it's been given, and I cannot wait to see future collected volumes of Kate Kane as Batwoman.

I would love to see Batwoman become a solid part of DC history and not just a scarcely used plot device, unfortunately the fate of so many greatly underused characters. Batwoman (and Kate) is such a strong force, whether she's a hero or an anti-hero, whether she's focusing on the bigger picture of bringing down crime or dealing with a personal dilemma. I could not put this book down. I shut out the world for an hour and read through every beautifully detailed page. I truly was not expecting one of the major plot twists, and it *could have* come off as cliched, but it really flowed well with the rest of the story, so I don't have a single complaint!

Sometimes I find the pacing of graphic novels a little haphazardly thrown together, but each page of Batwoman had me moving directly to the next with continued enthusiasm. If you've been questioning whether or not to read Elegy, let me make the decision for you. DO IT. It is *so* worth it. There's not a single reason not to read Batwoman, from the amazingly naturally flowing story to the beautiful dramatic art, it fits right in with any other great story arc from recent memory. I'm now officially a Batwoman fan and cannot wait to see what's done with the character in the future.

I was a bit confused with this book' storyline, this being my first exposure to the world of Kate Kane aka Batwoman. There were references to death cults who previously stabbed her in the heart and this being her second run at an age old prophecy; then there was the inclusion of animal people (who are they? Where did they come from?) I was a bit lost at sea despite being familiar with the superhero world of DC.

I liked that DC made her a gay superhero but didn't make it a big deal or central to the story. It's good to see a company as big as DC embracing equal rights.

But the best thing about the book is something everyone has noted in the reviews - JH Williams III's artwork. It is ravishing! I read "Desolation Jones" a few years ago because I'm a big fan of Warren Ellis' but was amazed at the detailed artwork in the book. The biggest reason for picking up this book was so I could see this artist's work again and boy was it worth it.

As for the writing though, Greg Rucka is a competent writer but by no means a great writer. His work here is average at best; it pushes the story forward but doesn't provide any memorable scenes or great lines. It's your basic Batman/Joker storyline without the Y chromosome.

Which leads me to the villain - Alice. Not only is the "Alice in Wonderland" theme overplayed in the Batman world but Alice is distinctly like Harley Quinn in every way except appearance and only then just barely. She's just not that original a villain.

And if I'm honest, neither is Batwoman that compelling a character. Her origin story is gone into here but as a superhero? She's kind of sub-par. I mean, her dad saves her on two occasions and on another a weird band of animal people save her. I just don't think she can match Batman or even lesser DC superheroes like Aqua Man or Wonder Woman.

The origin story was ok as it contained enough mystery to give the earlier, action heavy opening chapters more depth, but I wasn't as blown away by this book as I'd been expecting given the hugely positive reviews. The book stands out for the art rather than the average writing and by-the-numbers plotting, and while I think Batwoman is an interesting character I feel Greg Rucka isn't the writer to make her a great superhero.

"Elegy" is probably great if you love the character and know her story a lot more than I did and while this can be read more or less as a standalone, it's not nearly as amazing a book as other reviewers have said. It's a decent read just don't expect anything original - except for the exceptional artwork.

Superheroes like Batwoman and books like Elegy are what keep me a comics fan, and what give me faith in both the medium and (miraculously) DC. This is the book you wave at someone when they say that comics aren't art, or that you can't have a girl or a lesbian or contemporary issues in a superhero story. The art is breathtakingly gorgeous, Kate is utterly amazing, the story is genuinely interesting and surprisingly, and all in all, well, Batwoman's success is a proud and amazing testament against so much of what makes superhero comics suck so often.

I don't want to spoil anything for anybody, so I won't comment on the storyline itself. However I would like to point out that after reading this in one night it left me craving more. I haven't read a great deal of Batman related comics as of late, but I heard about the character in this one and thought I'd love to see how that works out. I have to say, it worked out really well.

This has everything.

Interesting, original, sympathetic character who total kicks ass? Check.

Compelling story that makes you hungry for more? Check.

Artwork that is so inventive it makes you want to cry? Damn straight!

Best super-hero comic book of 2010 hands down.