Batwoman Vol. 1 & 2, and Batman: Court of Owls, Vol. 1
As promised, in order for Graphic novels/comic books to count for this project, I need to read 3 before it counts as one novel. Today we have 3 volumes from the recent resetting of the DC comics universe. It was my understanding that this would be a way for new readers to jump in at the beginning without have to worry about decades of back story. I thought I'd test that theory by reading about one hero I knew nothing about (Batwoman) and one that I was very familiar with (Batman).
I had a vague knowledge of a lot of the member of the batman family (Batgirl, Robin(s), Nightwing, Oracle, etc..) but I had never heard of Batwoman. After reading the first two volumes of the New 52 series, I have to say, I still feel a little lost. I now know her name is Kate Kane, she was a standout at West Point before being dishonorably discharged because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, her father was some big shot in the military, and she had a twin sister. At some point, her mother was killed and her twin sister went evil and she somehow blames her father for this. What I don't know is how she became Batwoman, and why she chose that name. What is her connection to Batman? As of right now, I have no idea. The story is based on a mystery, but I feel like I'm missing to many of the pieces to get invested in the answers. There's something about myths, and an Asian wizard guy using people's fear to create the monsters of folktales. For example, Mexican children are shown a woman who seems to be the weeping woman from a Mexican folk story. They believe it, and the woman becomes the real weeping woman (a water ghost that drowns people with her tears) We also see Bloody Mary brought to life and we get to see Killer Croc mutated into some Egyptian Crocodile God. There's also some shady government agency I've never heard of run by some guy who is just a skeleton in a suit. It's a whole lot of myth building thrown out too fast to process. It barely leaves time for us to care about Batwoman's troubled relationship with her girlfriend who is a detective for the Gotham City PD or for her cousin the sidekick who almost gets gutted at one point. I will say that there is just enough here to keep me mildly interested in where the story goes. I was also pleased that the DC writers seemed to care about trying to accurately portray a same-sex couple without sensationalizing it. It's actually pretty understated as far as comic book romances go. I think I'll give it one more volume before I give up on it.
6/10
Batman, on the other hand, is a character I know much more about. I've seen all the movies, played the two most recent (and outstanding) video games, and I've read a few of the major stories. While my familiarity with the character seemed to help a lot, I did get the sense that this is a world much easier to jump into. The plot is much more straight forward too. Batman is helping Commissioner Gordon with a case when he discovers a hidden threat on Bruce Wayne's life. The next day, he barely survives an attack by a mysterious assassin known as the Talon. He represents a secret society known as the Court of Owls. They supposedly run Gotham City from the shadows, and have been behind the death of at least one member of the Wayne Family. The story throws into question everything Batman thought he knew about Gotham. It's a much tighter story, and the artists really utilize the comic book medium to put you in Batman's disoriented state of mind. There's a section of the book, as Batman is trapped and slowly going crazy, where everything is rotated 90 degrees. It stays like this for several pages, and when you think the art has rotated right side up again, you turn the page only to realize you are know holding the book upside down and flipping the pages backwards. It was a really cool little trick that threw me off guard and added to the creepiness of the moment. The story is tight and engaging, the characters are well fleshed out, and the world is much clearer than in the Batwoman series. So far, this is turning out to be one of the best Batman stories I have ever experienced in any medium.
10/10
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