Batwoman #14
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Heart of Stone
It is time once again for my favorite Bat book, Batwoman. Ever since the DCNU began over a year ago, Batwoman has been producing consistently excellent stories. Perhaps even more impressive, all the issues thus far have been one large story arc centering around Batwoman’s fight with Medusa. It appears everything is finally coming together and readers are nearing the end of this epic. The last issue left us with our heroic duo encountering Pegasus, the broken son of Medusa. Does this issue deliver a stunning tale, or is it merely a festering mess?
In this issue, Batwoman and Wonder Woman strike a deal with Pegasus, a mercy killing for information on Medusa.
The Anatomy of a God
In these sorts of team ups between an unpowered and powered heroine, it is difficult to make both character seem equally relevant. Batman manages to stand next to Superman because Batman is nigh perfect, but other combos such as Huntress and Power Girl do not fair nearly as well with Huntress doing clean up while Power Girl actually saves the day.
Thankfully, Batwoman manages to hold her own with Wonder Woman by bringing her own set of skills to the table. This was made clear in the first few pages of Batwoman when Kate manages to use her forensic skills to deduce the nature of the beating given to Pegasus. Granted, these observations did not bring the duo any closer to Medusa, but it was refreshing to see that even when dealing in the realm of gods, Batwoman skills are still applicable.
In reality, Batwoman actually aided Diana more by working as a sort of moral conscience to Wonder Woman who agreed, perhaps too hastily, to end Pegasus’ life. I very much enjoy the chemistry between these two, and though I know Worlds’ Finest’s sales numbers make it an impossibility, I can’t help but wish Kate and Diana would bump Helena and Kara off their title to make room for a team that is actually well written.
It All Comes Back to Gotham
After her brief adventures in globetrotting, Batwoman is returning to Gotham to fight Medusa. It does seem a little obvious that the center of Medusa’s operations would also be her location, but I suppose Batwoman would have no way of knowing that definitively without this little field trip.
As Medusa’s forces grow in this issue, it is a truly menacing sight. There is enough here to easily extend the story arc out for several more issues, and I am curious how much longer the arc will continue. One monster alone deserves an entire issue worth of conflict. It appears to me that Batwoman is shaping up for an epic showdown between the forces of good and evil in Gotham, and I look forward to it.
Medusa’s Fashion Flub
This is such a minor thing, but in books of this quality, it is difficult to find much to criticize. However, I have to say that Medusa’s look was not really working for me. I do not mind her physical design, but the white bra with gold lining on porcelain skin makes it look as if Medusa is going topless except for some gold low hanging pasties.
As for the rest of the artistic design of the issue, Williams III does an amazing job as always.
Conclusion
This series is great. Pick it up and enjoy.
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