Some spoilers below!
The Good
After a few issues that were just "okay," writer Judd Winick will give readers a kick in the pants when they read this issue. The last several issues have been very gradual. We haven't known a whole lot about Batwing, his beginnings and who Massacre could be; but all that is sorted in this issue. The pacing is brilliant here and the delivery is superb. Winick takes the reader on a dive, delving into David's back story and developing the idea behind Massacre. Who is he? Where did he come from? What are his motives? The book is politically charged and not only does it feel like Winick did his research, but it really feels cohesive with the rest of the DC Universe. Admittedly, I was not a fan of Batman's most recent appearance in BATWING. It felt a bit forced and contrived -- you could essentially have swapped out any old billionaire playboy and replaced him in the few panels in which he appeared. In the sixth issue of BATWING, however, it feels sincere. The connection between Batman and Batwing explained and not only does it feel organic, but the reader will get the sense that Batwing feels like a member of the Bat Family. It's nice to see.
I have always been of the belief that if you want to develop an interesting hero, he will need to have an interesting and formidable adversary. Great villains always make characters appear more interesting. We see a perfect example of this in Batwing. Winick delves into the story behind Massacre and who he is, and the reader will discover that this masked murderer may be linked to Batwing's past. This revelation left me very intrigued and I look forward to seeing how the writer expands on the relationship between these two characters.
The Bad
I thought the art was beautiful in this issue mainly because most of the panels consisted of very close up shots, not wide frames unlike the previous issue. However, I still long to see the artist explore the background of the panels. I want to know what the are looks like geographically. Give me an idea, as a reader, of the terrain, landscape, buildings in order to help me envision the character's environment. I think that's important when telling a story. I already know that Batwing is the "Batman of Africa," but Africa is a huge, diverse Continent and I would like to see that explored artistically.
The Verdict
Overall one of the more solid issue of Batwing so far. The story definitely picked up in this issue and the characters were further explored. I am beginning to like Massacre's character development a lot, and I found that linking him to David's past was a great way to make the book feel more cohesive. Definitely looking forward to the next issue.