Can I say that the first issue of 'Batwoman' blows a lot of the "new 52" books that I have read out of the water? After waiting months for the release of the first issue, 'Batwoman' has finally arrived; and boy does she know how to make an entrance!
The Good
What wasn't good about this issue? The relaunch of Batwoman maintains the same tone as the previous series, demonstrating that the book (at least the first issue in) can still be good even without the blessing of Greg Rucka. Evidently, artist/writer J.H. Williams III took a page from Rucka's Batwoman series and has managed to apply the same mystery and suspense to Batwoman #1 as Rucka did when he first crafted Kate Kane. What fans get is an edge of your seat thrilling book with art that will leave the reader breathless. Each page out of Batwoman #1 deserves to be blown up and get it's very own spot on my wall. It's that beautiful. There's certainly a tinge of horror in the first issue, and Williams manages to successfully merge mysticism with mystery. Kate's personality doesn't change here, either, and she very boldly asks makes her move on Detective Sawyer.
Reader will also notice some very familiar faces; Kane's father makes a brief appearance and Kate will be teaming up throughout the series with former Teen Titan Flamebird. The banter between the two characters is very fun, and both ladies bring a ton of sass (and class) to the issue. Also, can I just say I kind of love Kate's short bob and tattoos? She oozes cool.
The villain is very interesting, and her interaction with a certain important figure in Gotham crime-fighting is also important to note. It's nice to know that "he" speaks to Kate with a certain level of respect...like an equal.
The Bad
Nothing really bad here.
The Verdict
This is a fantastic jumping on point for new readers. While the first issue does manage to allude to certain events that occurred in the first series, it's written in a very accessible way that will allow new readers to just dive in. Kate makes Batgirl look, well, amateurish. The tone of this series is definitely more refined and I haven't read a female character driven book that is as bold, brash, sassy and exciting as this one. Kate is just damn cool.