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Batwoman #1 Review

By Dan Horn
September 15, 2011 - 14:19

The Latin American community of Gotham is terrorized by an apparition, the Weeping Woman, a folkloric spirit of vengeance that steals and drowns families' children. The occult goings-on attract the attention of Batwoman and the Gotham City Police Department. In turn, Batwoman attracts some unwanted attention of her own from a cloak and dagger government organization, the DOE. As Kate (Batwoman) struggles to find an explanation to the kidnappings, she also finds herself at odds with her cousin, who was once a Teen Titan and is the epitome of the idealist sidekick, and her father, whom she found had hidden the fact that Kate's twin sister had actually survived the hostage situation that had killed Kate's mother.

To say Batwoman #1 was highly-anticipated might be inaccurate. It certainly was highly-anticipated at one point, many months ago, but I think interest has waned with each successive delay in its production. The book was inevitably rescheduled to launch with DC's September reboot and it's finally arrived on the stands. Was it worth the wait? Well, yes and no.

Batwoman #1 is little more than one-sided storytelling. Williams' artwork oscillates between ultra-detailed renditions of comic book conventions and the artist's own brand of painterly psychedelia. It's a veritable tour de force, and the impeccable imagery fireman-carries the nearly invalid plot. The premise is interesting, but poorly executed. Dense exposition is ineptly sewn into dialogue, making this issue feel like a massive information dump that might still be incomprehensible to new readers. I'm extremely confused as to how none of Batwoman's continuity is affected by the reboot. Batwoman #1 is essentially taking place directly after Rucka's latest Detective arc and the Batwoman #0 one-shot. This retcon business is getting stranger with each passing week.

The fact that every Spanish word or phrase in this issue is immediately followed by a translation into English is absolutely annoying as well. The first few pages feel more like a grade school Spanish lecture than anything organic. The shoe-horning in of Kate's sexuality felt awfully forced and unsubtle as well. Williams might as well have drawn an "I'm a lesbian" sign hanging from around Kate's neck. There had to have been a more interesting and intelligent way to introduce her sexual orientation to a new audience.

This story isn't all bad. There are some interesting glimpses into what the future holds for Batwoman. The scene at the DOE in particular is weird and engrossing. Hopefully the rest of this issue is just suffering from a case of premiere jitters. If we can resume a form similar to Rucka's Batwoman: Elegy or Williams' Batwoman #0, this series will be one the best books on comic store racks.

Rating: 6.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12