ComicsDC ComicsReviews

Batwoman #15 Review

Batwoman 15

Batwoman #15

Story by J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman

Art by J. H. Williams III and Trevor McCarthy

Review by Mara Whiteside

 

Batwoman has been giving us a great team-up in the past few issues. With Wonder Woman and Batwoman fighting evil side-by-side, the Batwoman team has stepped up to deliver beautiful issue after beautiful exploring the Greek mythology and adoration the two women have for each other.

One of the greatest things about comic books is how hard you can get slammed with reality in the span of a panel. The story of Batwoman and Wonder Woman seem so far-fetched, but when we are face-to-face with Maggie Sawyer and her experience as a policewoman, we can see the strength of hard choices and love for community.

Batwoman #15 centers around Maggie, policewoman and girlfriend of Kate Kane. Williams begins the issue with a different reaction to the unique team-up of Batwoman and Wonder Woman than we’ve seen. Batwoman is familiar to Maggie, but the sight of Wonder Woman, goddess among men, champion of the Amazons, leaves Maggie breathless. Remember how inadequate Kate felt when she first met Wonder Woman? Kate Kane, Batwoman, felt inferior to Wonder Woman. Maggie, a great detective and policewoman, starts to question her faith rather than her ability as a hero to her community. The presence of a woman who is fabled to have walked among gods suddenly throws Maggie’s world upside-down.

Medusa and her fleet of monsters have been tearing Gotham apart. Children are missing, thugs are killing people in the streets, and Maggie must step up. She is brilliant in this issue. Yes, she worries for Kate’s safety, but she does her job. Maggie protects Gotham to the best of her abilities. She is a normal hero, a woman who is employed by her country and her community to make the tough choices and protect her people. I love Batwoman for giving us this viewpoint.

There’s a whole lot more to this issue than what I’ve already shared with you. It swaps out Williams’ regular two-page spreads for a more simple, straightforward art style. McCarthy’s artwork fits the story. More importantly, it fits the series. While it is a different style, it does not seem out of place for the story it tells.

THE VERDICT

You know I’m always going to say buy. Batwoman is a fantastic series overall. However, the storyline is best experienced within the context of other issues. Buy this issue, but also consider reading the previous issues. This issue isn’t really a jumping on point for those who look for those, but please don’t let that keep you from buying a great comic book and reading up on the characters.

Mara Wood holds a Ph. D. in School Psychology. Currently, she works for a public school system assessing students for educational placement. Her research focus is comic books and how they can be used in therapy and educational settings. She tends to spend…

What's your reaction?

Related Posts

1 of 445