Major Spoilers
    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Twitch Discord RSS
    Major Spoilers
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Random Access Memory
      • Retro Review
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Podcasts
      • Critical Hit
        • Critical Hit House Rules
        • Critical Hit World Building
      • Dueling Review
      • Finally Friday
      • Geek History Lesson
      • The Legion Clubhouse
      • Major Spoilers Podcast
        • MSP TPB for 2019
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2013
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2012
        • On the Next Major Spoilers Podcast – 2011
      • Munchkin Land
      • Top Five
      • Wayne’s Comics
      • Zach on Film
    • Features
      • Casual 60
      • Comic Casting Couch
      • Comics Portal
      • Did You Hear?
      • Editorials
      • Features
      • Gamer’s Corner
      • Hero Histories
      • Let’s Get Nerdy
      • Major Spoilers Adventures
      • Random Access Memory
      • So You Want to Read Comics
    • Movies
      • Did You Hear
      • Movies
      • Television
    • Comic Previews
    • Patreon
      • Patreon
      • Store
    Major Spoilers
    DC

    REVIEW: Batwoman #5

    JimmyBy JimmyJanuary 15, 2012Updated:January 15, 20125 Comments4 Mins Read

    The Hydrology arc concludes as Kate confronts the Weeping Woman and her own past in the gorgeous Batwoman #5…

    Batwoman #5
    Co-writer and Artist: J.H. Williams III
    Co-writer: W. Haden Blackman
    Colors: Dave Stewart
    Letters: Todd Klein
    Asst. Editor: Rickey Purdin
    Assoc. Editor: Harvey Richards
    Editor: Mike Marts

    Previously in Batwoman… Kate Kane has been asked by Batman to join Batman Inc., but hasn’t yet decided whether she’s going to join. She tried training her cousin, Bette Kane (aka Flamebird) as her sidekick, but ended up kicking her to the curb. Right now she’s investigating the disappearance of a number of children at the hands of the mysterious “Weeping Woman,” the spirit of a woman who drowned herself after her own children were lost.

    A Perfect Flow From Story to Art…

    Batwoman has been consistently in my top three titles of the relaunch, sharing that honor with (depending on the month) Demon Knights, Action Comics, The Flash and one or two others. One of the things that those all have in common is absolutely gorgeous artwork. J.H. Williams III first came to my attention early in my comic reading career through his and Rucka’s run on Batwoman in Detective Comics, and the things he did with layouts were something I had never seen at that time. Being new to comics, they had a huge impact on how I viewed comic book art, and helped me to understand how to process a story as being told as much through visuals as through words.

    Now that Williams is both writing (I believe he is plotting, and Blackman is doing the dialogue, but I am not sure) AND doing the art, that collaboration between the written words and the art has been stepped up a notch. I am often skeptical when I hear an artist is also writing a book, since it is putting a lot of pressure on one creator, but both Williams on Batwoman and Francis Manapul on Flash have made me a believer that it can be done very well. The value of the double-role of artist and writer is seen from the very first page of this issue as the “character blurb” which we see in every DC comic is broken across four panels and works with the art to create a flow reminiscent of a movie opening, as Kate is meditating and free-associating to determine how to defeat the weeping woman.

    The story in this issue is good–we get a resolution to the weeping woman arc as well as the explanation of what the next arc will be, and the continuation of some subplots. One of the things I was most excited about in regards to the relaunch was the claim by DC that they’d be moving away from the six issue arc, focusing on good story telling at any length rather than writing to a fixed page count for a trade. This arc has been five issues (I guess six counting the Batwoman 0 issue, but that came out so long ago I don’t even remember if it tied into this story), and has been a fairly tight five-issue story in the relaunch. While it’s conceivable it could’ve been shortened if you cut out some subplot, it never suffered from the typical mid-arc drag that most of the prelaunch books encountered.

    …And from Art to Story!

    If you’ve been reading Batwoman, you’ll understand exactly what kind of art to expect in this issue. There are a bunch of gorgeous double page spreads and some beautiful experimental page layouts. Layouts in the shape of the bat symbol have almost moved past the “experimental” label at this point and into the “standard” arsenal of Williams, but there’re also some interesting water-themed layouts as Batwoman confronts the Weeping Woman.

    Another artistic aspect of this book I particularly enjoy (and my wife is particularly annoyed by) is how the style of the characters is representative of what kind of character they are. Kate Kane out of costume is a differently handled character in terms of color pallette(?) and shading than in costume; there is a lot more gloss and vibrancy to the Batwoman costume than practically anything in the book, which makes her stand out and symbolizes what role she has to play in the world around her. When we see Director Bones and Maggie Sawyer of the DEO, they’re both handled in a noir art style, which clashes a bit with the world around them (hence my wife’s frustration), but I love the way the art styles are brought together.

    BOTTOM LINE: Still One of the Best Books DC is Putting Out

    Overall Batwoman #5 continues to be one of the top books of the relaunch, getting a perfect 5 out of 5 star rating.

    [rating:5/5]

     

    Batwoman dc comics Review
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleMajor Spoilers Week in Review for January 8 – 14, 2012
    Next Article ART APPRECIATION MOMENT OF THE DAY: Duncan Fegredo
    Jimmy
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Once upon a time, there was a boy. This boy grew up reading classic literature--Moby Dick, The Time Machine, Robinson Crusoe. At age six, his favorite novel was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. He devoted his time and efforts into being an incredible nerd, mastering classical literature and scientific history for his school's trivia team. Then he got to college, and started reading comic books. It's been all downhill from there. Jimmy's favorite writers include Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, Gail Simone, Grant Morrison, Chuck Dixon, Mark Waid and Bryan Q. Miller. His favorite artists are Kevin Maguire, Amanda Conner and Alex Ross, and his least favorite grammatical convention is the Oxford Comma. His most frequent typographical gaffe is Randomly Capitalizing Words. You can follow his lunacy on Twitter at @JimmyTheDunn

    Related Posts

    Major Spoilers Podcast #1134: We are the X-Men, the Mighty Mighty X-Men

    Read More

    Gotham Academy returns in October

    Read More

    Geek History Lesson – Superman is Better than Batman

    Read More

    5 Comments

    1. ray on January 15, 2012 3:43 pm

      I have no idea why I dont read this.

    2. Jimmy on January 15, 2012 6:55 pm

      Since next issue is the start of a new storyline (admittedly a continuation of this one, but a new arc nonetheless) this is the perfect time to start reading it!

      • ray on January 15, 2012 11:37 pm

        I’m going to. I bought the “0” issue prior to the new 52 and had pre-ordered the series, but with the huge delay, I lost interest. But I need to catch up. It looks amazing and I have only seen very positive reviews of the book.

    3. DanHunter on January 15, 2012 11:35 pm

      read it, it’s good.
      My only gripe is the blurb at each issue saying what a proud lesbian she is. Does her sexuality affect her abilities as Batwoman? Discuss….

      • ray on January 16, 2012 12:32 am

        The “proud” part might. And like Leon from Curb Your Enthusiasm says “Lesbians are some tricky mo***********s.”

    AMAZON AFFILIATE

    Support this site by making a purchase through our Amazon affiliate links

    Reviews
    6.0
    July 13, 2025

    Unchosen #1 Review

    6.3
    July 13, 2025

    Retro Review: Marvel Team-Up #95

    8.7
    July 11, 2025

    Fantastic Four #1 Review

    6.0
    July 8, 2025

    JSA #9 Review

    7.0
    July 7, 2025

    X-Men: Hellfire Vigil #1 Review

    Patreon Support
    Sponsor

    ComiXology Home Page

    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Twitch
    Major Spoilers Patreon
    • About
      • Major Spoilers Terms of Use
      • Major Spoilers Frequently Asked Questions
      • Major Spoilers Privacy Policy Statement
      • Major Spoilers Podcast Gear
    • Contact
    • Cookie Policy (EU)
    Major Spoilers is copyright 2006-2025 by Major Spoilers Entertainment, LLC

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT