Ricky Church reviews Batwoman: Rebirth #1…
The newest chapter of Batwoman’s life begins here! Monster Venom is the hottest new bioweapon on the market…and to break up the syndicate spreading it around the world, Batwoman’s going to have to return to the place where she spent some of her darkest hours! Learn where Batwoman comes from, and where she’s going, in this one-shot prologue to the first big Batwoman epic, “The Many Arms Of Death”!
SEE ALSO: Read a preview of Batwoman: Rebirth #1
Though she’s been a main character in Detective Comics, Batwoman is finally getting her own title again in DC’s Rebirth written by Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV. Batwoman Rebirth #1 is a good jumping on point for new readers unfamiliar with the character, but only mildly sets up her ongoing series. Ironically, Batwoman’s Rebirth issue is more focused on exploring her past than setting up up her future.
The issue does a recap of Batwoman’s history, from her time as a child to the recent events in Detective Comics and Batman. As said, this makes it easy for new readers to know her history since Greg Rucka created the character. Its a nice refresher on all the things she’s gone through and sheds some light on her ‘missing years’ that will be further explored in the ongoing. However, the recap doesn’t quite go into Kate Kane’s characteristics or her complicated relationship with her father, rather just sums up some of the main events of her life. In fact, what’s funny is Batwoman Rebirth omits two of the most glaring issues of her history: the fact that her twin sister is alive and her father recently betrayed her and the Bat-team in Detective Comics.
However, the two interesting aspects of Batwoman Rebirth are the brief look at Kate’s missing years and the intriguing flash forward to Batwoman’s near future. Bennett and Tynion’s exploration of her early years and the consequences they’ll have on her future is already an interesting concept. Tynion has had a good handle on Batwoman during his Detective run and Bennett has done well with her characters, making the prospect of the pair’s spotlight on Batwoman a very interesting one indeed.
The best thing about this issue, however, is Steve Epting’s artwork. Combined with Jeremy Cox’s colours, it looks gorgeous. There’s a nice level of detail on Kate Kane as she transforms through the years, particularly on her ever changing hair styles, with a nice blend of brights and darks throughout. What is also impressive is how Epting is able to mimic J. H. Williams’ artwork from the previous Batwoman series yet still put his own spin on the style.
Batwoman Rebirth may act a little too much as a recap issue, but its still an intriguing look at what Tynion, Bennett and Epting have in store for the character and her future.
Rating: 7/10
Ricky Church
Originally published February 17, 2017. Updated November 14, 2019.
