Batwoman Annual #1 Review

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Trevor McCarthy and Moritat
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 30, 2014

Unnecessary Roughness

Marc Andreyko made the most out of a bad situation.  After the controversial exit of fan favorite, J.H. Williams, anyone who stepped into Batwoman was bound to be trashed.  Then for his first issue he was made to write a Zero Year tie-in.  Hmm...fan backlash and having your hands tied, sounds like a start to something great.  Guess what?  Him and artist Jeremy Haun  have done a damn good job, but that's not enough, is it DC?  No. Now you're making Andreyko finish the last J.H Williams story arc in Batwoman Annual #1.  If you're reading this Marc, I'd complain to Human Resources.



This Annual takes place after Batwoman #24.  I personally have been waiting for some resolution to Batman vs Batwoman as well as learning what happened to Alice and Bette.  Man, it's been so long.  Andreyko picks up the story and does a good job taking us back six months or so ago.  Batman and Batwoman really go at it and I enjoyed the Firehawk and Murder of Crows bits just as much.  After reading it, I am fine with what happens and am glad the arc was finished.

However, even with the effort, it seems that this is not the story Andreyko wanted to have to work on.  Some of the dialogue seems overdone and a bit stiff.  It's exposition heavy and just doesn't have the spark the regular monthly book has. The issue itself comes across as a necessary evil that had to be done and now everyone can move on.

On the art side of things, Trevor McCarthy and Moritat share duties this issue.  I'm a huge Moritat fan from his All Star Western work, but McCarthy runs circles around him here.  Moritat's pencils just don't fit the tone of the book while McCarthy's are the highlight.

Bits and Pieces:

Batwoman Annual #1 finishes up the loose ends of J.H. Williams' run on the book.  Marc Andreyko does his best, but it still comes across as someone finishing up unfinished business.  Trevor McCarthy's art is really good and is by far the highlight of the book.  I recommend it for those wanting resolution of the Batman-Batwoman throwdown, but recent Batwoman recruits can stay clear and wait for Andreyko and Haun to get back to it next month.

7.0/10