Batwoman Annual #2 Review

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Georges Jeanty, Yishan Li, Roberto Viacava and Ronan Cliquet, Karl Story, Dexter Vines and Guy Major
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 1, 2015

Sign of the Tymes

I am a big fan of both Marc Andreyko and Batwoman.  I know that for a bunch of people, those two don't go hand in hand, but seriously, Andreyko walked into a pretty sticky situation.  Like the Duke of Wellington once said, "Write and be damned", but what fans have to remember, if he didn't jump on this book, who knows what would have happened.  As it stands, I enjoyed his run and while this last arc hasn't been perfect, I applaud him for taking the book in a different direction.  This is of course the last issue of the series and with a sad heart I give you my review...

(note: I know this review is really late, but I hope you still enjoy it and don't give me too much crap for being lazy)






The issue opens up with Team Batwoman hurtling through the atmosphere wrapped all snug inside Clayface.  I know that sounds like a bunch of nonsense, but those who have been reading this arc will know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's very brief and cool enough, but it's disappointing for what it isn't...Batwoman and the Unknowns in Space.  This final arc had one of the best cold openings I've read in quite some time with Batwoman and her ragtag bunch fighting Morgaine in an awesome space battle.  The rest of the arc seemed to be leading back there and when we saw the Space Shuttle at the end of last issue, I got giddy.  I guess the argument would be that we already saw all the space stuff, but I don't care.  I want them in space!  If you picture me cross-armed, slamming my foot on the ground with each syllable, then you my friend, know me better than you think.



Back on Earth (boo!), the team finds a Gotham City by way of Medieval Times and even though most of the Unknowns should be right at home in such a place, there is trouble afoot.  They are attacked by man bats who might as well have been flying monkeys while the wicked witch of...just about everywhere looks on.  The symbolism is laid on pretty heavy, but as a Wizard of Oz fan, i didn't care one damn bit.  Up until now, Morgaine has been pretty much a one tick pony, but she shifts it into evil overdrive by summoning her own attack squad lead by...Nocturna.

If you have been reading Andreyko's run of Batwoman, you know the deal with Nocturna.  She is such an evil bitch that nobody should be upset at me for using that word.  I have hated her since she showed up, at first because I thought she was a weak villain, but then because what she did to Kate. When all is said and done, though, it wouldn't be a proper finale without her.

The book then goes through a couple of odd scenes.  Alice and Ragman sharing a confusing connection and Batwoman walking around with Clayface disguised as a hand fan (it's odd, but funny).  It's broken up by Nocturna and her disgusting gang overtaking Batwoman and Clayface.  The fight is pretty good and ends with Batwoman coming up with a plan on the fly.

I don't want to spoil everything, but I will tell you that the plan involves Jason Blood and in turn, one of my favorite characters, Etrigan.  Yep, he's back and he's a rhymin' and stealin' like there is no tomorrow.  The whole battle hinges on destroying the Sorcerer's Stone, but there are also a couple of lose ends to tie-up as well.  I think that most fans will be happy with how this battle winds up, but happier with how the series ends.

If there was one thing that fans of Batwoman want, it's to have Kate and Maggie get back together. However, if Andreyko just made it happen suddenly and out of nowhere, I would have cried bullshit from the highest mountain.  He doesn't do that and instead of straining my voice, I can hope that we'll eventually see these two together, forever.

I enjoyed reading this issue and while the book hasn't been perfect, Marc Andreyko told his story and I'm glad he did.  This last arc had great action, cool guest stars and awesome set pieces and I hope that people can let go of their preconceived hate and give it a try.  Enjoy it for what it is...a fun, action packed story.

There were a ton of artists on this book, but I have to admit, it didn't throw me off as much as that usually does.  The character designs were good, even Clayface that is a character that everyone seems to draw differently.  I really enjoyed the look of medieval Gotham and wish we would have got more of that.

Bits and Pieces:

This finale isn't perfect, but Marc Andreyko hits almost all the right notes to give Kate Kane the sendoff she deserves.  Maybe turning this book into an action packed team based book wasn't what a lot of people wanted, but I enjoyed it for the thrill ride it was.  In the end, I'm glad I went along for the ride and thank Andreyko for doing his thing.

7.5/10