Batwoman #24 Review

Batwoman #24 serves as the series’ swan song for W. Haden Blackman and J.H. Williams III. Despite all of the great stories that has come out of these remarkable pages, it is fitting that the duo gives us the one thing they’ve been teasing for twenty four issues: The showdown between Batwoman and Batman.

Blackman and Williams have done a superb job of giving Kate Kane her own voice and identity even though she is wearing the mantel of the Bat. Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake all know they could never beat Batman in a fight.

Kane respects him, but is not afraid of him, and believes she can defeat him under the right circumstances which are masterfully illustrated by Trevor McCarthy.

“Oh god. I knew he hits hard, just didn’t expect THIS HARD” is Kane’s reaction as The Dark Knight lands the first punch in their combative affair and the panel this occurs in does a good job of showing the pain on her often expressionless face.

Marc Andreyko has his work cut out for him as he takes the helm on this series next month. There is so much going on in in this issue that carries over to the next, I fear that a new writer might not be able to execute all of the important elements to deliver the desired result. Batwoman is not just a great book to read, but a wonderful series to look at.

The imagery is not only enticing, but is also drawn differently than other books featuring the other Bat characters because it truly shows Gotham from a similar, but different, perspective of Kane. The bottom line is that you need to buy this issue, and the next one as well, if you want to know how the main event turns out.

Grade: A