Book Review: The Huntress: Darknight Daughter

Book: The Huntress: Darknight Daughter written by Paul Levitz with illustrations by Joe Staton

Rating: 4 stars

My Review:

I'm not sure how she became feared by criminals because Helena Wayne was not always the best at being a superhero. She's smart (Helena's a lawyer by day) and knows the techniques she learned from her father but they don't seem to connect when she's out in the field. I would say Wayne is more book smarts instead of crime fighting smarts. I don't know how many times she got knocked out by criminals and not to mention her secret identity was figured out by two people: her friend and possible love interest District Attorney Harry Sims and the other was a crime boss. She had her moments as being a competent crime fighter but they got over shadowed by her too many mistakes. She did get better as the stories progressed but not enough to be as legendary as Batman.

I think some of Wayne's appeal (for some of the male fans) may have been from Staton's art work, throughout this book, whenever Helena was at home she was either draped in nothing but a towel or a robe, working out in a leotard or taking a shower. I didn't think the artwork was sleazy or pinup quality but mainly sultry. I did like the 70's fashion that Helena wore. I think it's interesting when an artist actually draws fashionable clothing for female characters that's stylish instead of being skanky.

Overall, I thought the stories were good, they were simple yet very entertaining. I think my favorite was the second story that had The Huntress trying to find out who was committing arson in South Gotham. She wasn't at her best detective wise but she eventually figured everything out and set about trying stop the villain. I also like the story that featured The Joker which had a surprising guest, Dick Grayson.

Dick Grayson's appearance continued on into the following story where he and Helena tried to figure out who was trying to ruin the reputation of the company they are partners in, Cranston, Grayson and Wayne with claims the company released false consumer reports. There was only one thing I didn't like about that story was the subtle beginnings of a romance between Dick and Helena. Although they weren't really brother and sister, they were raised as being so, and a relationship between them would have been weird. I am glad the writer continued the attraction between Helena and Harry, I thought Harry was a nice guy.

There was another guest appearance I enjoyed seeing, Alfred who was featured in the last story. He had been kidnapped by goons hired by the crime boss (the one who figured out The Huntress' secret identity). Since both Bruce and Selina were both dead and Dick was not really working in Gotham, seeing Alfred in the last story was a nice touch.

Although Helena Wayne is not my favorite Huntress, I did enjoy reading these stories.