Book Review: Batwoman: Elegy

Book: Batwoman: Elegy (Detective Comics issues #854-860) by Greg Rucka with illustrations by J.H. Williams III and color by Dave Stewart with letters by Todd Klein

Edition: Trade (Paperback)

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Batwoman: Elegy turned out to be even better than I could have expected. Kate Kane's Batwoman is a hero albeit with a bit of an edge to her but a hero none the less. She's smart, tough and well trained thanks to her military background (more on that a little later on).

Elegy gives the reader a good look at who Kate Kane is and how she wound up becoming Gotham's latest hero. This almost reads as a dark fairy tale as Kate is dealing with a cult who feels she fits a certain prophecy. But when a new leader Alice (as in Alice in Wonderland) arrives in town, Batwoman is not only in a fight for her life but for the people of Gotham, if Alice's plans go through.

I like that Kate's "Oracle/Alfred Pennyworth" is her father, a career military man. From the backstory, readers see how the military's policy affect the LGBT community and how it caused Kate's military career to come to an abrupt end. She refused to live a lie but the amazing thing is when she told her father Colonel Kane, a decorated soldier he saw that she in fact was truly living up to the military's code by being honest and being herself. I think that was a great scene and moment to have added in.

In this story, the present and the past intertwine and you see how a very tragic and devastating kidnapping attempt on Kate when she was a kid continues to affect her. But also it's connection to the present story.

Aside from the great writing, I love the artwork. The scenes with Kate are bright and colorful but when she's in her Batwoman costume the color is dark and filled with drama. I just love the contrast.

Prior to read this, I was only familiar with Kate Kane from reading the 52 comic book and Detective Comics and Batman when Dick Grayson had taken over as being Batman. But I feel that this was worth the wait, to finally read this. Now I just hope that when I start reading the New 52 Batwoman series, the stories will be as amazingly well-written as this.