Last issue, we were well into Kate Kane’s past, before she became Batwoman. Now we’ve jumped ahead a generation, to an alternate future in which Batman rules Gotham through fear, with an army of Batmen watching over the city like stormtroopers. Kate, with the assistance of Jason Todd, manages to infiltrate the city in an effort to contact René Montoya, the current police commissioner and her former lover.

I find the time jump unfair to potential new readers, especially so early in the title’s run. How can DC expect to build an audience if they allow other stories to hijack the book for an issue? It’s not as if Batwoman is a long-standing character with broad appeal.

It’s a fascinating set-up, but sadly, the pay-off is expected in a completely different title (Detective Comics #969), which means subsequent issues of Batwoman will probably not revisit this particular future. Unfortunate. I can appreciate dystopian predictions. They make the current real world rather rosy by comparison.

Renato Arlem’s artwork is serviceable, though not dynamic. That can be said by many comic book artists whose body of work is often under-appreciated. But they earn their bones by maintaining a consistent level of quality, and often being the go-to guy in times of need. But I’ll be the first to admit my assessment may be unfair, not being familiar with Arlem’s work until now.