There
a narrative trope many writers of serialized fiction (comics and TV) use these
days. They bring the audience into the story in the middle, and then share the
backstory, usually with a subtitle of “24 Hours ago,” or however long it may be
to the beginning of events. It’s over-used and tiresome.
So
imagine my disappointment when Batwoman
#7 opens with a single page of her staggering through the Sahara, followed by
“18 hours ago.” Her aircraft crashed, and Batwoman recaps how Batman had sent
her on a dark ops mission, with incidents happening over the past few weeks.
Confusing? I should thinks so? Perhaps it’s supposed to reflect the delirium
from which Batwoman is suffering during her hike through the blistering desert
– IN FULL COSTUME, mind you. I hope for her sake it has built-in air
conditioning.
Like
previous issues, there is much of a story here. Just allusions to past events,
relationships, and other hallucinations. It all culminates in the reveal of the
big bad guy she’s about to face – the Scarecrow. It’s no spoiler; the cover
spoiled it already.
Frenando
Blanco’s artwork has a wonderful retro-feel, akin to that of Darwyn Cook or
Mike Allred. But John Rauch’s colors and effects help distance it from them,
and provides the artwork its own identity. DC could do a lot worse by keeping
these two guys on the book – or any book for that matter.
Rating:
6/10 (points lost due to narrative cliché)