| Title | : | Batwoman, Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1401274307 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781401274306 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 168 |
| Publication | : | First published October 31, 2017 |
The newest chapter of Batwoman’s life begins here! Monster Venom is the hottest new bioweapon on the market…and to break up the syndicate spreading it around the world, Batwoman’s going to have to return to the place where she spent some of her darkest hours!
With writing from Marguerite Bennett (DC BOMBSHELLS) and James Tynion IV (DETECTIVE COMICS), as well as spectacular art from Steve Epting (CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER) and Ben Oliver (THE MULTIVERSITY), this new series spins directly out of the smash hit DETECTIVE COMICS series!
BATWOMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-6 and the one-shot special BATWOMAN: REBIRTH #1.
Batwoman, Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death Reviews
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Steve Epting's art is fantastic. He's able to give a classic feel but with modern sensibilities.
We're introduced to Kate's lost year where she spent time on an island full of degenerates, with her lover keeping the peace. Now she returns while tracking down some arms dealers who are selling the monster man serum. My one complaint is that we don't really get enough backstory to care about (or even know) who some of these characters are.
The last issue is about a way future Kate who is in charge of the Colony fighting a new Batman who has walled off Gotham. It all seemed really dumb. Plus, these future stories never actually happen so they are pointless. -
Pretty bad.
World: The art is okay, it's a bit bland and the sense of motion and contrast in shadows is not really there, rather forgettable. The world building, the first 3 pages of Rebirth was good, the rest was rather ho hum I don't care. I want to love Kate and I do, Williams III built an amazing world for Kate to play in and I am comparing this world to that and this world, is bland, poorly constructed and the motivations are wonky and just unappealing. I don't care about the island I don't care about the Many Arms cause they were not developed well. Poor world building.
Story: Bland story that is bloated with dialogue that has no depth or structure. The story is choppy and barely intelligible with poor character introduction and usage. This is suppose to be a reboot but not reboot, but at the end it was supposed to be a jumping on point for new readers. I've read the previous runs and I can barely understand what this book is trying to do for Kate. The island was boring the characters were boring and we don't care. I want to care about the relationship cause we are suppose to care according to the writer but I don't due to poor writing. The Drake stuff, if this is where Detective Comics is gonna go...no.
Characters: Kate is barely developed. There is a lot of dialogue but Kate is barely developed as are all the characters. Knife is dull as are the twins. We don't even get a reason why they are doing what they are doing. That's stupid. Then there's the romance which is fractured. Sure the creative team wanted to play the siren the jealousy and the spoiling a good thing card but jeez the writing was poor.
This book is bad, it's almost Blue Beetle bad.
Onward to the next book!
*read individual issues* -
Why oh why do I keep holding on?! *SIGH*
The story was lame, the dialogue was cheesy and ffs DC would you please make a decision on what Kate looks like and just stick with it?! kthx.
I plan on reading the next arc only because Renee Montoya was in the final issue (I ship it so hard!), even though I can't fathom why the artist made them look like two old ladies.
-
3.5 stars
Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death started off promisingly enough - a nice, lively pace and artwork; character back-story that was helpful to me (I'm really only familiar with Kate Kane / Batwoman from the recent Batman: Detective Comics Rebirth series); some humorous moments (see Julia Pennyworth's 'Creepy Twin Bingo'); and the occasional sly and/or innuendo-filled dialogue and scenes to catch a reader off-guard. And then . . .
Some of the little problems caused a bothersome ripple effect. For example, the characters of Safiyah and Tae-Ree (who are acquainted) look too much alike, and at one point when there was a dramatic arrival of one of them I was confused who it was supposed to be. Another editorial 'hand-wave' was when Kane, chasing the villains to a skyscraper rooftop in her street clothes, would appear to somehow change into costume without missing a beat in the pursuit. Then there's the irrelevant final chapter . . .
That said, it was refreshing change of pace to read about a solo female crime-fighter / action hero (since this is the usual territory for Batman, Nightwing, etc.) who can more than hold her own in a violent world. -
DRC REVIEW
Story: Katherine Kane's life wasn't an easy one, the traumatic events when she was a child spiraled her life onto a difficult path. She was kicked out of West Point for being gay and then became a socialite drunk. It all changed though when she was saved by Batman. She went back to her training and then donned the cape and cowl as Batwoman. There is one year of Kate's life she doesn't talk about that's about to change when her past finally catches up with her. The Many Arms of Death is an extremist group bend on genocide. They want to cleanse the world and have no problem using any means possible. Kate has to track them down and stop them before they kill millions, and she's not like Batman she's willing to use anything she can to stop them.
Art: The art is spectacular. It's definitely one of my favorites. Steve Epting worked The Many Arms of Death 1-4, wonderful detail and combined with Jeromy Cox's coloring it brought the story to life. Stephanie Hans did Blinding with much softer lines and was a little hazier which added to the flashback feel of the story and the result was very pretty. The futuristic story of Pax Batmana was done by Renato Arlem and colors by Adriano Lucas, it has a great futuristic dystopian type vibe to it and fit in great with the story. The fantastic cover for that one was done by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira colored by Adriano Lucas. I am always intrigued by the variant covers.
Review: I'm not very familiar with Batwoman's story, I think the only thing really I know is the animated movie with the three different women as Batwoman. That being said I loved this. Marguerite Bennett together with James Tynion, it's a complicated and in depth story but easy to follow. The truncated version of her past letting you know the basics and then slowly showing you what happened in that missing year followed by a more in depth story, Blinding, and the foreshadowing with Pax Batmana really nice touch, just a little extra tug to make sure they hooked you into the story.
I liked that Kate is willing to push the limits, and with her own Pennyworth there to remind her not to cross them keeps Kate from fully going over the deep end, and act as Bruce's spy. Overall, I don't think I disliked a single thing in this volume, I'm hooked and can't wait for more. -
kinda sad that this was my first encounter with batwoman... there's not a thing I liked about this, except for the art of stephanie hans. the story is pretty boring and full of self entertaining monologues. didn't quite feel like this was a batwoman story, almost any characters could kinda fit into this plot. and the overall art wasn't necessarily bad, it just wasn't my thing.
disappointed but don't plan on giving up on this character just yet
full review here:
https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2017/1... -
I haven't been a Batwoman fan and this new "rebirth" volume hasn't changed that. I don't know much about her having only read the new 52 vol 1 and of course, she always turns up during a Bat Family crisis. This book is all over the place from the past to the present, back and forth, until jump ahead to the future. I really couldn't understand the importance of any of it and on top of that Batwoman was fighting corruption, industry, spies, intrigue. Not what I'm interested in. When I read a superhero book I want a supervillain to be fought. No villains, just boring bad guys.
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[Read as single issues]
It's been a while since Batwoman had her own series; after the New 52 one kind of lost its way, she's mostly been a supporting character, and the lead in Detective Comics as part of Rebirth. However, she's now launching back into solo adventures with writer Marguerite Bennett (with an assist from Detective writer James Tynion IV).
This volume collects the first five issues, as well as the Rebirth one-shot which reintroduces Kate to the reader - if you've been reading Detective, you'll have a leg up on the whole Colony stuff with her father's heel-turn, but you'll get the gist quickly enough. Unfortunately the book then tends to meander a little too much, as we get a story that's part flashback to Kate's lost year and part fighting the past when it comes back to bite her in the butt. It's not a bad premise, but the characters don't feel that compelling, and the villains are a little one-note. The imagery is very nice though, and Bennett crafts a whole world for Kate in a very short space of time. It's just a shame that the characters that inhabit it aren't as much fun as they could be.
The art is handled by the incomparable Steve Epting, whose work you'll probably know from Captain America, or his crime collaborations with Ed Brubaker. Basically, Epting is one of the best in the business and getting him for the opening arc of this series is perfect. It's a far cry from the phenomenal art of JH Williams III, but very few people do sequential art like Epting, so if you're going for superhero action, he's your man.
Not quite what we're used to for Batwoman, but an interesting start. Just a little light on overall substance, but easily made up for with great artwork. -
I think I just really love a Batwoman comic. I haven't read anything about her that I didn't really like. Very excited to continue this series, but I do need to go back and read the last two volumes of the New 52 run. It picks up well enough after that, it seems. But there was one really wild issue at the end of this called Pax Batmana or something, and it looks really interesting and I want to see where that goes soon. But yeah, this was one of my favorite Rebirth titles I have read so far aside from Wonder Woman.
-
I am fairly new to superhero comics and though I have a read a bit of Marvel, DC has been limited to mainly Batgirl and Nightwing. I enjoyed those and was hoping Batwoman would fall along the same lines. However, I felt the story line was forced and didn't care about what was happening. The story was not quite an origin story, not quite fighting the villain plot.
I've read one other DC rebirth comic and didn't like it, so I think this DC universe just isn't for me. -
Read this review and more on my
blog, uncovered-books.
I received a free copy of Batwoman Volume 1: The Many Arms Of Death from DC Comics in exchange for my honest opinion.
If Batman is too tame for you, then Batwoman will be right up your alley. Having not read about Batwoman before (apart from in the crossover event, Night Of The Monster Men), I found it very interesting how they managed to weave in her origin without making it purely an origin story.
Lets start with the art style. I have been constantly amazed by majority of the art style used in the DC Rebirth comics, and Batwoman took it to another level. At times it seemed to be like a better version of a watercolour painting, with things seamlessly blending together. The colours used complimented each other and Batwoman’s red hair did not overpower the panels.
The storyline was a tad hit-and-miss for me. Whilst I did enjoy reading about how and why Kate Kane decides to become Batwoman, the present day events surrounding the leftover Monster Venom is just confusing. Not much seemed to happen surrounding Batwoman finding the Monster Venom and what did occur seemed very anticlimactic compared to the history between the characters.
I suspect they story will just keep getting better from here, but worth the read just for the art work. -
This one is a pretty good graphic novel, another in the DC reboot rebirth sequence. It's well drawn and well written, but I thought the point that Kate Kane is gay was a bit over labored. Good for her, so what, let's move on with the story, y'know, she's a whole lot more than just her preference. Anyway... The first five sections fit together to tell a good story, all about Kate and her origin with some quite well realized character development. There's an unfortunate last section that doesn't fit in with anything else in the book, perhaps a bit of some tenuous obscure bat-continuity from another title that I think they should have left out, but aside from that I enjoyed the book.
-
5 🌟
After the Monster Men, Kate Kane is tasked with finding the Monster Venom. She and Julia Pennyworth go to Coroyna. -
(2.5)
Rep: Jewish lesbian mc, Black side characters -
Pretty good book. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was mostly well done. Funny enough, the romantic interludes of Kate's life were probably the most interesting part. I found myself lost in her personal struggles with identity as I was reading, almost forgetting I was reading a Bat-family book.
The art is fine, although some of the characters look a little samey, which can be aggravating. Also, the villain Knife is pretty cookie-cutter in terms of villains.
I did enjoy the final one-shot of a futuristic Gotham being run by a warlord Tim Drake after Bruce's death. Cool concept. -
I feel like whoever wrote the dialogue feels like there is more characterization than there actually is. What bothers me the most about the title is the facade of intended deeply rooted character analysis. It just tastes like a really boring plot-heavy exposition. I feel duped.
Art is cool though. I liked the juxtaposition of written colors and drawn colors. Or I guess just “red” since Kate is the “red.” Maybe I didn’t like the art that much either. I don’t know. It was better than the overbearing writing at least. -
NetGalley review.
Wow. The artwork was pretty nice. As for the storyline - not so much. I would have preferred more linear storyline, since loads of jumping and inconsistency happen, and sometime it's hard to tell who is who and what is happening. I am fairly new to comics but I know who the Batwoman is, and it was hard to understand what book was about - her youth, her adventures, her nemesis, her becoming Batwoman or else. Beware, loads of kissing involved! -
I've enjoyed all the BATWOMAN titles I've read, but this is definitely the high water mark. Eager for more.
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This is between a 3 and 4 for me. The volumes were all pretty well written, and the art was good throughout, but the final volume threw me off. I get that it's supposed to be a Future's End kind of thing, but why just for Batwoman? Nothing else has it, there is no way to make sense of how things went from the rest of the story to that, so it's really just nonsense. The backstory was good, but it feels like there is a lot left out of that too. If I can find the New 52 Batwoman series, that should make more sense I hope. Overall, I will continue this, but am glad I got it from the library.
-
Pretty decent. Some nice graphics and on the whole I enjoyed this. A couple of times the story moved about and I lost the plot.
I'll go buy the next one now. -
3.5*
I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this one. I hadn't read a Batwoman comic before, but I really liked it for how dark it was. The character of Batwoman was very interesting, but the storyline sometimes got almost a little too dark for me. -
Arc provided through Netgalley
Batwoman is one of my favourite DC heroes and this was a solid start to her rebirth. Will see if it lives up to the new 52 run. -
I love Kate so much!!! My only problem with the story is how non-linear it is? I wanted a little bit more consistency but other than that I'm very curious where the story will go.
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3.5⭐️
I don’t get why this has low ratings compared to the Bombshells series, which started out great and got progressively worse. This was good and I could actually follow most of the storyline (unlike Bombshells). -
I have a weakness for dark heroines with pasts they don't want to talk about, and I'm apparently becoming a big Marguerite Bennett fan. Looking forward to volume 2!
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I was pretty excited about this one after enjoying
Batwoman: Elegy so much. Ultimately, I was very disappointed. The artwork was great but the story didn't do it for me at all. I didn't enjoy the writing, the story, or the characters. But I loved the art. So there's that.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC. -
This review can also be found on my blog:
https://graphicnovelty2.com/2017/11/2...
Typically not a DC fan, and definitely not a Batman fan, I decided to give the rebooted Batwoman a try, based off good reviews of other books about her. I went in totally unfamiliar with Batwoman, so I appreciated her origin story in the beginning to get know what shaped her into who she is now. As a child her twin sister and mother are killed in a failed kidnapping (although you just know her twin will reapppear again- if not in this volume, a future one). We then see Kate as a cadet at West Point and when her sexuality is discovered, she won't deny it, thus she is kicked out. Next the heiress is seen partying it up, but it's obviously a mask to hide her pain.
Then the timeline really starts to dart around. Kate has a "lost" year between leaving West Point and becoming Batwoman. She is stranded on the island of Coryana with a head injury and falls in love with her benefactor Safiyah, who is the leader of this lawless nation. Safiyah's previous lover Tahani is pushed aside for Kate, which fills Tahani with rage. Years later Tahani is back for revenge and the storyline becomes James Bondish, with an actual Moneypenny character. Kate is very unlikable at this stage, and Tahani speaks some truth to her, which Kate just ignores. As soon as I finally was becoming comfortable in this one stage of her life, there is another timeline jump into the future. No mater what timeline she is in, Kate jumps from one lover to another, and is condescending to all. I've never been a fan of "bad boys who need redemption" character types, so I wasn't a fan even with the gender switch. No matter who you are, or love, be nice. I guess she's similar to Batman- whose brooding nature I have never liked.
Three artists are listed, and as such sometimes the art style shifts from one issue to the next. All illustrate well, with a dark color palette and varied panel structure. It's certainly not the art I have a problem with. What I don't get is her supposed secret identity. Hello- her flaming red hair is a huge clue! Is everyone supposed to think that Batwoman can't be Kate because Kate has short red hair while Batwoman has long? Its a wig people, attached to her cowl! And does she she wear it under her clothes? There was one scene in which she is dressed as Kate and one second later she is in her costume. I actually looked to see if there was a page, or at least a panel, that would explain it.
I received this digital copy through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review. I let the excitement of being approved for the volume to override my usual avoidance of Batman stories. I'm not sure if me not liking it had to do with my distaste for Kate or if the time jumping made it too choppy for me to enjoy. While I welcomed the needed LGTBQ superhero storyline, Kate wasn't the right person to carry it off. -
Thanks to the publishers who gave me an advanced copy on netgalley.
I was so excited for this. Batwoman is one of my favourite heroes, but I haven't finished all of the 2011 series and I hope that this series will not be cancelled.
This story is about many things. It's about the present, the past and the future. As someone that was not following the Rebirth and the Fall of the Batmen archs, the latter story was a bit confusing but I think it will be made clearer later on.
First, the story takes us to Istanbul, with Kate as Batwoman stopping a terrorist attack, then she goes to Coryana, an island from her past. On the surface, it's the find monster venom but later, it becomes so much more than that. We also get to see the future and dystopian (but was Gotham ever anything else?) Gotham who has had a change in leadership.
The art was simply amazing, especially in some issues.
What I liked best, was how real it all felt. Yes, the majority of it takes places in invented places, but the threats to humanity are very contemporary. There was use of words such as radical nationalizm, island states and suicide bombers. Issues such as corporations taking over islands with hidden agendas, their evil, the importance of oil etc are all subjects that are tackled.
I'm also from Malta so to get a mention (twice!) was very weird. I could tell that some research was properly done on Mediterranean islands because Coryana reminded me of different ones.
On the down side, I had two small issues: 1. how Kate changes to Batwoman. I know this is a common element in superhero comics. But I would like once for them to show how she transitions. Like, does she keep her suit half-peeled under her civilian clothes? Where does she keep the mask and gadgets?
Having said that, one thing that I liked was Batwoman's and especially Kate's appearance. Really short hair and wearing a sports bra and leggings (not sexualized) when recovering.
2. Why are women villians always motivated by love or someone leaving them? Why couldn't Tahani have been motivated by I don't know, Kate betraying them, or simply being offered a lot of money?
It's action-packed but with backstory. At some points, it really felt like the action scenes were moving (possible trigger for people that suffer from epilepsy) and as I said, gorgeous art and even better writing. There were some highly memorable phrases such as ''Land is the only thing that can't be replaced after all''
I'll definitely keep up with the series. -
I read this some time ago but didn't review it, so I re-read it today and wasn't very impressed.
As the kickoff for DC's Rebirth (post-New 52), Batwoman must have come to the stands after other titles were underway, as the opening issue involves ongoing plots already established in other Bat-titles. The eponymous Many Arms of Death storyline is three issues long, and is the low point of this volume, which is really not a good way to start off a series. Fake/forced-feeling romantic allusions, and the pursuit of some "monster venom" that readers not simultaneously following Tom King's Batman (actually, I vaguely recall this monster men business being conceived in pages written by Steve Orlando, who is one of the worst writers in mainstream comics? feel free to fact-check me on that) 2.5 stars because I still very much love Batwoman/Kate Kane as a character, and the artwork is on point.
The second arc contained within is much better, as we get to know the interesting cast of "warlord" characters that became close to Kate during her "lost year," after possibly attempting suicide at sea and washing ashore, where she was of course saved by a gorgeous queer woman who is considered the ruler of this mostly uncolonized, remote island. I would very much like to see more stories featuring these competing groups of pirates, whether Kate is present for them or not!
We also get to see a bunch of action with Julia Pennyworth (Alfred's long-lost daughter) acting as one of the most badass dispatcher sidekicks (akin to Barbara Gordon as Oracle, but much sassier, bossier, and British-er!). She's my favorite addition to the Bat Family since Harper Row, so I will probably read the subsequent volumes of Batwoman just so I can see more of her. 4.5 stars
Just as things were getting better, this volume closes out with an awful and absurd abysmal future dystopian scenario where Gotham has been ruled by a fascist Tim Drake Batman and Bruce Wayne is dead. Boooorrrrrriiiiiing and out of left field, but not in the cool way. 1.5 stars
