Trevor McCarthy

This book picks up right where Volume 1 left off, although it does provide a brief summation up to this point for readers, which is a helpful reminder (especially if you allow a lot of time to pass between reading Volumes 1 and 2). Batwoman is continuing on her quest to find Gotham's kidnapped children who are being held by a group known as Medusa; however, she is now (at least partially) under the control of the federal Department of Extranormal Operations. Meanwhile, her cousin Bette is show more fighting for her life after being comatose following an altercation with a hook-handed villain while Kate's estranged father watches over her. And, her girlfriend Maggie, unaware of Kate's double life, is on the same case of finding the missing children. Some new characters emerge, who play a role in the Medusa organization - notably Maro and Sune - but for the most part, we are dealing with familiar faces here.

The plot is full of action, but nothing happens that brings us demonstrably closer to a resolution. Perhaps appropriately, this book is full of "middle of the novel" type plot points that serve as a bridge from the introduction to the eventual conclusion, which is likely a few volumes away. This may be off-putting to some readers, but I'm glad to see a story that is being fully fleshed out, even if it's going to take several volumes for that happen. To my tastes, that is much better than a rushed one-off where we don't get to fully explore the characters or their motivations. And the characters continue to make the Batwoman story interesting, with new reveals being made about Maggie while we glean further insights into both Kate and her father.

As usual, the Batwoman team continues to show off their artistry and creativity. The book is not presented in a linear fashion, although captions make it clear whose perspective we're seeing and where in the timeline it falls. The illustrations are once again top-notch, full of almost three-dimensional lines and fluidity, as well as a plethora of tiny details to notice. Bold colors make each page "pop" as a beautiful work of art.

If you're already started the new 52 Batwoman series and enjoyed it, I highly recommend that you pick up this next title (and I personally plan to proceed with the series by seeking out the following title very soon). If you haven't read the series yet, please don't pick up this one and assume you'll be able to just follow along. But do go back and find the earlier volumes so that you can enjoy this great series! show less

Batwoman is still under the thumb of the D.E.O. who have now decided to play their trump card - revealing that they have Alice/Beth Kane in their hold. And they will only release her if Batwoman agrees to help them bring in the Batman to unmask his true identity. She's committed to do all this on her own, but her family discovers her plans and won't take no for an answer when it comes to providing their help.

This book is a continuation of the new 52 Batwoman storyline, picking up where show more World's Finest ended and peppered throughout with the characters we've seen so far - GCPD's Maggie Sawyer, Bette aka Hawkfire, Colonel Kane, the Religion of Crime, Killer Croc, and so forth. Because some time past between me finishing Volume 3 and picking up this title, there were a few small details that I had kind of forgotten, but they came back to me as I read on. There are also some new characters introduced (e.g., another D.E.O. agent as well as friends of Cl. Kane), and we see cameos of notable heroes and villains from the Batman universe, including the Dark Knight himself, Nightwing, Batgirl, Bane, etc.

Some highlights of this book were the continued exploration of Batwoman/Kate Kane's relationships with those around her, including her cousin, her father, and her finance. It's also interesting to see how Batwoman continues to try to both work with and against the D.E.O., stuck as she is under their threats but wishing to do things on her own terms. We also get a lot more back story and insight into the character of D.E.O. Agent Chase, making her somewhat more sympathetic. The same is true with Killer Croc, who finds love and starts to question his own villainous actions. (My favorite quote from him is: "[aloud - ] Time for a rematch, bat-bitch! [internally - ] Sometimes I hate the crap that comes outta my mouth ...")

The illustrations in this book are pretty good. Although it's hard to follow up J.H. Williams III's illustrations, Trevor McCarthy does an admirable job of keeping true to Williams's prior Batwoman art. A lot happens in this book, but it doesn't fill rushed or over-packed. However, it ends at such a cliffhanger than it's hardly fair to call it a cliffhanger - it's more like a mid-scene drop. So I'll definitely be looking forward to reading the next volume and see how this plot continues. show less

The criminal cartel Medusa is attacking Gotham. Their most heinous crime is their kidnapping of children for some yet to be revealed awful purpose. Their magician Maro, a Japanese fox spirit in his final form, is using his shape-shifting magic to turn petty criminals into monsters patterned on the fears and nightmares of Gothamites.

Against them is the heroine Batwoman, "estranged daughter, grieving sister, proud lesbian, brave soldier, determined hero." She is supposed to be under the show more supervision of a government agent named Chase, who is at once blackmailing her, guiding her, and giving her advanced armor and weapons. She is unwillingly competing with her lover, Detective Maggie Sawyer, who is in charge of the Gotham P.D.'s investigation of the kidnappings. She is all the while worrying about her badly injured cousin, comatose in a hospital under the care of the Batwoman's father.

What does all of this add up to? A disappointment to me, for although she throws her all at the bad guys, they more or less win -- for now. I'm guessing she'll eventually save the children, but I can't see how, and I could be wrong, considering today's comic book standards. I do want to see what happens next so I guess the book was that much of a success. show less

Batwoman, Vol. 4: This Blood Is Thick by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman, and Trevor McCarthy (Illustrated by Francesco Francavilla, Walden Wong, Sandu Florea, and Derek Fridolfs, colored by Guy Major) is a continuation of the DC52 series introducing kate Kane as the new Batwoman. This graphic novel collects comics #18-24.

After finishing up the last story-line, taking down the evil Medusa, Kate Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman, thinks her life will get a bit easier.
Isn’t that special?

Instead, show more the Department of Extranormal Operations, the D.E.O., sets their sites on Batman and they know exactly who they can blackmail to help them identify the person underneath the mask.

After the excellent Batwoman Vol. 3: World’s Finest, I was looking forward to the next installment, crossing my fingers that the creative team is on a roll. The good news is that they are, Batwoman, Vol. 4: This Blood Is Thick by J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and Trevor McCarthy (Illustrated by Francesco Francavilla, Walden Wong, Sandu Florea, and Derek Fridolfs, colored by Guy Major) continued to expend the Batwoman world with style, action, and an excellent story-line.

The story-line not only highlighted Batwoman, but also her girlfriend Detective Maggie Sawyer (and old favorite of the DC Universe) who certainly proved she can handle herself without the protection of her vigilante girlfriend. The relationship between Maggie Sawyer and Kate Kane is really developing nicely and brings a more humane dimension to the characters.

The art, again, is really good and enjoyable to look at. I think it could have moved the story a bit better and a bit faster in some places, but overall I have no issues with either the artwork or storytelling in this issue.
Except one … what happened at the end?
Who’s decision was this?
To be honest, it was so strange I’m sure that the creative team got handed an ending and was “asked” to go with it.

I highly recommend the book and the series as a whole. The stories got better as they moved along, the characters are more familiar, and Gotham as dangerous as ever. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next installment.

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