Marguerite Bennett

Batwoman continues in this volume to round up members of The Many Arms of Death. Her target in this book is primarily The Needle, also known as Dr. Jonathan Crane, or the Scarecrow. His fear toxin sets in as she and Colony Prime battle their fears and try to escape. The toxins create a swirl of hallucinations, including a needle-fingered Scarecrow, and visions of her beloved Safiyah. The final issue is a one-off story where Batwoman has to rescue Julia Pennyworth from Professor Pyg.
I liked show more this book a lot better than volume 1. The Wonderland storyline has a solid plot that feels pretty straight-forward aside from the nightmarish hallucinations. I laughed out loud at a panel in which Batwoman concedes that she and Colony Prime worked fine together “despite fighting like two wet cats in a sack,” and an unnamed medic wonders, “Why would you put two wet cats in a sack?” Also, there’s this great sequence where her father is lecturing her and in each panel, she is younger and younger until she’s a little girl, because it’s hard not to feel small when your father is scolding you.
Anyone who read Volume 1 will want to pick this up and continue the story. I’ve a feeling the next volume will reveal more about Safiyah’s role in The Many Arms of Death, so keep an eye out for that one. show less

As you all know, I really really REALLY love the “DC Bombshells” series because damn does it give my favorite superheroines something to do. There is something so organically feminist about this series, and it keeps the thrills, action, humor, and pathos balanced out expertly. Seeing some of the best and brightest DC ladies at the forefront is a delight, and whenever a new one comes out I can’t wait to read it. We are now on Volume 4, and after an action packed Volume 3 in which the show more Nazis were dealt a severe blow by our Bombshells, we’ve moved the action to North Africa and been introduced to Vixen and Hawkgirl! Also mechanical animals and Cheetah, aka the woman who killed Batgirl and Renee’s adopted son Jacon!

I sometimes get worried when new characters get brought into the fold in comics, especially since sometimes I have a hard time keeping track of characters as it is. But with “Bombshells” I am always excited to see which classic heroines will show up next and in what capacity, and Vixen and Hawkgirl were no exception. Vixen (aka Mari) was especially great, as we got to see her stand up to Hitler and steal his dog Blondie, as well as see her in a position of power as the Queen of Zambesi. She and Hawkgirl (who is delightfully tech minded and a very clever inventor) also helped found The Bombshells, so we got to see them interact with the team they created, as well as interact with each other as confidants, partners, and lovers. I think that ultimately the relationships between the women in these stories are the strongest parts of them, and these two fit right in in that regard. I liked seeing more interaction and background between Kate (aka Batgirl) and Renee as they faced their past relationship and the death of Jacon, but I have to admit that I’m kind of not digging the fact that Kate seems to have completely forgotten about Maggie back on the home front. Sure, Batwoman and Renee Montoya have a shared past and a shared pain, but Maggie is Kate’s present.

Speaking of Maggie, we got a fun story back on the homefront with the Batgirls again. I had thought that they were going to be a one-off story, seeing as so much is going on with the Bombshells in Europe, but I really liked seeing them and Lois get some more time to shine. I think that my favorite aspect of it is the way that their presence is handling some familiar storylines. And with that, I give you a spoiler alert: I think I mentioned that Harvey (eventually Two Face) Dent was in the previous Batgirls storyline as a mayor who was promoting an “America First” agenda. Well, he eventually got over that and had become an ally to the Batgirls, with self reflection and redemption on the mind. But given that Harvey really does have to turn into Two Face, I braced myself for it, and indeed, it does happen in this collection (won’t say how, but it does). Ever since I read the classic “Long Halloween” story arc, I’ve felt so incredibly bad for Two Face and the road that he takes, and I was worried that it was going to happen here as well. After all, Batman couldn’t help him in that universe, so my hope was slim. But in this one….. he doesn’t take the road to villainy, at least he hasn’t yet. Because while yes, he’s been horrifically scarred and has had something of a fall from grace, The Batgirls have done what Batman never could: they have rallied around him and affirmed that he is still Harvey Dent, imperfect but trying to be better Harvey Dent, and that they are going to support him and be there for him. And it seems that because of this, he’s MAYBE going to stay on the side of good, and remain their ally and friend. Cheesy? Maybe. But I think that it’s also a testament to the power of empathy and understanding towards those who have experienced trauma, something that Batman just couldn’t ever pull off the way that a bunch of awesome ladies can. The last panel of the Batgirls embracing him got me sobbing.

But all that said, I was a bit disappointed seeing that the big problem to overcome this time around was a group of mechanized animals from another planet. I liked the Zambesi setting to be certain, but it felt like a whole lot more conflict crammed into a story that is already rife with conflict. Plus, given that it’s more ‘Nazis want to get their hands on otherwordly weaponry’ stuff, it kind of feels like more of the same. The good news is that we get a couple returns here, including Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and Supergirl, all of whom I dearly missed in the last collection. I just wish that we could have seen more Wonder Woman and Supergirl (seriously, Kara was barely in this), before the last fourth of the book.

So while this is the weakest “Bombshells” collection for me so far, it’s still incredibly strong and I can’t wait for the next one. And I think I only have to wait a little while longer for that!! “DC Bombshells”, you still got it! show less

I loved this! It's a wild ride that I wasn't sure at first what I was getting into, but the more I read, the more I fell headfirst into this amazing and awful world that Bennett created. It is obvious that this was a story born out of anger: of how womanhood is denigrated, how women are treated as objects and bearers of blame and shame, and how we are placed onto pedestals of meekness and obedience, or made monsters if we exhibit brains and a spine.

Victorian body horror is not my usual genre show more by a long-shot, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. The gore and brutality also appeared side-by-side with love and sensuality. It's a celebration of women, of feminine power in all its form, of taking our place in a man's world and asserting our power.

The fact that the central two characters, Mariah and Lady, subverted all sorts of Victorian sensibilities by existing was amazing. They were a same-sex interracial couple from very different classes and they didn't give a damn about society. That they turned into avenging bug creatures was just icing on the cake.

This book is gruesome and awful, sexy and sweet, and cathartic. So cathartic. I hope there's more to come. show less

The Pussycats get “arrested” for plagiarism by Alexandra's twin Alexander, but he was just trying to get his sister's attention. They skip a fancy awards ceremony to play at a charity concert in the park. They invite teen band The Archies (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, and Jughead) to open for them at an arena show in Tokyo, only to have the teens get kidnapped by all the villains from the Pussycats’ past. They are rescued, of course, with the help of all the friends from the show more Pussycats' past.

Absolutely hilarious, just like the volume before it. It is a little weird to think of Archie and friends as being significantly younger than the Pussycats? Melody keeps calling them “my teens” (as in, “Oh no, my teens have been kidnapped!”) which had me in stitches. What a great series. I would have loved to read these as individual issues, they have great pacing. I'm really disappointed the series is so short. show less