Greg Rucka

These 6 stories bridging the gap between Vol. 5 and Vol. 6 just got better and better. I absolutely love how the creators mention a character the reader writes off as flat only to turn around and say "HAHA NOPE, THIS CHARACTER IS COMPLEX TOO, HERE'S AN ENTIRE ARC ABOUT THEM." And every story not only develops the characters but feeds into the overall plot, making none of them feel superfluous. The worldbuilding is so complex and believable, the action and characters and themes brilliant, the show more pacing and storytelling and art perfect. (The horror fairytale vibe in the last story was delivered _exquisitely_. Actual chills.) I wait with bated breath for more. show less

While the first graphic novel was so exciting and full of action, this sequel was much more contemplative and had quite a lot of depth. We really get to know a lot about Andy’s past and how she has had to survive for millennia, and how that has changed her heart. Her story, especially after being reunited with Noriko and her reaction to it really broke my heart. Her loneliness and particularly the last scene really hit me hard. Noriko on the other hand is hardened by her experiences and is show more ready to burn it all down - and frankly when you listen to the points she makes, it almost makes you wanna believe her.

The art style was interesting as usual, and I particularly loved the ancient war panels and the one’s on the water. All the stabbing scenes looked pretty cool too (never thought I’d say that lol show less

When DC first announced they were bringing back Batwoman, I was skeptical that it wasn't a publicity stunt to resurrect an old character with a new spin (she's a lesbian now, guys!) to grab headlines. I'm pleased to report I was totally wrong.

Usually when I review DC's Batman compilations, I feel the need to break them down issue-by-issue to acknowledge the fact that there are bad issues and good issues. Elegy works really well as a cohesive whole - I couldn't tell you what my least favorite show more issue was, as I'm not sure where one begins and another ends.

JH Williams III is as amazing as he as ever been. Look at the hidden words in Kate's memories when she's been poisoned! Check out how the panel borders and layouts change when Kate stops being Kate and starts being Batwoman! The fight-sequence-in-one-page when Kate jumps onto the plane! Hell, even just Kate dancing with Maggie Sawyer (DC: you need some more new lesbian characters) is wonderfully done. I could go on and on. There's a reason they're putting him together with Gaiman for another run at The Sandman.

The plot is really great - the twist is one that you don't see coming, but looking back, you can see where Rucka planted the clues. The origin story issues are just absolutely phenomenal -- as Rachel Maddow points out in her introduction to the collection, the sequence where Kate comes out to her father is absolutely heartbreaking. Rucka just delivers on Kate as a character every step of the way here, and does a great job of giving her her own "Yes, father" moment when she manages to save herself from a mugger before Batman even shows up.

I'm baffled why DC doesn't take more steps to integrate Kate into the larger Bat-family. She's a helluva character, and this is a helluva book. (Plus, I'd get a charge out of the moment when Bruce and her show up to some charity ball in the same tux.) show less

Greg Rucka is a longtime favorite writer of mine, so I was happy to see he was doing a private eye series. Unfortunately, I had set my expectations too high. This throwback to 70s and 80s TV detectives features a perfectly fine crime story, but it also seems pretty inconsequential. Also, I was made uncomfortable by a few aspects, like the amount of physical abuse heaped on the female protagonist, the frequently exhibited homophobia of several characters, and the use of the "R" word to refer show more to a character with Down syndrome. I think they were used to add to the gritty atmosphere and the flip attitude of the main character but these moments really clunked for me and threw me out of the story. Still, I enjoyed the book enough to read four volumes of the series in three days. show less