REVIEW: ‘Batwoman’ Issue 7

Batwoman Issue 7 is published by DC Comics and written by Greg Rucka, art by DaNi, Colors by Matt Hollingsworth, and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

This is Part One of Week Four of the Batman: Bad Seeds event. Batwoman re-enters Gotham as the plants attack and is hunted by Vandal Savage’s army.

Batwoman moves back into Gotham carrying her own storm cloud, just as an even darker one is already moving in. The events of her own comic series, which left her being framed as a murderer, make her even more of a target for Savage’s men. While many other connections to the Bad Seeds event focus on the community and the plants encroaching on Gotham, Batwoman Issue 7 focuses more on the vigilante-hunting aspect.

There are a few pages of scene-setting as Batwoman transitions into the streets of Gotham and meets up with Batman. From there, the pace quickens as Kate gets a mission and is marked by the enemy. She also has an established task, providing Batwoman Issue 7 with a destination and somewhere to set a dramatic battle leading into the next issue.

Batwoman’s personality shines within this tie-in, especially when it comes to slotting into the Bat-Family. Kate Kane often seems like a peripheral figure within the group, but her relationship with Batman is clear from their first interaction in Batwoman Issue 7. They instantly trust one another, with Bruce shrugging off the rumors and falsehoods surrounding Batwoman. Kate also becomes a soldier straight away.

She’s unperturbed by the threats and focused on the mission. It’s fascinating to see the blind faith and devotion Batman’s disciples have for him. There’s no narration in Batwoman Issue 7, giving the hero a silent strength. The noise comes from the soldiers‘ chatter, where it becomes clear how far these men are from being cops. They brazenly admit that they aren’t police, creating a barrier between their responsibilities to protect those on the streets and just hunt down the Bat Family.

DaNi has been the de facto artist on Batwoman since the start of the series, and gets the chance to illustrate Gotham in their signature style. The line weights are extremely heavy, with both positives and negatives in Batwoman Issue 7.

It makes the gothic architecture even more sinister and imposing, really turning the city into a place of haunting nightmares. This is heightened by even more danger lurking in the shadows. The shapes are always interesting, as the lines are used to create the idea of shapes rather than specific details. It creates an abstract worldview as opposed to distinct specificity.

For buildings and silhouettes, this is fine. The costumes of both Batman and Batwoman look terrific, for example. But when there has to be a large amount of detail within a small space, that’s when this art style struggles to determine definition. This is especially true on the faces of soldiers, who have gear and goggles around them. On these occasions, the art style turns messy.

The colors are fantastic, though, and beautifully specific to Batwoman as a character. Her costume is much more vibrant than other members of the Bat Family, with the brilliant red of her emblem, cape, and wig. Against the heavy black shadows of the comic, they really stand out. Likewise, a similar bright tone is used for Batman, just swapped to blue. It helps them stand out slightly within the gloom. The lettering is clear and easy to read, with some sensational uses of creative word balloons and bold text.

Batwoman Issue 7 gives Kate Kane a very specific job. What really helps give these Bad Seeds chapters danger and grit is that each one has a purpose. A destination the character needs to meet rather than just sporadic, sprawling chaos. They have to move through that chaos to get there, and that’s where the life of the event is. The whole comic feels sleek and gloriously, excessively gothic, with a slow resentment building towards the enemy that will hopefully lead to some satisfying catharsis.

Batwoman Issue 7 is available where comics are sold.