Batwoman Vol. 1: Hydrology Review

Batwoman was an older Batman character (1956) that got retconned out of existance during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Fast forward to 2006 where she made a reappearance as a key player in DC maxi-series 52. I'm glad she stuck around and made it to her own title as part of the New 52.


J.H. Williams (Seven Soldiers of Victory, Starman) is pulling double duty on this title as both artist and co-writer. W. Haden Blackman (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed) co-writes the title as well.


Batwoman: Hydrology deals with mysterious disappearance of children from the barrio, Batwoman training her cousin, Flamebird, as a potential sidekick, sins of the father, and the government pursuing her. That's a lot of story crammed into six issues (Batwoman #0 - #5).


The artwork is really interesting and superb. In every panel, it seems like Batwoman is digitally painted in, while every other character is drawn. This technique really makes Batwoman stand out in every scene. The panel arrangements are stunning and cohesive, although they are sometimes hard to follow. These panel styles have been getting a lot of buzz since the initial launch of Batwoman in the New 52. Check out the example below:

It is a really good read and although it can get confusing, the panels are beautifully done. The story is a little muddled down with details, but ultimately it adds up to an original story.


I give Batwoman Vol. 1: Hydrology 7 out of 10 Flamebirds!