Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka

I absolutely adore superhero comics and everything that comes along with them, so I've been waiting and super excited to finally get to modern-day superhero comics. I was a little disappointed with our visit to old comics, because we didn't really discuss them, and all we did discuss was how cheesy they were - which is fine, because they are, but because superhero comics are such a massive part of the industry and pretty much formed everyone's opinions of comics as they are now, it was a little disappointing that we didn't actually talk about their influences overall. I wish we had gone more in-depth in comics the last few class meetings, because the analyzing and psychological parts were discussed less and less than they were in the beginning, and the focus was more asking us about what we read and getting a few people's opinions on certain things as opposed to discussing everything together. I went over every comic on the suggested reading list and started The Authority by Warren Ellis and Promethea by Alan Moore, and briefly looked at Criminal and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, but I only entirely read Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka. I had really wanted to read Umbrella Academy since I've had it on my to-read list for years, but didn't get the time. I actually have the first book back at home but never got the chance to read it either, but the concept and style of the comic have always really interested me since it came out. Now that I have a bunch more downloaded though, I'll definitely read them over Christmas break. But anyways - so I read Batwoman: Elegy and had decided upon it mostly because of the art style. Looking through the other comics, it was an easy choice art-wise, and plus I've never really read a full Batman or DC superhero comic before, so I felt like my comic experience was lacking in that regard. I'm also a sucker for action beginnings, and as Batwoman begins with her interrogating a guy and beating the crap out of him in an alley, I was immediately intrigued and wanted to know what was happening. The art also drew me in because it was so well-drafted and gorgeous - minimal colors with black, white, gray, and red, clean, confident lines with a hint of grungy textures, and of course, a whole bunch of beautiful, abstract tapestry-like design elements interwoven throughout the pages. Batman made a brief cameo before Batwoman discovered her final clue that led her to a meeting place and time for the gangs in town, coming together for the first time to greet their new mobster "queen" as she arrived in Gotham. Though there isn't much character development for Batwoman apart from showing that she's the generic sexy, ruthless badass lady, more comes to the surface during this conflict with the strange Alice-themed mob-boss, and a mysterious previous history unfolds between them. I will admit that the plot of the comic is lacking and not as character-based and sophisticated as I would've liked, it was still entertaining enough to keep me going along, and the art definitely kept me there. I'm not sure of the general quality of art for DC comics, but I was surprised it was so well-done and consistent, and had loads of abstract design elements to the page layouts and such as well.