I finally caught up on Batwing last month, so now I’m ready to start following it! Now that I caught up, I’m just in time for Zero Year, the big Batman event this fall. What can this title bring to the table? Is it good?
Batwing #25 (DC Comics)
Taking place before the blackout hits in Zero Year, we see Luke Fox and an old friend of his named Russell training at a neighborhood gym. Luke brought Russell there to help him toughen up a bit so he can deal with the bullies back at the private school they attend. However, the two run afoul of a local street gang that is itching for a fight and even afterwards, the bullying problem for Russell seems to get worse and worse.
I’m confused how exactly that locker ink trap worked though.
Since Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray took over the book, I would say the series has been solid. Never really gets beyond great, but it has been consistently enjoyable. That trend continues here as well, seeing the flashback to six years ago with Luke. It’s an enjoyable little tale with good characters (Luke is a very likeable hero and great main character) that have developed personalities and motivations. They feel real to a certain degree and you enjoy seeing them in action. The dialogue is solid as well and I really like the interactions a lot here, which really help set the tone and mood for scenes and the people there.
One thing that feels really off throughout this issue is the Zero Year tie-in aspect. The story definitely takes place six years ago and during the time when Batman is first appearing, but the time scale for when this issue takes place is questionable. A lot of it I can assume takes place before the blackout, but then the ending is where things start feeling off. The book makes mention of storm heading for Gotham (like mentioned in Action Comics #25) and that’s during the blackout itself. However, everywhere I look in these scenes, all the lights are on as if nothing has happened. The time scale on this feels very off and makes it questionable on how exactly this fits into everything.
Gah! Batman! What is up with your waist?!
The artwork is by Eduardo Pansica and Julio Ferreira and it looks pretty good overall, despite some occasional off model or odd body proportions (see picture above). Despite there being two different artists on this book, I honestly didn’t notice a difference at all, so the comic doesn’t ever feel like it suddenly changes in the way it looks (helped by the fact that colorist stays consistent). The characters all look great and are very lively in their facial expressions and how they carry themselves. The locations are nicely drawn and there is good amount of detail to everything. The fight scenes are especially great looking and flow very well. Just nice art in general I find.
I don’t know where the blood is coming out of, but damn does that look painful.
7.5
- The characters are well done.
- The story is simple, but well told.
- The artwork and the action looks great.
- Not that good of a Zero Year tie-in.
- Not very groundbreaking or unique.
Is It Good?
Batwing #25 is a questionable tie-in, but an enjoyable comic despite that fact. The characters are well written, the story is simple but fun, and the art is great looking. It’s not very deep, nor does it do much to make itself truly special among other superhero books out there, but it is one of best books if you are looking for some simple, superhero action with great hero.
Join the AIPT Patreon
Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:
- ❌ Remove all ads on the website
- 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
- 📗 Access to our monthly book club
- 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
- 💥 And more!
