Rucka, Greg, and J.H. Williams III - Elegy

In which I make my yearly foray into superhero comics, usually Batverse.

I heard about this arc as an origin story for a new version of Batwoman, in which Kate Kane is discharged from the Marines for refusing to say she's not gay. In Elegy, we get her flashback origin story, in which she dons the cape and mantle as a new way to serve and protect, along with the story of how she encounters the new leader of the Religion of Crime.

The art is gorgeous: I especially love the bright reds and deep blacks when Kate is Batwoman. There are some small takes on the superhero outfit that may or may not be new—I don't read very many of them—and I especially loved the wig. I also like how the color palette shifts to warm, golden tones when Kate is out of costume. Although her body shape is the usual female superhero curvy when she's in the Batwoman uniform, all hourglass waist and round hips and large breasts, when she's out of costume, she looks much blockier, with broad shoulders that she tends to emphasize with suit jackets and the like.

I felt as though her sexual orientation was organic to the story; the emphasis is actually more on her Marine background and how "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" influences her to get on the superhero path. Also, teeny cameo of Lt. Dan Choi!

I rolled my eyes a little at the backstory for the villain, but people who like superhero comic tropes may enjoy it. It's definitely no different from all the Angsty Backstories I so adore in manga.

I also love Kate's relationship with her father, though I wish a little that her story wasn't one more to add to the Dead or Missing Mother pile.

Overall, a good, fast read, but I'm still sticking with my "only reading superhero comics via giant compilations" resolution.

ETA: Non-spoiler text Batverse spoilers in the comments! (Please feel free to spoil me since I am never caught up and probably never will be.)

Liu, Marjorie M. - In the Dark of Dreams

Jenny Jameson found a silver boy with a tail on the beach the summer she was twelve, and she's never forgotten him. Ever since then, she's been on the hunt for supernatural beings for her family's corporation, and finally, Perrin resurfaces. Unfortunately, this only complicates matters, as Jenny's family is none other than the evil Consortium that has been the long-running villain through the Dirk & Steele series.

Adventure, narrow escapes, angst, UST, betrayal, and plot twists ensue. Alas, I read this almost two months ago, and of course I have forgotten everything.

Most of what I can recall is that I was a bit disappointed that there aren't more POC showing up in the Dirk & Steele series. I think there's about the same number throughout the series, since there aren't any intra-POC relationships AFAIK, and while I don't read the gargoyles and mermaids and shapeshifters and etc. as white, I am not sure if I should be reading them as POC either.

I'm never sure if I'm disappointed in the direction D&S is going or not. On the one hand, I love that the universe continues to expand and that we're not just limited to the usual sequel bait. On the other hand, I actually liked some of the D&S characters and have been waiting for their books for a while (EDDIE!). So... YMMV? I do wish the mythology were a bit more coherent, but then again, the everything-and-the-kitchen approach is also part of the series' charm.

Not one of the best D&S books for me, though I liked getting more of a look into the Consortium and the enemies of D&S, but not one of the worst either.