Review: Batwoman Vol. 3- World’s Finest

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening story arc works well and is entertaining. The main story arc is exciting and is a fantastic climax for this era of the series. Character development is handled well throughout the comic. The conclusion will leave readers wanting more. The volume’s visuals are fantastic and make every page a work of art.

Cons: Nothing significant.

Overall: Though previous volumes were already great, this volume somehow makes the Batwoman series even better. It blends killer storytelling, amazing character development, and plenty of action and suspense to create a story that is captivating at every turn. All of this is then further enhanced by some of the best artwork from this era in DC Comics. Anyone remotely interested in Batwoman should read this book, especially if they have already read the past two volumes.

Story

Batwoman Vol. 3: World’s Finest, by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman, takes an already fantastic series and brings it to a whole new level. The volume starts out with a killer team-up between Batwoman and Wonder Woman. Then, it moves on to an epic conclusion to many of the plot threads that have been present since this series began. The resulting story is packed with tension, action, drama, and some amazing character development. Plus, the comic ends with a tease that is sure to further hook readers into the series as a whole. All in all, there is a lot to love throughout this comic.

(spoilers start here)

World’s Finest starts with a pretty straightforward team-up between Batwoman and Wonder Woman. The volume’s title is a clear reference to the classic team-ups between Batman and Superman, the structure of which is echoed in a gender-swapped version of that same theme. This new pairing is highly effective and allows both characters to have moments of thoughtful insight and moments of impressive action.

Then, the narrative in World’s Finest moves over to what is essentially a climax for everything that has happened in the Batwoman series. It brings back all the old villains, has them pitted against all the old allies, and introduces the threat that has been building since this comic began. It turns this into the highest stakes adventure the series has seen thus far, which makes everything about it even more engaging. It also helps that everything is written in a way that makes sense and flows from one scene to the next, something that other writers have trouble executing when a climax is as wide in scope as this one.

However, this climax isn’t just about having epic battles and thrilling brushes with death, it also works tremendously well from a character development standpoint. The volume’s two interludes take time to really delve into the psyche of Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer, showing how far these women will go to defend the ideals they hold dear. These interludes also make both characters even more impressive, especially after readers see what Kate went through to become Batwoman. Meanwhile, Bette’s return is an exciting and tremendously successful way to bring this character back into the fold (I also found her story to work well as an allegory for rising above abuse or sexual assault). Even Kyle Abbot is able to redeem all of his past actions in a final, heroic sacrifice. Essentially, every character driven aspect of this book is wonderful and makes the book even more enjoyable.

World’s Finest then concludes with a fantastic cliffhanger to precipitate the next volume. Batwoman’s proposal and identity reveal is sweet, touching, and unexpected in a way that makes it even more meaningful. Meanwhile, the potential return of “Alice” ensure that a tense, new story arc is on the immediate horizon. Despite this volume concluding many of the comic’s ongoing plot threads, I feel more excited than ever to read more Batwoman.

(spoilers end here)

Art

World’s Finest brings J.H. Williams III back on artwork for the Batwoman series and the results speak for themselves. This is a gorgeous comic book where nearly everything looks incredible. The depictions of the heroes make their emotions stand out, the depictions of the villains make them frightening, the depictions of Gotham City make it as intimidating as one would hope, and the depictions of more exotic locations add some wonder into the mix. However, it isn’t just beauty driving this book forward, as the structures are equally captivating. J.H. Williams III makes full use of two-page spreads to express what this comic is trying to express. There are pages here where fractured structures and non-traditional layouts tell a story all on their own, adding additional levels to an already solid narrative. The artwork in this book is great and works in perfect unison with the rest of this comic book.

Continuity

Batwoman Vol. 3: World’s Finest continues the story from Batwoman Vol. 2: To Drown the World (Review).

The story here is continued in Batwoman Vol. 4: This Blood is Thick (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Wonder Woman’s updated origin is mentioned. This origin is explained in Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood (Review).
• Batwoman’s past with Kyle Abott is mentioned. This is explained in 52.
• Many elements from Batwoman’s origin story are mentioned here. This origin is detailed across Detective Comics #854-857, collected in Batwoman by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III.