Batwoman, Volume 1: Hydrology

Author:  J.H. Williams III and W. Hayden Blackman
Illustrator: Amy Reeder

Title: Batwoman, Volume 1:Hydrology

Publication: June 19, 2012

Publisher: D.C. Comics

Genre: Graphic Novel, Paranormal, Super Hero

Pages: 160

Audience: 18 and up

Rating: 5 out of 5

Source: Purchased

Favorite Line: "Murdered sidekicks tend to come back from the dead. As supervillains."- Batman telling Batwoman that she should leave Flamebird out of a dangerous case.

Goodreads Synopsis: 
As Batwoman (a..ka Kate Kane) faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City's underworld–and new trials in her personal life.Who or what is stealing children from the barrio, and for what vile purpose? Will Kate train her cousin, Bette Kane (a.k.a. Flamebird), as her new sidekick? How will she handle unsettling revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? And why is a certain government agency suddenly taking an interest in her? These are some of the questions that will be answered in this long-awaited series!

My thoughts:
Ohmygoodness! I have waited for what feels like an eternity for this graphic novel. After the first graphic novel, I was an instant Batwoman fan. I'm going to geek-out for a minute and confess that I went to a local comic book shop and bought a statue of Batwoman.  I paid too much for it, but it is so awesome. It looks really good on our comic shelf.

Anyway, back to the graphic novel. Batman played a pretty big role in the novel and I was surprised. In the introduction of Elegy it says Batwoman takes over crime fighting as Batman, Wonder Woman, and the other heroes step back into the shadows for a while. He didn't take away from the storyline or any of Batwoman's glory, if anything I believe Batman just helped show off  her strength and gave her super-hero advice. I love his line from above though. Poor, Batman, he knows all about losing sidekicks. The cartoons are never as dark as the comics, but he has had several Robins and I know one in particular died and came back to life as a villain. The storyline for Batwoman has been paranormal and weird. I was unsure of how Batwoman was going to defeat the vengeful ghost called the Weeping Woman. If she does or not, I'll leave that up for you all to find out. From the last novel Kate Kane is mad at her dad so her cousin Bette, Flamebird is her new sidekick, and I think Batwoman is too hard on her. Batwoman takes Batman's advice to heart and tells Bette they are over as a team. I think the way Kate went about it was harsh and cruel. She could have asked Bette to sit back on this case and let Kate handle it because she was worried about her. Anyway, that ending isn't pretty. Kate also has the D.E.O. and Batman investigating her. I found this a bit confusing. I'm still not sure what the D.E.O. is or does, but hopefully the next graphic novel will clarify some things. Also, Kate's relationship with Maggie Sawyer continues to evolve. There is a more "graphic" sex scene in this novel, and it's not a clear image, but you get the idea that they are having sex. I have enjoyed each Batwoman graphic novel so far. She is a really kick ass super hero that adds some girl power in an area that is dominated by men.