A blast from Batwing’s past is back to menace him!
The Good
Cover– An interesting patchwork of Luke in and out of costume, it’s striking on the stands with its mostly bright blue cover which is a good thing.
Action– Batwing’s attack on a local drug gang was pretty damn awesome if you ask me. Not to mention that 90’s nod to scorpion’s harpoon which you could not appreciate unless you witnessed the Mortal Kombat frenzy of the 90’s? Priceless!
Humor- That same gang scene was hilarious as the gang tried to figure out if Batwing was Batman with a new suit or someone else.
Family- The writers get allot of mileage out of the Fox Family who grow on me each and every month more and more. This issue his mother has her first emotional breakdown and because she has been established as the calm one in the family it’s as dramatic as ever bringing home the idea that she is emotionally distraught over her missing daughter.
Villains- As I said last time “Rat Catcher is a deliciously psychotic mix of Marvel’s Vermin and Batman’s Mad Hatter. He also manages to exude the grunge of Grant Morison’s Professor Pyg (Batwing #27 Review)”. That still holds true today, as Rat Catcher is the backbone of the entire drug operation they have running, without him, they have nothing. Russel Tavaroff/Menace is clearly meant to be the next “big bad” and while his origin was emotive he’s just a brute thus far, hopefully that changes soon.
Art– Eduardo Pancisca’s art is detailed, distinctive and totally fitting. I especially like how emotional and expressive he manages to make the faces of the characters.Their is something else most readers may have missed. The art has grown darker and more somber as Luke’s character has likewise done. It also matches the tone of the Gotham underworld. Nice touch! 
Black Hero– Luke Fox/Batwing continues to grow on me. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray have convinced me this book is here for the long haul with Luke in the driver’s seat. Luke shows some great character development this issue. Gone is the petulant child who took over the Batwing mantle in Batwing #20. His attacks are now sharp, decisive and some might say even downright ruthless. He is a man filled with purpose and this shines through in his sharper mission execution. When he’s back to being Luke he appears calmer though their is something darker now seething just beneath the surface. Gatham night life always breaks the members of the Bat Family eventually, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Spoiler, Batgirl……they all eventually lose that child like flair and Luke is now at that very same crossroad. Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray present us with a multidimensional character worth reading about.
Supporting cast- Lucius Fox and his wife make an appearance though the super cute Tiff was missing.
The Bad
Posters- Ok so let me get this straight Lucius Fox is one of the richest men in Gotham City and is the CEO of Wayne Tech and the main supplier of Batman Incorporated. His daughter is abducted and her boyfriend killed. They family has the police investigating and plans to post fliers all over Gotham to get her back? These people are celebrities for crying out load! There should police all over them, the media would be at the gates. This small nitpick really pulled me out of the story because all I could think was this is not even something I would do and I’m a poor ass college teacher. Why would people with money and notoriety like the Hiltons of Kardashians be forced into searching for their kid on their own? I’m not sold on this part.
The Ugly
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again Batwing is the best series from DC Comics your not reading! We give a – 4/5
Excellent review. This was a great read for Batwing and I am excited about his character development. I really appreciated the action as well. It has that old school vibe that I think has been missing in Batman, but available in Batman black and white. Good review. I’m looking forward to your review of the newest Shadow Man as it was also a highlight for me.