Batwing, Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom

Batwing (2011)

by Judd Winick, Ben Oliver (Illustrations)

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics--The New 52 event of September 2011, "Batwing" follows a soldier carrying on the legacy of The Dark Knight in the most tumultuous region on Earth. Meet Batwing, the Batman of Africa, as he takes on the villainous Massacre This volume collects issues 1-6 of "Batwing," part of the DC Comics--The New 52 event.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Batman, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 24, 2012

About the author

Judd Winick is an American cartoonist, comic book writer, screenwriter, and former reality television personality known for his diverse contributions to storytelling across multiple media. He first entered the public eye in 1994 as a cast member on The Real World: San Francisco, where he formed a close friendship with AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, an experience that deeply influenced his later work. Winick memorialized their bond in Pedro and Me, a critically acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that earned several literary awards and became a staple in school curricula.

Winick's career in comics took off with The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius and continued with major runs at DC Comics, including Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Batman. His stories often explored socially relevant themes, such as HIV, homophobia, and identity. He was recognized for introducing gay characters and tackling difficult subjects with empathy and clarity. His work on Batman notably included resurrecting the character Jason Todd as the Red Hood, a storyline later adapted into the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood, for which Winick wrote the screenplay.

Beyond comics, he created The Life and Times of Juniper Lee for Cartoon Network and served as head writer for Hulu's The Awesomes. In 2015, he launched the Hilo series, an all-ages sci-fi adventure inspired by his own children. The bestselling series has been widely praised and is expected to reach its eleventh volume in 2025.

Winick lives in San Francisco with his wife, Pam Ling, also a Real World alum, and their two children. He continues to create heartfelt and imaginative stories for audiences of all ages.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waaaaay better plot than I imagined it having. I honestly thought this was going to be one of those tacked-on Batman Inc. stories, but it turned out to be one of the better titles that I've read from the New 52 launch. As an added bonus, the art is gorgeous.

There are enough descriptions of the storyline already, so I'm not going to bother, but I will say that it's definitely worth checking out.

There was only one thing that kind of annoyed me about the book.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seemed pretty obvious from the start that the 'bad guy' is David's long-lost brother. Especially after he didn't kill the female police officer. I got a little annoyed at Batwing for not noticing all the similarities, and at the end when he thinks the guy might be the evil general, I felt let down that he was not putting it together. It just didn't seem like much of a cliffhanger to me. Again, maybe I'm wrong...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Batman in Africa who remembers the strife of warring warlords. Mention of the first superheroes who ended it all back in the day. Varying artwork quality.

MY GRADE: B to B plus.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Zavimbe is a former child soldier who is trying to make up for his violent past by becoming Batwing, a member of Batman, incorporated in Africa. Massacre is tracking down the first super-hero team in Africa and murdering them along with anyone else who gets in his way. Each issue flashes back to David's past and we get a glimpse of the horrors he went through (and sometimes caused). The book is not for everyone. It's brutally violent with lots of severed limbs. But it is a unique and intriguing story. Judd Winick has knocked it out of the park again. Ben Oliver's art is fantastic as well.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Zavimbe is Batwing, the Batman of Africa, as part of Bruce Wayne’s Batman Inc. In the “New 52” timeline, superheroes only emerged 5 years ago and when they did Africa produced a superhero team called The Lost Kingdom who ended a bloody war in the Congo. Shortly afterwards the group disbanded and went their separate ways. Now, a psychotic killer called Massacre is hunting down each member of the group as vengeance for an unknown cause.

But Zavimbe/Batwing is no innocent. His past as a boy soldier for a bloodthirsty general threatens to catch up with him as he learns how to juggle his career as policeman by day, masked vigilante by night. Life in the Congo is brutal but Batwing must learn to be more brutal.

Looking at the cover and only knowing Batwing in passing from Grant Morrison’s Batman Inc book, I was worried this was going to be a forgettable and contrived character but Judd Winick does a fantastic job of creating maybe the best new original character in the New 52 lineup and a brilliant first book in the series too. Batwing’s harsh and bloody upbringing as a child soldier whose parents died of AIDS, and his redemptive journey through justice by legal and illegal means long before Batman showed up with his proposal, make him a fascinating and unique character. His background and surroundings give him all sorts of possible interesting future storylines.

Ben Oliver’s artwork is particularly eye-catching, drawn in a style that is far more realistic than comical giving some of the scenes a startling urgency. I know Batwing looks a bit like robot Batman but with no Gotham skyscrapers to grapple up to and around, Batwing needs those jet wings to fly in a landscape that contains mostly open sky and plains.

This is a brilliant first volume that introduces an invigorating new character to DC readers, one who eclipses Batman in the book (who makes a couple of cameos), and whose storyline is captivating from the opening pages to the cliff-hanging last. “The Lost Kingdom” is both an excellent companion piece of Batman Inc and a great New 52 storyline. Judd Winick continues his winning streak of books with “The Lost Kingdom” leaving me hungry for the second volume - superhero comics fans should definitely check out this title for a fun read.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow.

Part I: Straight From the Book Jacket (because all the other blubs seemed lame...)
"When young David Zavimbe is suddenly orphaned, he is scooped up and drafted into General Keita's Army of the Dawn.. Thanks to his incredible speed and alarming ability to kill, Zavimbe finds himself promoted to the general's ranks of elite men. But the life of a soldier isn't for David -- after breaking free from the warlord's constraints, he is paid a visit by the Batman himself, acting on behalf of Bruce Wayne to construct Batman, Incorporated, an initiative to place Batman-like figures across the world. David is inducted as the newest member of the team, and thus, Batwing is born.
"A natural officer of the law, Batwing investigates gruesome crime scenes and thwarts chaos and corruption. Capable of flight, his Batsuit is also armored and fitted with a number of state-of-the-art gadgets. While seemingly indestructible, Batwing soon meets his match in Massacre, a brutal new villain who leads Batwing on his most daunting case...the executions of heroes from the legendary and mysterious crime-fighting crew known as The Kingdom."

Part II: MY Thoughts:
Heavy on fights, low on detecting. I don't resonate with Zavimbe's story -- it is told in flashbacks and I am, thus, quite removed from it. It's set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and seems to give the country quite a reputation, and not a good one. I feel the story vacilates beetween tying to be African and trying to be for American audiences. I don't know.

[Arturo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid 4 star book. Oh I forgot I was giving an extra star to the first volume of a book, because with a great writer and a promising start, this is something I recommend and want to continue to follow.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

  “A great and entertaining graphic novel that took me completley by surprise. I was not expecting Winick’s work to be this good.”

~The Founding Fields


Writer: Judd Winick | Art: Ben Oliver, Brian Reber, ChrisCross, Ryan Winn | Cover: Ben Oliver | Publisher: DC Comics | Collects: Batwing #1-6.

Okay. There are some superheroes/characters who have a widely renowned reputation for making certain famous cities, fictional or not – their resident stomping ground. Spiderman for instance, gets New York. It’d just feel odd to see Peter Parker web-slinging around in a countryside down in England, for example – wouldn’t it? Batman is another one of these characters who can’t really be removed from the current setting of Gotham City. So what if a writer wants to take the Dark Knight across the globe, to a place like – I don’t know, Africa?

Then you don’t. You simply just create a new version of the character and have him financed by the original character, in Batman/Batwing’s case. I don’t think that would work too well with Spiderman finacing a Spiderman in England, and I’m not really sure that anyone would want to read about a Spiderman in England, but you get my point.

And you can also see why I was a bit anxious about this title. But at the same time, I was curious. I’m a fan of mashups – heck, I enjoyed the film (to a certain extent) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But a not-Batman Batman in Africa? How would that work? I mean, Africa’s a whole lot bigger than Gotham City, right?

But as it turned out, the first graphic novel in the new Batwing series, designed as a result of the New 52 reboot – certainly did work. And after the blurb, I’ll tell you why I enjoyed it as much as I did.

The first collection starring BATWING, the African-born hero introduced in the pages of BATMAN, INCORPORATED! • What can a soldier in service of Batman Incorporated do when he’s met his match in the murderous MASSACRE? • The past looms large as Batwing’s early days as a crime fighter come to light, gaining the attention of BATMAN.

The first important part to note about Batwing: The Lost Kingdom is whilst it’s a graphic novel, it’s clearly not a standalone graphic novel. Don’t expect the story-arc to wrap up by the sixth issue allowing the reader to move onto a new one in the seventh, which I found to be a bit frustrating – as this isn’t the only New 52 title where they’ve done this. Sure, The Court of Owls, the first Batman graphic novel for the New 52 was superb and I liked how it was told as in two parts, but I think that I prefer a standalone graphic novel story, particularly if I have to wait for the Night of Owls Trade Paperback to read the next adventures of Batwing, especially as I assume they won’t be covered in the second volume.

Read the full review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/01/....

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I'm reading an issue that Judd Winick has written, I am either raving about how great it is or ranting about how awful it is. This pattern is definitely continuing into the New 52. Batwing is wonderful, while Catwoman would be the worst if Mr. Terrific hadn't managed to be published.

Batwing has an abundance of plot and all of the plots are great. One of the plotlines is about Batwing's origins, and I would read an entire volume about his experiences as a child soldier and how he became a super hero. Another plot is The Kingdom, which is Africa's version of the Justice League. I would read an entire series about them and be overjoyed.

The problem is that we don't get enough of either in this volume, and it can sometimes feel like a bit much. Entire superheroes are introduced in a couple of panels to die by the end of the issue. When a cool looking female robot only gets a passing mention it has to be a little disappointing. While I don't think this would be as much of an issue when reading Batwing in a volume instead of single issues, the pacing can be a bit of an issue. There are a lot of flashbacks, including flashbacks that are interrupted by more flashbacks. It isn't until around #6 that we catch up with the opening pages of #1.

Despite those complaints, I just can't dock any stars for it. I'd rather feel like too much is going on than have half a volume be filler issues, which is definitely the bigger issue in comics. Nothing covered in this volume can't be expanded upon in future issues. Also, I'm pretty sympathetic to the need to get other members of the Bat Family involved to increase sales.

The reason I can't dock any stars for my storyline complaints is the art, which is fantastic. The issues that have art by Ben Oliver and Brian Reber are the best in this volume. Some panels and pages border on beautiful, which isn't something I would say about most comic book art. Because of their work on this series, they're both artists that I plan on keeping an eye on in the future. When the book uses a filler artist, the art is still some of the best in comics right now.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this entire series over a week, so rather than review each book I will review the entire series here.

The series switched creative teams halfway though, and it was almost like two separate series. I loved the first half. It focused on the batman of Africa, and the stories were mostly set in Africa and dealt with relevant topics such as warlords, child armies, and other problems on the continent. It was interesting and exciting, and different as well. I highly recommend the first 3 books in the series.

However, then the series focused on a different Batwing, Luke Fox, the son of Lucius Fox, who basically runs Wayne Industries for Batman and designs his gear. The series then moved to Gotham City, and immediately became less interesting. What at first was new and different, suddenly just seemed like Batman Lite. It just drew immediate comparisons to the real Batman series and was found lacking. What bothered me the most, however, was a subplot where Batwing's sister is captured by the villain and forced to use drugs to the point of brain damaged. We end up with his sister a vegetable for several issues, and it was sad and disturbing, and I never really understood the point. She did eventually die. It just seemed a bit unnecessary to the story, and a little too dark for the comic. Perhaps I missed what the writers were going for, but it just turned me off to the whole storyline.

I will say the art was consistently good throughout the entire series, the problem was just with the storyline in the second half.

In closing, I would recommend the first three books, but say just skip the others and just accept in the your mind the story ended when the original Batwing retired.

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another surprisingly strong New 52 entry, and one of the few based on an entirely new character to the DC canon. Batwing in some ways comes off as an African version of Batman (which is kind of his role), but his back story and motivations are well developed in a different direction. And the main story, the murder of an all-African band of super heroes, was almost as interesting as the main story - I found myself interested in hearing what happened to them, which looks to be a key to the continuing series. The story is pretty violent, brutal in many cases. But it does serve the story.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Batman in Africa" could've been very naive, reductive, or preachy waters for DC to wade into, and yet I found myself largely enjoying Winick's approach. Rather than leaning hard into a Let's Watch A Fictional Hero Fix Africa story, which is what I was scared this was going to be, Winick takes a very human, and often very dark, approach to the story, relying heavily on Batwing's backstory to show us who he is and the system he's trying to overcome. And wow, his story is so much more heartbreaking than Batman's.

By delving into Batwing's years as a child soldier in a corrupt militia, we get a real sense of the huge shifts the country has gone through in the prevailing years. We also find out that, at some point, a Congolese Justice League had come together to free the country of despotic rule, only to disappear shortly thereafter. This plays in directly to the larger mysteries at hand in this series, most of which are not fully answered by the end of this volume, and have me genuinely interested.

There's also something inherently refreshing about the Congolese setting. This doesn't feel like any other superhero comic I've read lately. Leaving the constraints of the very American types of crime Batman and his ilk usually fight, Winick opens a world of possibilities and a cool sense of discovery.

That said, there is a lot of very predictable storytelling in here. There's an obvious plot twist on the way in volume two you could see coming from the moon, and Batwing's battles with Massacre (the main bad guy) have very clear outcomes before they even start punching each other. The general forward momentum of the book is pretty slow, as well, and could really use a boost in terms of answering some of the lingering questions.

But, it's still decent and original enough that I'm going to keep going with it. Hoping it pays off!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to hear about Batwing, and ended up being pleased with the final product. An African hero is a great idea, and I think Winick made David Zavimbe a great character in his own right. Yeah, he's part of the Batman Incorporated, and so funded by Bruce Wayne and mentored by Batman, but he isn't just "African Batman". He has a good backstory, and a small but interesting cast of supporting characters. His lead villain here, Massacre, is unlike any of Batman's rogues, and his motivations remain mysterious to the end of the volume. I also liked that Winick gave Batwing a history of African superheroes. Were these existing DC characters? I don't think I'd ever heard of them before. I got attached to the story and the characters, and I'm excited to get my hands on the second volume.

[Anchorpete · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked Judd Winick. It is exciting to see someone take a stab at making a Super hero in Africa. They even went so far to suggest that there was an African equivalent of the Justice League that had brought the country that Batwing lives in to peace over a decade ago. Unfortunately for that team, a supervillain named Massacre is hunting them down, one by one. The book is as Brutal as that last sentence sounds. Just picture every movie that has basically had the message "Wow, things are really brutal and scary in Africa", like Hotel Rawanda or the Last King of Scotland, or Blood Diamond, and then place a Batman Composite right in the middle of it. I enjoyed it.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nowhere on my radar until 6+ years had gone by. My very excellent local public library doesn't own a copy of any of the five volumes that were collected - and DPL has a LOT of comic books. Batwing apparently came out of Batman, Inc., which Grant Morrison developed, resulting in a short-lived worldwide network of Batman affiliates. Batwing is the "Batman of Africa," but Africa is a damn big continent with many countries and cultures, usually conflated in western education and media to a monolithic version of pan-Africanism. Thankfully, Judd Winick is a competent writer who knows how to develop complex heroes coming from places of pain (see also: Jason Todd/Red Hood and Green Arrow).

The first six issues only mention if a couple times, but this story takes place almost entirely in Congo, c.k.a. The Democratic Republic of the Congo. The art style is spectacular and consistent throughout. The villains and plot are somewhat expected but well done and truly scary nonetheless.

An important note: within the Batman family, the heroes are almost always rescued children raised by the military or police-loving, western criminal justice-oriented type of mentor. By contrast, Batwing, aka David Zavimbe, takes on the role of a policeman in Congo for pragmatic reasons rather than moral ones. His parents died of AIDS and he and his brother were forcibly recruited into a warlord's army that raided their village when they were young. He proved himself to be an exceptionally skilled asset to the power-monger General Ayo Keita, but he and his brother drew some chivalrous line against killing the women and children of the places they massacred. He has a lot of blood on his hands, and is in reform or atonement for the evils he was manipulated into as an adolescent. In that sense, he has more in common with Damien Wayne than anyone else in this world.

Part of this introductory volume is establishing a team of African superheroes of years past - currently they are being targeted and murdered in their civvie lives, but it leave room for building more of a rich pantheon of sorts on the continent.

I'll have to track down the subsequent volumes via InterLibrary Loan, but I'm genuinely compelled by this first volume to continue with the story. Winick is winning here.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is really good, I'm not surr if its down more to the line work or coloring, but it's great. The story is heavy. War toen africa, a fed up police officer who used to be a child soldier and a murderous villian. This was a darker take on the bat family for sure. I am kinda sad to know that rhis title won't continue with the same batwing after vol 3, but it is good now and the new Batwing, Lucas Fox, is pretty good in rebirth's detective comics.
My one complaint is that the villian unmasking should have been done at the end of this volume, but its a small quibble.

[Jake Robertelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Robertelli
English
Ms. Caliendo
2/10/13

Batwing, the masterpiece forged by, Judd Winick, Brian Reber, and Ben Oliver shows the life of a man who fights crime and saves innocent citizens from villains all over the world. The book takes place in Tropical Tinasha, Africa; The Haven (Batwing Headquarters), including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to name a few. Batwing is a great read and shows suspense, action, and mystery. However, this book does contain some violent pictures, so if you can't handle violence or do not like violence, then this wouldn't be the type of book for you.
David Zavimbe a police officer in his day hours is also Batwing, a nighttime vigilante who goes out to find cases and evidence for his department. The plot revolves a villain named Massacre and his name speaks for himself. In the first couple of pages you see his evil face and his smirk for instance when he sees innocent lives taken or in agony and suffering. His sinister smirk explains how bad he is because he will not live without evil in the world. I mean bad enough to destroy cities and kill his accomplishes. Batwing is basically a good way to start the series and it is about how he tries to take down Massacre. Batwing encounters him many times in the beginning of the book Massacre kills an entire police force to intimidate everyone, but that didn’t stop Batwing. Now, If you do not know who Batwing is here here is some information of this brave hero.
Batwing a stealthy, burly, and evasive superhero glides through the air in a robotic wing suit that has triangular blades on his armor, which are used as weapons. This suit can morph into a different form and protect him from stronger explosions and bullets. His suit helps him in many ways and like Batman’s suit, it has similar features of his suit. As you know, Batman is one of the most well known superheroes in DC comics, and the best part is he is featured in this comic.
Other characters you will encounter are Kia Okura, a strong police officer, and Mr. Bello, aka Thunder Fall, a former member of the fallen kingdom (an organization of superheroes) that help and protect Batwing and Batman from Massacre. Massacre is a villain who runs one of the largest drug rings in Tinasha. He has a bad reputation and is known for mass murders, destroying cities, and killing anyone or anything that gets in his way. Since this leader of a mass drug ring is on the loose, Batwing and his gang need all the support and help they can get from police forces, task forces, and special officers.
The story line has very descriptive language and drawings. Ben Oliver and Brian Reber create illustrations that if you look closely pop out at you allowing you to imagine it happening right before your eyes. The attention to intricate detail in these drawing throughout Batwing, allow the reader to experience the element of surprise, suspense, and shock important to the storyline. An example of this artwork may be seen in the scene where Batwing is saving someone from a burning house. The intensity and fear come through as you read the captions. The writer is equally as talented and the combination between him and the illustrators make the story come alive. Judd Winick used many different techniques by incorporating messages and important catch-phrases and/or figurative language. For example, Massacre says, “we honor all in blood” several times in the story to demonstrate that he his mentally crazy and causes mass murders.
I was on the edge of my seat many times and you probably would be to if you gave this book a try. At times, I thought a fist was going to pop out of this action packed book and give me a shot to the face. I am interested in graphic novels and this one is an example of how bravery leads to justice and crime leads to misery. It leaves the reader with the idea that it may be possible to achieve anything even if the numbers are on the other side. For the most part, its high tech, innovative creations, and intense gadgets appeal to readers that enjoy larger than life characters. Lastly, this story suggests that the world isn’t always positive and can bestow negative changes. This notion plays a big part in the story and you will find out why if you give this book a read. Batwing sums up to be an amazing book and will please all of your devouring minds to engulf a new adventure if you dare.

[Alex Sarll]

When DC announced their New 52, rebooting the continuity and starting over with every comic, new and old, at Issue 1, some people bought all 52 of them. I thought that was playing into the hands of a corporate plan I didn't support - but I did decide that whenever I found any of the Volume 1s of the collected editions in a library, I'd give them a go. And if I hadn't, I wouldn't have read this. Judd Winick was a pretty good cartoonist many years ago, and then did intermittently fine work on Green Lantern back when it was still about the best GL, Kyle Rayner, back before it became the eternal fiefdom of Geoff Johns and boring Hal Jordan. But since then, Winick has become one of the bywords for incomprehensible and sometimes outright offensive crap superhero comics. And then there's the concept. Batwing was first introduced as part of Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated, as an African representative of the Batman franchise. Which, in the hands of editorial, at some point morphed into 'the Batman of Africa' - because it's all one country, right? And yes, there is a little of that here, with the action ranging from the DR Congo to the Pyramids, and references back to a disbanded superteam who saved either the country or the continent, seemingly without distinction. But beyond that, the story of the former child soldier turned hero, and his seemingly unstoppable nemesis, and the skeletons in that superteam's closet...well, it's not great, but it's also not bad. There have certainly been plenty of worse Batman comics, even ones set in the same continent where the writers live.
(And oddly, even though a quarter of the DC line now consists of books with a Batman connection (and that's even excluding the core team-up title, Justice League), this was the first one I've found in any of the libraries I use)

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What most people are not aware of is that at least, in part, Batwing's visuals come from a Batman short story drawn by the late Dick Giordano decades ago. Bruce Wayne took three children out camping, and around the campfire each child told him what they thought Batman looked like. An African-American child described an African-American Batman who wore a jet pack. which now very much resembles Batwing's look.

With Grant Morrison masterminding international Batmen openly funded by Wayne, we get an African Batman in Batwing. Former child soldier David Zavimbe accepts Wayne's funding and with Matu Ba, friend and confidant David makes inroads against the corrpution he finds in Tinashaa city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Writer Judd Winick has often been accused of having a political agenda in everything he writes. If anything his agenda here reminds me of the film, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. David accepted the Batwing opportunity because he had started lashing out against corrupt cops and the criminal predators in Tinasha when he was off duty. With that out of the way Winick adds a mystery. The former African super-hero group The Kingdom are individually being hunted and murdered. Allegedly The Kingdom were involved in an atrocity before the group decided to disappear from the public eye years before.

Winick creates a believable character in David, and his small supporting casts (Matu and fellow officer/possible love interest) Kia. The political agenda, if any, revolves around the struggles of an African nation dealing with poverty and official corruption (and that is real enough).

A small complaint is that the initial story will be concluuded in volume 2, which I will most likely check out.

[Rick Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

With this book, I've nearly started all 52 series that DC initially launched under its New 52 banner. I waited for a long time to start this one because I knew nothing of the character and didn't think I would enjoy it. If I wasn't trying to read every New 52 issue, I probably would have skipped this one altogether. I would have missed out. I was pleasantly surprised by the story writer Judd Winick put together. Even though the main character is someone I knew nothing about and the story takes place in a part of the world I could not care less about, I was actually looking forward to seeing the story resolved by the time I reached the end. Unfortunately, the book leaves you on a cliffhanger and nothing will be resolved until at least the next volume. I was expecting a story as bad as New 52 Hawk and Dove or Mr. Terrific. This turned out to be a 3.5 star story.

The artist on the series is Ben Oliver. He has an art style that looks closer to a painting than it does traditional comic art. I'm not really a fan of this style. It takes a great talent like Jo Chen or Alex Ross to make me like painted comic art. I don't think this actually painted though. As I stated earlier, I think it just looks that way. I'm pretty sure all of the coloring in this was done on a computer to give it a wet, shiny look. This doesn't look horrendous, but there is a lot better art at DC. The art gets 2.5 stars.

The art and writing score average out to make this a 3 star overall book. I had assumed it would be a 1 or 2 star book, but we all know the saying about when you "assume" something. I'm glad I gave this one a chance.

[Shamus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I became a fan of Judd Winick with his Justice League: Generation Lost maxi-series, and he doesn't let me down with this new series for DC's 'New 52'. While I was a little put off by the constant jumping around through time lines, I soon was able to settle in and enjoy the story as you are shown the origin of both Batwing and his new nemesis, Massacre. The writing is solid, brutal and touching. Winick definitely doesn't pull any punches in portraying a member of Batman Inc. who is surrounded by the war torn DRCongo and it's corrupt police force. Batman appears throughout the six issues collected in this story, as he seeks to assist in Batwings progress and success. However, with the conclusion of this collection, it looks like the story will be swung over to Gotham City. I am more interested in learning more about Batwing and the Congo, though I may also be fun to see how Batwing interacts with Batman's sidekicks and the overwhelming presence of a massive city.

[Pturingan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this might be the only series in DC's New 52 that features a truly brand new character (I don't know for sure as I haven't read them all). If only for that, I had to give this series a try, hoping that new characters can succeed in their own series.

Good thing I gave it a shot because it is pretty good. This is a very solid start for a brand new character. The story is action-packed which is the minimum that I look for in a comic book (even if it seems fairly predictable who the bad guy is). And the art is really, really good; giving the series a unique look distinct from the rest of what I've seen in the New 52. I know some people don't like the "photo-realistic" art style (and I don't like it in other comics as well) but I think Ben Oliver and Brian Reber's style is different enough and fits in with the mood of the comic.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Batwing is another BatFamily member I'm unfamiliar with, having only met him in passing through the, I think, "Death of a Family" arc. Apparently, Batwing is a relatively new character being invented just prior to the New 52 reboot. I found the character intriguing. While this volume's plot is only mediocre:lots of warlords and guerrilla warfare without any 'real' supervillains I did like the look back at a special African superhero team who is now being targeted for death by the mysterious masked Massacre. This is a violent book, lots of severed limbs and heads, but it is realistic and shows the nature of the warlords. A quick read for me, not terribly exciting but , as I said, very intriguing; the end has Batwing headed towards Gotham City with a couple of familiar Batfamily members awaiting his arrival. I'll certainly read the next volume to see where this character and plot go.

[Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batwing written by Judd Winick is my personal favorite in DC's New 52. Judd brings the character to life, David Zavimbe once a child soldier fought along side his brother for a vicious warlord. Prisoners they dreamed of one day being free of General Keita.
Now free he works hard to right the wrongs of his past. Under Batman's banner he fights for Africa's freedom. When a blood thirsty villain named Massacre starts on a killing spree its up to Batwing to take him down, but when face to face with Massacre David cant help but think there is something nightmarishly familiar about him. As Batwing follows Massacre's carnage a plot unfolds involving Africa's only former superhero team The Kingdom.
This is truly one of the best new superheros in a long time. A must read for any comic book fan.

[Don Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. It took the idea of Batman and transported it to a war torn country in Africa. In it the author explore such ideas as the children soldiers of Africa, whether war criminals should be punished, and should people be punished for their actions during a time of war. The story follows a former child soldier who has now become a police office and a member of Batman Incorporated. As the story progresses he is forced to confront his and his government's past sins and deal with how they are effecting the present.

This story could be used when I discuss the question of why we study history with my class. This would be a great introduction to the idea that the past affects the present and if we do not learn from it we may make the same mistakes again.

[Richard Rosenthal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batwing is the Batman of Africa. How Bruce Wayne got around to train all these Batman Inc. guys I while leading the Justice League and protecting Gotham I have no idea. This DC title is bloody. I wouldn't share it with children. While Batman is on a quest of vengeance, Batwing is on a quest of atonement. He has done a lot of bad things. In his own mind he is a war criminal. While the entire story is set up like a serial killer murder mystery the main character is complex enough that I'm willing to read another volume.

[Sonic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flipping through it, one can see that there is some Gorgeous painted artwork in there,
but "how good is the writing gonna be?" one might ask...
... my answer?
'Pretty Darn Good!'

I was surprised at how excellent this was!

Very cool!

[Craig Neilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inventive take on the "Batman of Africa", and a passionate, dramatic opening arc that introduces the main protagonist David Zavimbe. The series would become borderline unreadable in later issues, but this was a stunning start - made all the more impressive by Ben Oliver's strong visual style.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This graphic novel would have been worth reading if I'd actually cared about the hero at all.

[Elijah · Rating 3 out of 5]

In retrospect, the New52 was a really bizarre interlude in DC's history. This title is a product of this reckless and unpredictable publishing initiative... and perhaps is also a victim of its excesses and poor planning. This review will serve as my overview of this entire title from its beginning in Vol. 1 to its downfall in Vol. 5. Why write reviews this way? Well, if someone out there considers reading this title, then I think someone should notify them of what lies ahead (as what lies ahead is not pretty).

For those of you who are not interested in reading this whole review, I will give you this short warning. I would absolutely caution against anyone reading Batwing. DO NOT BOTHER READING BATWING. The first few stories are alright, however much of the earlier part of the series sort of hovers on the mediocre. Then, the character which the story follows and gets you to care about is destroyed in the most ruthless ways possible by the writers. He is then replaced with a new, less interesting character; the title slowly fizzles out, and is eventually cancelled. The series as a whole ends on a whimper. It is doomed to be forgotten, and should be forgotten. DC made a huge mistake with this title - with this character. Do not read this, as you too will be making a mistake.

Character: Created by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham, Batwing (David Zavimbe) is an interesting yet excessive addition to the Batman mythos. Interesting because of his uniqueness as one of the rare few African superheroes that exist in comics (DC comics in particular), yet excessive or superfluous because of... well, let's just say he doesn't get a chance to stay for long and he doesn't really make much of an impact. By Vol. 4, the new Batwing (Luke Fox) created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray sort of kills the character, dooming it to a premature grave.

Vol. 1 (3/5 stars): Written by Judd Winick, this story is actually quite compelling. It really fleshes out David Zavimbe's character, motivations, and abilities beyond what was introduced in Batman Incorporated. I actually came to care for the character and was interested in seeing where he goes from here. The art, although not really my style, works for the story and is quite consistent throughout. One thing I did not like though was the graphic depiction of mutilated bodies throughout the story. I think the story could have done without that quite easily without losing its footing. The story also ends on a somewhat inconclusive note (reaching its conclusion at the start of the next volume) which kind of weakens the integrity and balance of the story.

Vol. 2 (3/5 stars): The first two issues complete the story begun in the first volume, albeit with Dustin Nguyen as the artist (thus irritating my pet peeve of changing a comic's artist midway through a story). Regardless, it ends on a somewhat satisfying note and plays around with the interesting idea of Africa having its own superhero team. Sadly, this idea is short-lived as this and the previous volume establishes the complete elimination of this team. The third issue is a "Night of the Owls" tie-in which is probably the most entertaining story of this entire volume. The next three issues takes Batwing on a globe-spanning mission which isn't really that great. The last issue presents his origin story which is quite entertaining, yet not as satisfying as the "Night of the Owls" tie-in. The art varies quite a lot throughout the volume, deteriorating in quality as it nears the end of the volume.

Vol. 3 (1/5): Possibly the worst volume out of the entire collection and one of the worst superhero stories that could possibly be created, this volume kills the idea, character, momentum, and potential of Batwing. Simply put, this volume is a character assassination which sees Batwing abandon his mission and code of honour in the most lazily written way possible. It's like DC just gave up on this character. Why bother introducing a new, unique character filled with potential, then proceed to build his character through his own ongoing series, get audiences to invest their interest in this character, only to have the character betray everything they stood for in the laziest and most dishonorable way possible? David Zavimbe just abandons everything he was working towards for the momentary, shallow satisfaction of base vengeance. Just cancel the title if you don't know what to do next with the character. Don't eliminate the potential this character has for appearing in future stories just because you don't know what to do with him anymore. Assassinating Zavimbe's character renders this entire title meaningless and destroys any respect and affection the audience had for this character. This has to be one of the worst things I have ever seen a comic publisher do to one of its characters, and the fact that it was done to one of the few African superheroes DC has is just appalling. To make matters worse, Zavimbe is promptly replaced with a privileged American teenager. Does DC honestly believe that people couldn't relate to or appreciate an African superhero? Does every superhero have to be American? Putting these narrative choices aside, the writing and art for this story ranges from mediocre to abysmally bad.

Vol. 4-5 (1/5): After the trainwreck that was the previous volume, DC tries to get audiences to forget everything the last three volumes had worked towards. Forget David Zavimbe and his dishonorable fall from grace (or rather, forget how DC had completely assassinated Zavimbe's character for no reason) and just mindlessly accept this new character. Who is this new character, you ask? Luke Fox, the stupidly-named son of Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne Enterprises and Batman's ally. Why, DC, WHY!!! How can you be this dumb?! If assassinating Zavimbe's character wasn't enough, you proceed to ruin Lucius Fox's as well? Let's just contemplate what is happening here, after Zavimbe behaved the way that he did, Batman is like, "Shame. Oh well, let's try this Batwing thing again, shall we?" No. No. No. No. No. Batman would never do crap like that. Batman would recognize that Zavimbe had brought disgrace to the Batwing symbol, to the Batman symbol, and so Batman would completely bury the whole Batwing mantle. He wouldn't pass it on and be like, "Second time's a charm. Let's give this another try." And what's the whole point of Batwing if not providing a Batman-esque figure for every corner of the globe? Isn't that the sole purpose of Batwing's existence? To contribute to the vision that is Batman, Inc.? If Batman is going to continue the mantle of Batwing, then why doesn't he give it to another dude from Africa to serve as Africa's Batman? Why give another Batman-related identity to yet another American teenager? This entire decision to destroy a good idea that people had come to care about (African Batman) and replace it with a bad idea that no one could care less about (new teenage American Batman sidekick) is a literary atrocity.

I think what makes this narrative choice even worse is how Palmiotti and Gray decide to attach it to the legend who is Lucius Fox in the hopes that it will somehow get this comic-book Titanic to stay afloat. All that it does is just drag down Lucius Fox's otherwise unspoiled character into the mud. Side characters not only exist but also thrive on complementing the main character of a story (in this case, Batman). 'Less is more' is a principle that side characters benefit from. Written with restraint, consistency, and likeability, side characters garner respect and importance from the audience. What would Batman comics be without such awesome characters as Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Leslie Thompkins, and Lucius Fox? We already know all that we need to know about Lucius Fox - a careful balance of knowing enough to develop the character and earn the audience's appreciation, while not knowing too much to spoil the character's image and to ruin the audience's interest in them. What I am trying to say is that, creating a connection between the new Batwing and Lucius Fox was a really bad move because Palmiotti and Gray rely on revealing more and more information (unflattering information, mundane information, information that doesn't add to what makes the character interesting and likeable but rather takes away from their appeal) about Lucius Fox and his family to the point where it detracts from Lucius Fox's character and importance in Batman comics. Lucius Fox goes from becoming a really cool supporting character in Batman comics, to a boring secondary character who the audience could care less about in Batwing comics. If you read this and the next volume, you too will see this happen. Why spoil Lucius Fox's reputation (the appeal of a great character) to try to save a floundering character who DC could care less about and readers have lost interest in because of ludicrous self-sabotaging narrative decisions?

In terms of the art, the covers of this story (by Darwyn Cooke, Dan Panosian, Ken Lashley and Jason Wright) look really good. The interior art is so-so. The writing and plot gradually deteriorates.

Like I said at the start of this review for the entire series, Batwing starts out promising with an interesting, well-written story that fleshes out a compelling and unique character, but sadly devolves into mediocrity, culminating in a shocking editorial decision that renders everything that had been achieved with this series and character redundant. Why bother reading this series if all of its appeal and purpose is going to be slowly eroded and decisively betrayed by Volume 3? Why bother investing in a brand new character by giving them their own series if you are going to sabotage any success they had and could have had within 20 issues? Volumes 4 and 5 continue the downward spiral, and unfortunately tarnish the character of Lucius Fox. So, my final summary of this series is DO NOT READ.

[Nico · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I waded into this one with an extreme amount of trepidation. When I read the premise of this new extension of the Bat Family I was more than a little concerned that we were gonna get a random black dude thrown into a high-tech Batsuit and planted somewhere in Africa (the country decided by something like a dart thrown on a map by a person in a blindfold) while DC proudly held out their new comic to the world awaiting many sincere pats on the back and perhaps a sticker for diversity.

(Call me a cynic. Most days it's an accurate description.)

Anyways, yeah, that's not what this was at all and I'm really rather impressed. Judd Winick, please accept my meek and sincere apology.

That being said, would I have been reeeaaallyy happy if this run was written by a black person? Oh you better believe it sir or madam. But I think they generally did a really great job with this, and I do hope they did some legitimate research about child soldiers, revolutions in the DROC, corrupt police etc. before putting pen to paper. I'll be the first to admit that I am in no way an expert on any of the above subjects so I can't be the judge of how real certain elements are, but I'm curious how someone who had lived through similar experiences would find this depiction. But enough rambling; onto my thoughts.

First of all, the art: it's just freaking perfect. The style suits the story and setting in such a way that it's hard to describe, but it just fits. The colouring is often bleak, which sets an appropriate tone, and something about the angular way people and backdrops are drawn really works. It took me maybe three pages of being unsure about the art to being unable to want anything different before page 10. By the third issue I was taking extra time to just appreciate it all. Two thumbs up on that front.

The violence. Oh fuck is this brutal and you better believe I was soaking up every panel with a dark (and possibly sightly maniacal at times) smile on my face. Yes, I understand I'm probably getting some weird looks from it, but I adore when artists and writers don't pull their punches and get super messy and bloody and, I'll say it again, so brutal. I just think that showing all the guts and gore instead of getting a panel of characters' reactions with a description really immerses you in the story and gives you a solid idea what mental turmoil the hero is going through. Obviously that's not some peoples' jam, and hey, that's okay. But when I get a room full of decapitated people in the first issue, I'm pumped as hell to see what other messed up adventures I'm going to get to see, not just have described to me. In for penny, as they say.

David: I like him, in short. He's absolutely broken with a past full of unresolved horrors that makes you want to sob, but looking at all my favourite characters... yeah. That's kind of the trend. I'm really interested to see where he's going to end up and how he'll grow. He's got a lot to unpack and a ton at stake.

Matu: My dude. Love this guy. Calm, quick, smart, and a heart of absolute pure gold. If anything serious happens to him I might find whoever did it and break every one of their toes with a hammer. Oh, he's fictional you say? Sorry, didn't hear you.

The political/war angles: Normally I run away from these types of things screaming and begging for mercy, but it clearly didn't go that way with Batwing. Still not entirely sure why, but I'm too scared to question it out of fear I'll abandon the series and never find out what happens.

The plot: Predictable at many times, yes, but still wildly entertaining. It's not like I've solved the whole thing already, but at least three "big reveals" came at zero shock to me.

Child soldiers: Breaks my goddammed heart in real life and broke it several times over again while reading this. It's really, really heavy stuff to read about; these kids, they're just kids. Again, I'm not an expert, but from the reading I've done it was handled well and showed just how long those experiences affect these people and how shameless and heartless the commanders/recruiters are. It can be exceptionally hard to read the next panel at times because you just know this is actually happening in our world. Heavy stuff.

Bruce/Gotham: You only see Batman for like 7 panels in the entire volume, but his gruff leadership is still showing. Without spoilers, the final pages of this got me insanely pumped for volume 2, oh man.

All in all, yes, I did take a bus to a library and collect every other volume I could find of Batwing, so that's kind of my litmus test for whether something is a genuinely successful read. I'm happily surprised, I'm intrigued, and I'm already invested way more than I thought I'd be, so I'll stop typing now and get to reading.