Batwoman #38

[history79]

Comments

[nightauditguy]

Yes talk about your relationship issues when other people are nearby

[filthysize]

To be fair, a very large percentage of society seems unable to avoid doing this kind of thing.

[lieut_kettch]

But very few of them have secret identities.

[mrstatham]

Gonna be one magnificent, amazing, amazing ass-pull to see how Andreyko both justifies this entire story as Kate not being raped in more ways than one and shows that Kate knew what she was doing the whole time.

That whole thing really reads like Andreyko using Kate to lash out at the audience who've been less than responsive to this run after JHW3 and Blackman leaving. Especially the last few panels.

[akodo_rokku]

I doubt he's going to justify it. She's clearly under Nocturna's control, vampirism and all.

[halloweenjack]

I dunno. Maybe it's just me having fond memories of Andreyko's work on Manhunter, but I think this can also be read as his using Maggie to call bullshit on the changes to their relationship that were ordered by editorial.

[mrstatham]

I liked Manhunter too. But editorial nerfing the marriage didn't mean he had to demolish the relationship entirely and replace it with this mess.

[onceaskrull]

Are her lips supposed to look chapped?

[informationgeek]

The most positive thing I say about this is that there seems to be a better artist working on this book now. Jeanty... was really not that good, especially after people like Moritat (yes I know he did fill in art, but still), Jeremy Haun, Trevor McCarthy, and most importantly frickin J.H. Williams III.

I mean, this all average art, but I'll take over the last one. *sigh*

[reveen]

What is being done here that can't have been done without the little detail of the rape, again?

[jekylls_salvation]

Is she not noticing she has long sharp teeth? Or does she know already?

[mrstatham]

I think the look of surprise on Maggie's face in the 'what's happened to you?' panel should be much stronger.

[jekylls_salvation]

Yeah if I saw my friend was a vampire, my reaction wouldn't be "I don't know who you are anymore," it would be something more like "holy faaaaa" and "you're a faaaaaaa vampire."

[dcbanacek]

So when did they make Maggie Sawyer the female John Constantine?

[endis_ni]

A female John Constantine would lend this story a veneer of awesome I'm not sure it deserves.

[big_daddy_d]

.....can we please put an end to this story?

[skemono]

From the cover, I'm guessing Batwoman joins Ragman to fight a golem in the rest of the issue. Could we have more of that, and less vampire rape?

[junipepper]

Or really, just less vampire rape in general...

[silverhammerman]

Agreed. The new Batwoman direction is a major departure from the previous stuff, but a weird occult adventure story totally sounds like something I'd read. The whole "romance"/rape angle is so off putting though that it's a complete deal breaker for me.

[lieut_kettch]

Kate's a vampire now? At least now there's a justification for her looking so pasty now.

[jekylls_salvation]

She got turned a few issues ago by a vampire who discovered her identity. They're kind of dating now. A lot of people are saying it's rapey. Which kind of makes you realize vampires are generally pretty rapey.

[shadur]

Because sneaking into someone's bedroom and making them think you're their girlfriend in order to sleep with them and drink their blood is not "legitimate" rape.

I know there are plenty of idiots who think Twilight is somehow a romantic story, but it still disappoints me that it's 2015 and shit like this is actually still up for debate.

[jekylls_salvation]

I don't get the appeal. 99% of what a vampire does is violation. Yet the appreciation remains. Vampires will hypnotize you, seduce you, assault you, whatever it takes to drink your blood. But that part's ignored so it can all be fetishized. Like this 50 shades business. None of it makes sense. It makes me wonder, is it simple pervasive ignorance, or is there something deeper it all appeals to, something primal, natural? Or both. It's all horrifying.

[starwolf_oakley]

I know there are four lesbians in the DCU: Maggie, Kate and Rene Montoya. Who is the fourth?

The Anne Heche line bugs me. And not for being kind of dated.

[lieut_kettch]

Toby Raines? Assuming she still exists in the nu52.

[richardak]

Out of curiosity, since I don't particularly want to buy this comic, why does it say "truth" on the cover (that's what the Hebrew word in the circle means)? Is that just the title of the story, or what?

[skemono]

It's a reference to the Golem of Prague, most like. Note the aleph is crossed out:

In some tales (for example, some versions of those of the golems of Chełm and Prague, as well as in Polish tales and version of Brothers Grimm), a golem is inscribed with Hebrew words, such as the word emet (אמת, "truth" in Hebrew) written on its forehead. The golem could then be deactivated by removing the aleph (א) in emet, thus changing the inscription from "truth" to "death" (met מת, meaning "dead").

[shadur]

Yes, this is definitely "Nobody telling Kate Kane what to do" and not at all like an abusive girlfriend twisting her around until her best friends are worried they don't recognize her anymore...