Dave | unobtrusive lucidity

A Review of “Batwoman: Elegy”

Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The New 52 brought me to DC Comics in a way that I’d never been involved before. I didn’t think that would be the case. I knew these classic characters in ways that the casual reader likely doesn’t, because I grew up with comic books. That said, I grew up with the Marvel universe on my shelf much more than the DC Universe, but still…I was suspect. Until I read a handful of the inaugural issues, after which I was hooked. As you might suspect, the Batman titles have held special interest for me, likely because I had been a Batgirl reader prior to the New 52’s launch.

Batwoman, however, is the character of which I knew the least. While friends have spoken very highly of what DC is doing with the character, I found myself turning to wikis to read about her origin, because I knew very little about Katie Kane or how she fits into the Batman mythology.

As it turns out, she operates parallell to Batman’s mythology more than she operates within it, but, in any case, I wanted to be introduced to this character, and, “Elegy” being a highly acclaimed story arc, seemed a good place to start. This graphic novel collects all of the issues within the story arc, which takes place before the New 52 re-boot.

Here we find Batwoman facing off against a new villain called Alice, who dresses as one of Carroll’s characters and quotes lines from the book while proving herself quite adept in the realm of criminal insanity. She is targeting Batwoman, and Katie does not know why. Katie proactively begins hunting down Alice, against her father’s advice. Her father points out that this is more about revenge, while Katie insists that this is about survival. The reader is drawn on a rollercoaster of a storyline as we watch Katie waver back and forth between the two.

Batwoman is a very different character for the Batman mythology. She has a military background, and has received much notice as being one of DC’s few gay characters. After being dishonorably discharged from military service for her sexuality, she is in search of a new way to “serve.” She is inspired when she fights off a mugger, easily defeating the attacker just as Batman shows up. She watches the Dark Knight vanish into Gotham’s dark skyline, and realizes that this is how she will serve the public around her. Using her wealthy father’s resources and her background along with new training, she dons a costume as Batwoman. Her adventures bring her into occasional contact with Batman, although she is not really part of his “family,” at least not at this point.

Batwoman’s origin is woven into this story through flashbacks, as it brings to light who Alice is and why she is targeting Batwoman (I’ll say no more in the interest of spoilers). The story weaves in a good dose of the supernatural, which fits well with Gotham’s eerie past. As with any self-contained collection of stories from a larger serial, there is some backstory of which the reader may not be aware, but I was able to deduce at least the generalities of this quickly. So, someone who does not read comics regularly would not be lost here.

The art is a very different style than I’m used to reading in comics, at times striking with Batwoman’s imposing figure and red and black costume, at times cartoonish in background panels and it’s portrayal of Alice. Our heroine is consistently daunting yet disturbing in appearance, her skin a bit too white, her smile threatening. This is critical in understanding the character, however, and developing the character is perhaps what the writers do best here. I felt that I knew Katie Kane as well as I know most other characters in the Batman mythology when I turned the final page.

That said, the character isn’t one of my favorites. While an interesting and dynamic addition to Batman’s world, this is a peripheral individual, operating in Batman’s likeness but not with his style, and often not with his blessing. She serves the people of Gotham as a hero would, yet her sense of duty seems misplaced at times. Her actions are motivated by anger more than justice, and I concluded at the end of the book that she was, in fact, quite motivated by revenge. Her closing words to an underground coven of lucanthropic criminals is to leave her family alone, or “I will kill every last one of you.” These are violent sentiments of which no other hero in the Batman “family” that I can identify would ever espouse. This is part of what sets Batwoman apart, however, and, as we see her walk away from her father in the final panels of the story, she does so different from Katie Kane. Any version of Batman’s mantel comes with a price, and Batwoman’s dedication to protecting those around her has caused her to be drawn into a darker version of herself as the story concludes.

Overall, it is this radical departure from Batman’s heroism that causes me to rate this book with only three stars. That said, the writing is excellent, the story exciting if predictable, and the art refreshingly different. If you’re interested in the Batman titles and, like me, have no idea where Batwoman fits in, this is a good read. I’m glad that I got to know this character. I’m just disappointed with her based on what I know.

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We’re Known by our Toys

THIS JUST IN: our society defines itself by its technology.

I know, I know. That’s a shocking statement, but let’s move quickly to acceptance, shall we? Humanity is beginning to truly realize its essence when we are creating, and so we create and build things, and use those things to make our lives easier, and thus we are very proud of those things. It’s the beginning of a theology of technology, and it’s a very natural…and, at it’s core, I’d say it’s a very good…inclination.

At first blush, though, those of us who don’t like to succumb to trendy things might see it as a mindless, materialistic “keeping up with the Jonses.” We might push back a bit (I remember when using a Mac or an iPhone was different, instead of trendy), perhaps by refusing to use what we prefer if it becomes too popular with everyone else (well, I still use my iPhone, but a lot of my colleagues are Android users…).

It’s just that sort of thing, though, that leads to some interesting statements about ourselves. When e-readers were becoming all the rage, I read an article (somewhere…the location escapes me at the moment) that humorously discussed how the Kindle would remove the status of literary snob. After all, no one could tell that it was A Tale of Two Cities that you were reading on the subway, only that you were carrying a spiffy little device.

Two jobs or so ago, I had a desk between two of my colleagues. The guy on my left used a PC laptop and carried an Android phone. I was in the middle with my all-Apple gear. The girl on my right was the most diversified…she used a PC laptop, an Android phone, and an iPad. Maybe I’m just geeky enough to notice something like that, but I think that it says something about us, something about the new way that we assess each others’ personalities.

Because we’re now not just reading A Tale of Two Cities on the subway with an e-reader. We could be using a Nook instead of a Kindle, or any number of tablets. Instead of noticing the book cover, we notice someone’s device preferences (which is a sad commentary on an increasingly illiterate society, but I digress).

Sometimes, especially among the geekier circles in which I make a living, I’ll hear people argue over things that I thought weren’t really things that we debate any longer. Mac or PC, iOS or Android. I’ve actually heard people argue over what’s better, as though there were some personality flaw involved with someone choosing to still carry a Blackberry.

I think, though, that the reason is because we’re looking for a way to stand out, to identify ourselves to others in a society (and especially in a workforce) that prizes homogeny and doing what’s popular. The thing with the diversity in the types of innovations that we create in our striving to fully realize our humanity is that they are created by different personality types, with different personality types in mind. Someone who uses an Android phone wants a completely different experience than I want. I want a totally different experience by reading on a Nook than someone else would expect with a Kindle. The issue is both the device and what the device accesses, as well as how it accesses it. Visual aesthetics are different. Different individuals are more concrete or abstract than others, and need a different sort of information structure to navigate the web that connects us to the world (a web that increasingly becomes a necessity).

So, as much as I want to tell you how much my Mac is better than your PC, there is no right or wrong answer here. What is present is an opportunity to learn about the person sitting next to you, to begin to understand how they think. That leads to understanding how they see the world. And that leads to understanding how we are more alike than different.

Which is just possibly how a theology of technology may begin.

Who said collecting expensive toys was a bad thing?

Steampunkinetics

This is a multi-media piece call “Steampunkinetics 2013,” currently on display in Danvers, MA. The plaque on the side reads in part:

“‘Steampunkinetics’ is an arts and technology program for adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) run at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The mission of Steampunkinetics is to provide those with ASD the resources, skills, and support needed to create a unique and innovative work of art using technology and

Published!

It might be true, as it turns out, that some of the best ideas come to you in dreams.

Just before our daughter was born (almost two years ago now!!), I woke one night from a dream that remained clearly in my memory until the following morning. I knew that I had to write it down, because it was quite obviously the foundation for a story that needed to be told. We were in the early stages of planning our move northward at the time, and I think that’s what brought this dream about. In the dream, Karen and I were standing on a hill in our former city in Virginia, except the city had been abandoned, and we were looking out over the expanse of what used to be and remembering our lives there in whispers to each other.

A few seconds of dream, ultimately, but the ideas that followed took a life of their own, and I wrote as a labor of love in whatever free moments that I could find after our daughter was born, because she was forever connected to this piece of fiction in my heart. A few months later, it was edited and finished, and I’ve been shopping it around since. It was accepted for publication this week!

So, I’m excited to let you know that “Diaspora” is published in the May issue of eSciFi magazine. You can currently purchase a copy directly from Barnes & Noble, and I will keep you posted as it becomes available other places, as well.

I’d be honored to hear what you think!

Swimming up the Creative Stream

Poor Amazon just doesn’t know what to make of me.

That was the discussion that I had with a colleague tonight. She was talking about a book that she is reading about working with a specific component of the Autism spectrum. We work together doing applied theatre with an agency that uses theatre to work with students on the spectrum. It’s one of the several things that I do for a living. I like being diversified. The variety is, as they say, the spice of life.

I don’t actually buy much from Amazon these days, but it was my go-to supplier for grad school textbooks, and music for a while. I’ve talked before about how I continue to receive emails for suggested purchases, ranging from theology texts to counseling texts to fiction to web development guides. I wonder sometimes if people like me don’t threaten to make the algorithms explode. We’re spread about everywhere, exploring and practicing all manner of different disciplines and craft, loving the variety and eschewing routine wherever possible. We defy compartmentalization, which is quite abrasive to a culture that is becoming increasingly boxed in concerning roles, expertise, and skill sets.

I used to have issues dealing with this. Even when I came to embrace the wildly different aspects of myself, I still felt as though I was continuously swimming upstream. It’s been quite refreshing to live in an area where a lot of creatives live very similar lives, simultaneously exploring very different pursuits.

Except that I don’t see this as a “creative” thing, at least not as the word is typically defined in regards to people. Or, maybe more to the point, I see it as a creative thing in the sense that everyone is creative. I’m such a passionate advocate of an interdisciplinary mindset because I believe that “cross-pollination” of different disciplines enhances everyone’s lives. We all grow, and we all benefit.

Of course, it’s difficult when you’re encouraged to become overly specialized and to fit yourself into a box. Many things worth having, though, are not easy.

Spend the rest of the week defying your boxes.

Photo Attribution: lovlihood under Creative Commons