Steve Epting's art is fantastic. He's able to give a classic feel but with modern sensibilities.

We're introduced to Kate's lost year where she spent time on an island full of degenerates, with her lover keeping the peace. Now she returns while tracking down some arms dealers who are selling the monster man serum. My one complaint is that we don't really get enough backstory to care about (or even know) who some of these characters are.

The last issue is about a way future Kate who is in charge of the Colony fighting a new Batman who has walled off Gotham. It all seemed really dumb. Plus, these future stories never actually happen so they are pointless.

So I love Batwoman and all of the Bat family. Batwoman has always been hit or miss for me. The last series left me horribly disappointed because of the ending. I was hoping that this revival would be able to mend that hurt. Instead it is just another book that follows the same back story that is no longer really believable because of the change in laws. The art is gorgeous, I enjoyed the story itself, but it didn't do enough to make me forget that Batwoman was killed off instead of being allowed to have a loving gay relationship. I hope this series treats her better than the last one did.

The title starts making sense after a while as you learn about where Kate Kane spent/misspent a year of her life after being kicked out of the military. Time spent on an island of thieves, smugglers, and assassins will shape a person in different ways. For Kate, this was a time to get herself back together. But now, she has to deal with the past and move on. Plus a strange storyline that includes a future Tim Drake as Batman confronting Batwoman.

This was my first DC graphic novel. The first story arc was engaging and gave just enough background info of Batwoman to understand what was going on, but didn't give everything away. However, the start of the second arc just confused me to no end. I did not understand the jump and it is not friendly to first time readers. I doubt that I will continue reading the series

Batwoman Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death by Marguerite Bennett takes hold of the Batwoman - Kate Kane character and seeks to give us some background on how she came to don the cowl and persona of Batwoman.

Katherine Kane was thrown out of West Point for being a lesbian and then goes on to become a drunken socialite when fate lands her on an island where she finds both love and a purpose. She also find hate and an adversary she does not realize and now it may be too late.

Now, as Batwoman, she must return to the island that is flooding Gotham with the bioweapon; Monster Venom. But the island where she became whole has changed and the woman she loved, who ruled this island is gone and left in her place is death and hate.

Can Katherine stop the supply of the drug and face off against someone who was trained by the same woman who trained her.

Batwoman is a very interesting character in the DC Universe who, though she dons the cape and cowl, does not necessarily follow Batman's lead. Her emergence as a leader in Detective Comics of the Bat team alongside Batman is giving this character a much needed boost. She is not Batgirl or Robin but something entirely different. Making her a lesbian is not a reason to read this book and nor is it a reason not to. It is simply a part of who she is. Take note Marvel, this is social commentary done right.

Here's hoping that DC figures out what to do with this character since they dropped the ball on her in the new 52 so badly. This Rebirth may be the rebirth that she needs.

BATWOMAN VOL. 1 collects issues #1-6 and the one-shot special BATWOMAN: REBIRTH #1. (less)

Good first edition of the return of one of the lesser known DC characters. Very action packed and gripping. Vibrant and enticing art style. Perfect for all fans of the DC universe!

I loved Batwoman, but I really didn't like Knife, yes she is a villain but there are usually some redeeming qualities to one, and she didn't have any. This book kind of seemed like it was one giant lover's quarrel that never got resolved. I struggled to finish the book at all.

A fine introduction to this newly revealed chapter in Kate Kane's life.

I was incredibly pleased that in Batwoman Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death, Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion demonstrate themselves aware of what it takes to spin a good Kate Kane story and that they're up to the task. And the book gets better as it goes, flitting through color schemes and art styles, and fantastically unlocked from time as past, present, and potential future intermingle. The creative team succeeds where others have failed in accomplishing something that can authentically be called Batwoman.

Disclosure: I received an advance copy on Netgalley.

In this collection, Batwoman seeks to stop someone who is supplying illegal weapons to the black market, with the stated goal of killing people from as many different nations as possible. Our intrepid heroine follows the trail in her private yacht until it leads to a place she knows well.

This story is more James Bond than superhero. It's also more Harlequin than Harley Quinn.

The art, done by multiple artists, is beautiful. When she wears her costume and her cowl with the long hair, the art reminds me very much of John Romita, Sr. When you see her out of costume, the art is more Sal Buscema. And if you're familiar with those artists, you get an idea of my age and comic-reading background. The action is good, with rough-and-tumble combat that doesn't hold bad due to gender. It brought back the best of my memories and granted me a story with a woman in the lead.

The storyline is good. Katherine Kane is every bit the millionaire playgirl that Bruce Wayne is. Unlike Bruce, she tried to serve her country in the military and was tossed out of West Point for being a lesbian during the bad old days. Afterwards, she became a socialite drunkard who was saved by The Batman from leading a useless life. As Batwoman, she traces the bad guys and gals to Coryana, an island of outlaws... and must face her own past.

You will sense a 'but' coming here. If you are worried about spoilers, this might count... but it's not a surprise to the heroine.

This graphic novel involves a lesbian hero, and I believe it was primarily aimed at lesbians. The majority of lesbian fiction I've seen have been romances, and The Many Arms of Death wanders into this category, too. The leading antagonists and allies are all female, and the majority are either former lovers or romantic rivals of Katherine Kane. While romance comics used to be popular, too, this is a little too insular for me. I want to see lesbians interacting with the 'regular' world of comic books, like Maggie Sawyer of Metropolis SCU. Your opinion may be different.

I award this story four stars because I think it's a good storyline, well-executed, and has great art. I would recommend it to those friends who would appreciate it.

This Batwoman volume starts with a whirlwind tour of Kate Kane’s life, including a childhood kidnapping that didn’t go well for her twin or her mother, entering West Point which didn’t go well for West Point, and coming out of the closet which doesn’t go well for the lecherous men who want to bed her. A bout of heavy drinking goes well until Batman and her dad spoil the fun.

The present starts after the Monster Men have been dispatched (not one of the better moments in DC history). Ah but there’s one left, so Batwoman chases him down, only to learn that The Many Arms of Death are behind the latest scheme to kill everyone on Earth, or at least as many people as possible. But a black-garbed female assassin shows up and almost spoils Kate’s day. Fortunately, she has a yacht piloted by Julia Pennyworth, her hot butler, to fall back on, so life isn’t so bad. Julia mixes a mean martini.

All of the Many Arms know that Kate Kane is Batwoman, by the way, making hers the least secret of secret identities. Why does she bother with her bizarre mask? Not that the endless stream of bright red hair wouldn’t give her away regardless.

Anyway, Kate is off to an island of cutthroats where she once had an affair with Safiyah. Supposedly she’s looking for Joker venom dealers, but really she wants to see Safiyah again. Julia can’t be liking that. But instead of Safiyah, she encounters a new foe, or an old foe with a new but lackluster name, Knife. She uses knives. Get it?

The parts of the backstory that develop Kate’s relationship with Safiya are quite good. They add some depth to Kate’s story without becoming melodramatic.

Then we get to issue 6 which jumps to a strange future or alt-future or maybe it’s just a bad acid trip. Batwoman has put on some years, and she’s returning to Gotham which is now controlled by a Tim Drake Batman, whose drones keep track of citizens as if it were 1984 all over again. This is a spinoff of The Fall of Batman but I mean, Nazi Batman? Really? Why?

The art in this volume is consistently strong. I wish DC could maintain that kind of quality throughout its lineup.

Meh... one proof of how little regard this has is that it's a Rebirth without forty variant covers in the art gallery. People clearly can just take or leave this one, and that's how I felt - some of the artwork is good, some awful, and the story doesn't get us anywhere, with a bland couple of baddies whose biggest sin is finishing each other's exposition, a mediocre way of not closing any story threads off, so it's all utterly inconsequential, and lesbian leftovers from the pages of Harley and WW to wake the fan-boys up every few pages. It's not dreadful, but the wishy-washy way the flashbacks are supposed to create tension and character really don't work, and it's all a bit ho-hum. Two and a half stars.

Whew. I'll start with the final story in the TPB. I assume it's part of a bigger DC wide thing. Batwoman is coming back to Gotham, which is now two parts, one very much ruled by a new Batman, and the part 'Free Gotham' with Commissioner Renee Montoya in charge. It was interesting, but I think I need to read the rest of whatever the bigger story is to really understand the undercurrents of what's going on here.

Then there's the main story in the TPB where Kate and Julia Pennyworth go to Coryana, a place where Kate has quite the past. A mystery company called Kali Corp is in this story too, and it added a whole intriguing bunch of stuff to Kate's backstory. Pretty cool.

I was given this ARC by Netgalley on behalf of DC Entertainment.

Kate Kane is a character that I love to read, but don’t always manage to keep up with. With Rebirth, there are enough details for new and sporadic readers to get started. While there are parts where things are not clear or require outside knowledge, overall this has a great story and beautiful art that can be enjoyed by many.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

It was okay. I wasn't clear on the development of the character and why she became Batwoman. But it was really well inked. I loved the look of it.

I have never read anything about batwoman before, so this was quite the experience. Of course, with most american graphic novels I've been reading I felt like this was fast-paced, almost to the point where I felt like I missed something.

I really like the characters and think they are pretty cool. Kate is a very interesting character and I think there is so much that can be done with her character. Except for the characters, I felt like this issue, fell flat.
The art was okay. I liked the pages where we saw how the characters looked/ what they were doing at certain ages. The world is begging to be explored. The story... well, there was a story. Like I said, it went so fast that I wouldn't figure out what was really going on. I also might have mixed some characters up for a while *WHOOPS*! I guess, I didn't understand the whole island thing and why these villains were important to Kate, or even why this island in particular should be the one for the nefarious plot.

I do want to understand the future Kate and what is going on there, but I'm just not as invested as I hoped to be, so I probably won't read it.

I loved this graphic novel!

I had never read a Batwoman comic before, and this one is a great introduction. There was a lot of background given through flashbacks, so I felt like I knew her whole history. The main conflict in the story dealt with people from Batwoman’s past returning to her life, so it kept returning to her younger years.

There was a lot of diversity in this graphic novel. There were characters of different races. Batwoman also had girlfriends in the story. This is a modern take on a classic character.

The art was also fabulous! My favourite was the comic entitled “Blinding.” The graphics looked like it was painted with water colours. It was a flashback comic, so the soft colours gave it a dreamlike quality.

This was a great graphic novel! I’ll definitely look for more from Batwoman.

I have mixed feelings about this volume. I liked the art, I mostly liked the storyline, I thought it hung together pretty well. "New circumstances force hero to return to the place/lover they left behind" is a classic trope for introducing backstory for a reason and it works fine. I haven't read any other Batwoman comics, though, and while this volume tried to provide "catch up" info, it didn't really work for me -- too much of it was oblique references or just pictures instead of words. And the frame story of an older Batwoman invading a dystopian Gotham wasn't connected to the main story at all (I assume a connection will be explained in later volumes...) so it felt a little disorienting that the final issue in the volume suddenly jumped into the future. I am certainly curious about the cliffhanger introduced by that last issue, and I expect I'll continue reading the series.

Typically not a DC fan, and definitely not a Batman fan, I decided to give the rebooted Batwoman a try, based off good reviews of other books about her. I went in totally unfamiliar with Batwoman, so I appreciated her origin story in the beginning to get know what shaped her into who she is now. As a child her twin sister and mother are killed in a failed kidnapping (although you just know her twin will reapppear again- if not in this volume, a future one). We then see Kate as a cadet at West Point and when her sexuality is discovered, she won't deny it, thus she is kicked out. Next the heiress is seen partying it up, but it's obviously a mask to hide her pain.

Then the timeline really starts to dart around. Kate has a "lost" year between leaving West Point and becoming Batwoman. She is stranded on the island of Coryana with a head injury and falls in love with her benefactor Safiyah, who is the leader of this lawless nation. Safiyah's previous lover Tahani is pushed aside for Kate, which fills Tahani with rage. Years later Tahani is back for revenge and the storyline becomes James Bondish, with an actual Moneypenny character. Kate is very unlikable at this stage, and Tahani speaks some truth to her, which Kate just ignores. As soon as I finally was becoming comfortable in this one stage of her life, there is another timeline jump into the future.  No mater what timeline she is in, Kate jumps from one lover to another, and is condescending to all. I've never been a fan of "bad boys who need redemption" character types, so I wasn't a fan even with the gender switch. No matter who you are, or love, be nice. I guess she's similar to Batman- whose brooding nature I have never liked.

Three artists are listed, and as such sometimes the art style shifts from one issue to the next. All illustrate well, with a dark color palette and varied panel structure. It's certainly not the art I have a problem with. What I don't get is her supposed secret identity. Hello- her flaming red hair is a huge clue! Is everyone supposed to think that Batwoman can't be Kate because Kate has short red hair while Batwoman has long? Its a wig people, attached to her cowl!  And does she she wear it under her clothes? There was one scene in which she is dressed as Kate and one second later she is in her costume. I actually looked to see if there was a page, or at least a panel, that would explain it.

I received this digital copy through NetGalley for a fair and unbiased review. I let the excitement of being approved for the volume to override my usual avoidance of Batman stories. I'm not sure if me not liking it had to do with my distaste for Kate or if the time jumping made it too choppy for me to enjoy. While I welcomed the needed LGTBQ superhero storyline, Kate wasn't the right person to carry it off.

I gave up on “Batwoman” during her “New 52” run because it was so bleak, dark, and scattered, and I hoped that it would bring focus back to Kate, Bette, and Maggie Sawyer. But, alas, Bette and Maggie are mentioned only in passing, and Kate is on the hunt for traffickers of Monster Venom, which has spiked in usage and is causing a lot of trouble. The group is called the Many Arms of Death, and Kate is on the case! This, however, brings us to a spike in Kate’s own past, as she returns to an island that she spent some time on with Safiyah, the leader of a rowdy band of outlaws, during her search. Safiyah and Kate were lovers during Kate’s stint (captivity?) on this island, and now Safiyah has disappeared… Though some old faces remain, and are determined to cause trouble for Kate, just as a looming corporation has plans for the island. I mean, fine, okay, but I kind of liked it when Batwoman was doing her own thing in Gotham, and wasn’t being told what to do by Bruce Wayne. International drug traffickers and corrupt executives doesn’t really get my goat in my comics, and I couldn’t really bring myself to get invested in this entire storyline. I did like seeing Julia Pennyworth, Alfred’s daughter, acting as Batwoman’s sidekick. She provides some very fun humor and snark to go along with the brooding angst that Kate brings us (there’s a rather funny joke she has regarding ‘creepy twin bingo’ and a square that says ‘weird incest vibes’). But it was a small solace in a storyline that just had me more bored than anything else.

I should mention, however, that some of the art in this is absolutely beautiful. Stephanie Hans did this issue in the collection, and I just love the dreamlike quality to it.

I’m sorry to say that the new “Batwoman” arc in “Rebirth” just may not be for me. I have some time before the next trade comes out to ruminate on whether or not I’m going to continue, but as of right now I may just need to stick with “DC Bombshells” for my Kate Kane fix. I wish her all the best and all the success that she deserves, though.