First let me say that I loved the Illustrations and it was Comic Gorgeous all the way! The story line was interesting but I believe the lesbian angle was pushed way too much. I enjoy reading diverse characters but there is a point of going overboard. I am glad I got to read this graphic novel and will recommend it to others that I know will enjoy it.

o I was aware of Batwoman due to Batman: Bad Blood I knew some of her back story and personality already. When I saw this I was conflicted, part of me wanted to know more about the newest member of the bat-family. Yet part of me already didn't care for her. As you can see my curiosity won out and I'm glad it did.
I really liked this the story was well done giving us a good deal of background on Kate and how she became Batwoman. I felt this helped to flesh Kate out and gave us some idea of who she really was. The plot was engaging and held a bit of mystery not just a bunch of action. Although the action was pretty darn good too. I thought the art was good, a bit dark but then it is a Bat comic so that's to be expected.
Overall this was a really enjoyable comic and I look forward to seeing where the series takes us.

artwork is stunning. As far as the story it kept me reading and I am glad for Batwoman to have a new solo start . If you are new to this character this is a good place to start

I received an advance reading copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
First of all - the art in this book was gorgeous and seriously dynamic. It carried energy and motion throughout every panel. That being said, the storytelling was a little scattered, with the plot seemingly jumping from point to point. My hope had been that it would be a good starting point for the series but it definitely is one where you need a little more background knowledge of the character and the situations she finds herself in. I did like the way her relationships were treated - it's always positive to see a wlw relationship which is treated like a regular relationship and not played up for shock value.

Loved the influx of reds throughout the artwork. The story was intriguing, but the odd jump way ahead in time at the end left me baffled.

It is difficult to rate this book. The art is gorgeous throughout, so that’s five stars. The first 5 issues are lovely. It is a decent introduction to the character and a good comic book story. Based on these issues I figured this would be a four star review. Then the last issue came out of nowhere. It had seemingly nothing to do with the rest of the book and felt not only out of place and confusing, but Renee Montoya shows up only to (possibly) die? The hell was that?

I feel like if I continue with the series I’ll have a better understanding of what is going on and possibly appreciate it more, but as a structure for a book, it is terrible. Definitely feels like the last issue should have been held for the next collection.

I don't understand why comic writers they keep re-telling stories. It gets old pretty fast. Not impressed with this Batwoman book. The art was up to standards and neither was the story. On a side note, just because Batwoman is gay, doesn't mean that every other panel has to involve some "hot steamy lesbian sex" scene. THAT I think was the most disappointing. Writers are just milking the lesbian-porno angle for male readers.

Batwoman Vol.1: The Many Arms of Death is a dark and gritty but beautifully drawn graphic novel. Kate Kane is the female equivalent of Batman, a womanizing, rich, tortured soul fighting crime with her own Pennyworth watching her back. With a childhood shaped by violence, she turned to her own vices before she shaped into the crime fighter she is. A crime fighter not afraid to work with criminals to take care of business. Story lines that include a villianess from Kate's past, and an evil new Batman, keep the reader's attention as the pages fly by. Beautifully drawn with a lot reds and blacks that convey the mood perfectly for an interestingly original story. My voluntary and unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

I went into reading this knowing nothing about Batwoman. I didn't even know Batwoman existed, to be honest. So I was surprised to see this redheaded heroine and read about her adventures, and let me tell you, I liked what I read.

The story is pretty interesting. We spend the entire first issue jumping through time, seeing brief instances from Batwoman/Kate Kane's life, since childhood to present times. This had me confused for a little bit, because for a while there I thought I was reading a similar story with Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman, which is different backstories of the same character. It took me a little bit to figure out it was small flashes of the same Kate Kane. This is probably due to me not knowing anything about Kane. We then see her trying to stop an attack at a pretty important market, which eventually leads her to a secluded island, where apparently Kate left her heart on many years ago. It was a pretty interesting concept, and I liked the flashbacks on the island, and trying to figure out what exactly happened. We still don't know a lot, so I'm hoping the future issues (if there are any) will shed some light onto what happened between Kate and Safiyah, where the latter is, and how big is this organization trying to bring down Kate.

I have to say, I wish the last issue in this volume, Rebirth #1 was at the beginning. This is actually the way I've been used to in DC comics so far, so I don't really understand why they decided to include that one at the end of the 6 issues of The Many Arms Of Death. That was the only thing that I didn't quite enjoy, mostly because it pulled me quite harshly from the original story.

The art is pretty great. There were a lot of vivid, really strong colors. The panels were not too crowded, and were easy to follow. There seemed to be a bit of a shift in drawing technique towards the last issues, but that didn't bother me as much as I expected. The art complements the story a lot, and it sort of follows the story and the timeline. The art in Rebirth however was pretty different than the one in TMAoD. Not a bad thing, just something that I noticed.

The pacing was great and I read it pretty fast. All in all, I think this is by far my favorite DC comic I've read so far. It was mysterious and dark enough to keep me wishing for more issues and page time. I will definitely read volume 2 when it comes out.

Should I have read The Monster Men first? There was obviously a segueway from that story to this one. I’m not sure this was a good jumping on point. But it was good to see references to some of the previous Batwoman comics I really enjoyed. I miss Maggie Sawyer. Does Kate?

All of civilization is built upon the taming of the wilderness.

Translation: “All of white people taking over the world is built on destruction and/or enslavement of indigenous populations.”

I enjoyed this comic, and the art was good, but I still like the old superhero-haunting-the-city kind of stuff. All this international stuff just isn’t as fun to me.

Well, I say the art was good. It was until I got to the last issue. Then the art was <i>fantastic</i>. Apparently Stephanie Hans did Batwoman #5 - and I really like it.

‘Course, just as the story gets really intense, we jump off into some futuristic story. I’m all for these, but why is this packaged with the regular ongoing? Was it part of a larger crossover? It must have been. I like possible futures, but not when they pull me out of the regular story.

Ooh! The alternate covers were awesome, too!

So, while this is mostly recommended, there were a few things that pushed a possible 5-star comic to a 4-star comic.

I received a copy of Batwoman Vol. 1: The Many Arms of Death from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Batwoman has a handful of the industry’s biggest names behind it; Marguerite Bennett (from DC Bombshells), James Tynion IV (from Detective Comics), artist Steve Epting (Captain America: Winter Soldier), and artist Ben Oliver (The Multiversity). With so many amazing creative minds in the mix, you can see why I was so excited to get my hands on this book!

Spoiler Warning

Batwoman is a spin-off from the Detective Comics series, a series I’m admittedly very behind on. I think that may be the reason I was a bit confused at times while reading Batwoman. It read as a backstory volume, but at the same time it didn’t cover everything (presumably because it had already been said and shown in Detective Comics).
I sincerely thing my favorite thing about The Many Arms of Death was the artwork. Epting and Oliver knocked it out of the part. The color palette is striking (especially with Batwoman’s iconic flaming red hair and the dark backdrops), the artwork itself crisp and distinct. It’s all very much held up to the standards I’ve come to expect from DC. Though I’ll admit there’s a jarring style change between issue four and five, so be ready for that (I think the new style still held up well with the story, so I was ok with it).
I really like Kate as a character, so while reading Batwoman I found myself wishing I could get to know her better. It was nice seeing the events that took her down the path to where she is now, but that only partially explains the woman she is today (plus it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger). I wish more time had been spent with the character herself. Safiyah was likewise interesting, and I can’t wait to see where that plot leads to.
I’ll admit I didn’t love issue six too much. It follows the cliffhanger that’s in five, but doesn’t continue that storyline. Instead it must be its own standalone story. The whole story is set in the future. The sudden change (a story about the past/present suddenly switching to a story focused 30+ years into the future) was jarring to say the least. While I liked the way the world in that timeline looked, I’m pretty confused about the events that led up to that point. Some events were mentioned, like the death of Bruce Wayne/Batman. I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Perhaps an alternate dimension/world’s story where Batman is no longer Batman?
I can’t wait for volume two to come out, as I’m finding myself more and more curious about what happens with the Safiyah plot. I also desperately want to see more about Kate. I guess I’ll have to be patient and wait.

You know those action movies that come out in summer, the ones that take place in a dozen different exotic locations, with a whole cast of supporting characters that you can't keep track of? Well, that's what this incarnation of Batwoman feels like to me.

If you didn't know Kate Kane's backstory, you would be very confused reading this graphic novel. There are a few fragmented flashbacks, but otherwise we speed straight ahead. There's a mysterious island, a love interest, and knife-wielding enemies. But none of these are very interesting, because we don't get to delve deeply into any of it.

Kate Kane has proved to be a complex, fascinating character. She's a woman superhero, which is rare in the DC/Marvel universes. She's also a lesbian, which is even more rare. In The Many Arms of Death, these facts are presented in a more titillating fashion than in the New 52 story line, which disturbed me.

*Thank you to DC Entertainment and Netgalley for an ARC*

Loved it - particularly the setting and the romance.

I am fairly new to superhero comics and though I have a read a bit of Marvel, DC has been limited to mainly Batgirl and Nightwing. I enjoyed those and was hoping Batwoman would fall along the same lines. However, I felt the story line was forced and didn't care about what was happening. The story was not quite an origin story, not quite fighting the villain plot.

I've read one other DC rebirth comic and didn't like it, so I think this DC universe just isn't for me.

Batwoman has been getting some great story lines with the DC Rebirth cycle, and this one is probably the most essential from the cycle. You really get to see her in action, and struggling with her own past and future direction. It's so good. If you are a Kate Kane fan, you won't be disappointed.