The Stop Button

What does Ben Oliver’s art look like without color? I think the colorist adds all the texture to it.

But Batwing does look really slick. It looks very Photoshop, very modern. I don’t know if slick is a compliment. I suppose it’s more of a compliment than anything else I’ll have to say about the comic.

As a Batman in Africa, Batwing is a goofy character. I wish Judd Winick had read Unknown Soldier and ripped it off for this series. Just so the series would have the pretense of being serious.

Instead, Winick does his own thing–Batwing has a cave, an Alfred–but he never explains why this guy is the guy. It’s the first issue; skipping the origin is fine if the reader still gets a recap.

Here, there’s no recap. Winick introduces settings and supporting cast, but these additions don’t reveal anything.

What’s the darn point?

CREDITS

The Cradle of Civilization; writer, Judd Winick; artist, Ben Oliver; colorist, Brian Reber; letterer, Carlos M. Mangual; editors, Rickey Purdin and Mike Marts; publisher, DC Comics.