Comments

1. misterckent says:

   July 30, 2012 at 2:18 pm

   I’ve loved the quieter stories for Batwing. However, with JLI’s last issue this week, I’m wondering if we’re going to see more of them from time to time.

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2. Sensei44 says:

   August 1, 2012 at 11:22 pm

   I hope so. I far preferred their appearance here to any in their own title.

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3. APoetSomeday says:

   August 2, 2012 at 5:21 am

   I didn’t follow JLI, so I had no idea what to expect, but I enjoyed reading them here.

   Batwing back in Africa was good to see. Not that I have a problem with him being in Gotham or anywhere else, but I think the whole ‘Batman of Africa’ thing doesn’t work so well if he spends too much time away. I was also delighted to see a new villain revealed on the last page. Hopefully ‘King Shadow’ will turn out to be a new Africa-based threat who will be as interesting as Massacre was in the first arc.

   I thought this issue raised a really interesting moral dilemma as well.

   Personally, I feel that anyone ‘deposing’ leaders of nations is almost always done for the wrong reasons. America (and Britain, I hasten to add) frequently make enemies not of butchers, tyrants and dictators, but of leaders who have a different perspective, or have the audacity to charge extra for their national product. At the same time, our countries will happily deal with some very, very bad people in order to get what we want, turning a blind eye to the suffering and poverty of their respective nations in the process. That’s my opinion, you don’t have to agree. I’m with Noam Chomsky, Arundhatti Roy and so on on that front…Its up to you what you think.

   However, my point is that this issue really made me think. ‘Lord Battle’ had gotten a nuclear warhead and was aiming to use it, so Batwing had to stop him and could only do so by taking an African state out of African hands and giving it over to the U.N. In doing so, the nation of Tundi would quite probably be forced to adopt various economic policies and probably a military occupation that it may not want. The people could find themselves worse off without Battle than with him. Lord Battle was a danger and had to be stopped, so David did the right thing IMHO, but still, it got me to thinking…Its nice when comics do that.

   Questions like this are the ones that a Superhero book set in Africa should be addressing, I think. I would have liked to see David agonize over his decision a little more. Overall, however, this was the best Batwing Issue for a while and I really enjoyed it.

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   • DavidClark says:

     August 3, 2012 at 10:34 pm

     I think all that subtext you’re talking about would have been fantastic to actually see as the text. I thought Winick really zipped through these possibilities way too quickly.

     i really like the Massacre arc. Lord Battle could’ve been much better. Let’s see what King Shadow’s about.
   • APoetSomeday says:

     August 8, 2012 at 10:17 am

     Agreed. The story could have been longer and been more overt. I think you are right.
4. Kmanifesto says:

   August 2, 2012 at 9:53 am

   Still a big fan of this book and I’m really enjoying Marcus To on art!

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5. RedBaron504 says:

   August 3, 2012 at 1:01 am

   The best JLI issue of the new 52. If this was a test to see if Winick could take over JLI writing duties he aced it! The art by To was spectacular as usual. Winick is amazing at infusing emotion and character in every issue. I love this comic and I hope it doesn’t go away, but if it does, I want Batwing to go with Winick to the JLI. I largely started reading Batwing because of Winicks work on JLI: Generation Lost. And his take on the JLI is much more in keeping with the much beloved Giffen, DeMattais, Maguire incarnation of the JLI. This story of the JLI taking on a super strong African dictator was better then anything from the 12 issues of the recently cancelled JLI.

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