When I first saw Batwing in the pages of Batman Inc., I thought, “Wow. That name SUCKS.”. The concept seemed solid, a Batman for Africa, but I wasn’t thrilled by the name or the look of the characetr. When I saw DC was going to give an entire SERIES to this under-whelming third-stringer, I scoffed. “What could they possibly have to say with this character?”, I wondered.

I should’ve just trusted Judd Winick.

In three issues he made David Zavimbe, a.k.a. Batwing, one of my new favorite characters. He’s a hero in the truest sense of the word, fighting violent warlords and a corrupt police force in one of the most down-trodden parts of the world. True to Winik form, he did his research on the area where Batwing exists, bringing the whole world to life on the page. And while I typically stay away from books with painted (or painted looking)artwork , penciler Ben Oliver and colorist Brian Reber’s work was unique enough for me to really enjoy.

That was the first three issues. With this, issue 4, Winik still delivers, but Crisscross on art duties leaves me cold. Initially it works, but as the issue moves along, his character’s facial features and body langauge get more and more distorted. If I didn’t know for a fact that I was reading Batwing, I might start to think I stumbled into one of the more surreal (and grotesque) scenes from Animal Man.

This book, in my opinion, is one of the few New 52 titles that works on all levels, thanks to Winik and Oliver delivering the goods. I’m not by any means going to drop this title because Crisscross is on it at the moment, but I do hope his moment is brief.