I had dropped Batwoman after the Hydrology arc because, like many of us, I found myself picking it up solely for the art. The writing so far has been dreary, drab, jumpy and uninspiring. But the chance to see JHWIII on art for a Wonder Woman team-up was pretty compelling.

A real surprise.

The Writing: The story is divided into two parallels; a Batwoman thread and another for Wonder Woman. The Batwoman half is presented with much more adherence to logic than it has been to date, and enough name/place/event markers are dropped that–even though I haven’t read the last 7 issues–I was able to quickly orient myself.

But the Wonder Woman bits are where the writing impresses most. Engaged in an (arbitrary) epic battle with a giant lizard-thing and some child-eaters, her voice both captures her inner struggles to reconcile her place between god and human and–even more enjoyably–her recognition that there’s just nothing she loves more than a good, old-fashioned massacre. Her lyrical revelry at the sensation of blood spraying her face and her philosophical musings on the body parts and viscera smeared all over her gear are both outrageous and poignant.

The Art: Flawless. The choices made in presenting of WW’s battle are impressive. And the colors in these sections are vibrant and a refreshing change from the Batwoman palette that’s mostly been used to his point.

And, of course, layouts galore. I don’t have the issue with me right now, but I think there were around 5 or 6 double-page spreads. I’m not a huge fan of the 2-page splash, but these things are executed so well, it is hard not to swoon. A particular jaw-dropper is the spread on pg 6-7. Check out the arrows on the funhouse floor meant to guide patrons through the funhouse exhibit, which also serve to orient the reader in navigating Batwoman’s dialogue around the Wonder Woman centerpiece.

Though the art is usually the best (only) excuse to pick this book up, this is the first time I can say I’ve had FUN reading Batwoman. I hope the streamlining of story and the injection of some vitality into the dialogue and plotting are things that will linger after Wonder Woman has caught the bus back out of Gotham.