Jock takes over for J.H. Williams III on art this month - I haven't been paying attention so I don't know if this is a permanent change or not. Williams III has been just about deified for his work on Detective, but Jock does right by me. Don't get me wrong, Williams III is righteous (and nails the cover). I'm most impressed by his design sense, his unequaled ability to layout unique pages. But is it terrible to prefer Jock's take on the Bat characters? I prefer Jock's take on the Bat characters. I like the more scratchy, edgy, angular line work. I love the rainy city colors by David Baron. A few pages stand out. Batman perched on the prow. Kate & Captain Sawyer in the woods. The Batman/Batwoman split page. All cool.
I will say the book feels less feminine this month, and I don't know if that's good or bad. At first, I wasn't at all interested in Kate at the helm of Detective. Then Rucka picked up the writing, and I cared some more. Now Kate shares the spotlight with Dick. It totally works & I'm always game for more Batman, but I was also really beginning to appreciate that butch red-headed angel. We'll see where this goes.
Rucka seems really comfortable here. He kind of coasted those first few issues, but this is right on. Pretty straightforward. Dick is out for Vanessa Hansen, kidnapped heiress to the family fortune, and Kate is after the Cutter, who does to Gotham University girls exactly what his name implies. The character-building moments work best - Dick & Jim Gordon, Kate & maybe soon-to-be-victimized cousin Bette. To tell you the truth, Kate with a bit of Dick (I kill me) works well - I could do without the Question Second Feature if we could trade it in for more Bats.
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