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Batman Post-Crisis #130
Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood
After Helena Bertinelli's family was murdered when she was a child, she developed the identity Huntress in search of vengeance, but now her past is about to suck her back in, and only the man called the Question may be able to help her.
136 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Greg Rucka
1,388 books1,845 followersGreg Rucka, is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 23, 2021
"You want justice served? You want vengeance taken? You want honor restored? Then do it yourself. That's 'omertà.' When blood cries for blood, you answer the call . . . and you answer it alone." -- Helena 'The Huntress' Bertinelli, in the opening pages with her mission statement of sorts
Graphic novel origin tale - and don't be fooled by a recent re-release version boasting the cinematic Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)-themed cover artwork, as this story is unrelated to that film and was originally issued in 2002 - featuring that purple-clad acerbic, acrobatic and crossbow-wielding Gotham City vigilante who, much unlike that burg's Dark Knight, has no issue with killing in her pursuit of justice . Also, although Batman is listed front and center in the title he is strictly a minor supporting player here (hell, Nightwing and Robin get more page time), and this storyline takes place well before Huntress officially teamed with Black Canary and Barbara 'Oracle' Gordon in the formidable 'Birds of Prey' crimefighting trio. It was not bad, but it's dialogue-heavy instead of having enough action scenes, and at times leans a little too much on the aura of The Godfather film trilogy in its depiction of organized crime. It was a shame that Ms. Gail Simone did not pen this volume, as roughly during the same era she churned out several editions of consistently absorbing Birds of Prey action-drama adventures for DC with what seemed like relative ease.
Graphic novel origin tale - and don't be fooled by a recent re-release version boasting the cinematic Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)-themed cover artwork, as this story is unrelated to that film and was originally issued in 2002 - featuring that purple-clad acerbic, acrobatic and crossbow-wielding Gotham City vigilante who, much unlike that burg's Dark Knight, has no issue with killing in her pursuit of justice . Also, although Batman is listed front and center in the title he is strictly a minor supporting player here (hell, Nightwing and Robin get more page time), and this storyline takes place well before Huntress officially teamed with Black Canary and Barbara 'Oracle' Gordon in the formidable 'Birds of Prey' crimefighting trio. It was not bad, but it's dialogue-heavy instead of having enough action scenes, and at times leans a little too much on the aura of The Godfather film trilogy in its depiction of organized crime. It was a shame that Ms. Gail Simone did not pen this volume, as roughly during the same era she churned out several editions of consistently absorbing Birds of Prey action-drama adventures for DC with what seemed like relative ease.
December 23, 2020
Greg Rucka takes a Godfather approach to Huntress. When Helena Bertinelli's mob cousin is found murdered with a crossbow bolt, the Huntress is number one on the suspect board. This is definitely more of a crime family story than a super-hero story. Rucka fills in Helena's backstory and because it's Greg Rucka, he finds a way to incorporate The Question into the story as well.
Rick Burchett's art is solid. If you're wondering where this fits into the Batman timeline, it's right after No Man's Land ended, in the Batman: New Gotham era that Rucka also wrote.
Rick Burchett's art is solid. If you're wondering where this fits into the Batman timeline, it's right after No Man's Land ended, in the Batman: New Gotham era that Rucka also wrote.
February 23, 2017
Helena Bertinelli/Huntress’ gangster pop got smoked by another gangster - Helena wants revenge, blood for blood. Yay…?
Greg Rucka is in full-on hack mode right from page one of this book which opens with a corpse floating in a swimming pool like every other noir. I’m guessing Rucka is a huge Mario Puzo fan because this book reads like Godfather fan-fic with mafia cliches everywhere. The one exception being at one point when Helena leaves for the countryside to train in Eastern martial arts for contrived reasons so we get a cliched training montage of she and her sensei doing moves outside, etc. like a bad ‘80s movie.
Batman and The Question are side-characters and don’t really add anything to the story. Was it good that Huntress, rather than taking the high road, basically continued the Cosa Nostra bloodthirsty culture? Eh, I was just glad when this nonsense was over. Rick Burchett’s art was essentially DC house style at the time (2000) and it looks dated and unremarkable now.
Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood is a hackneyed mafia story with capes - another Greg Rucka stinka!
Greg Rucka is in full-on hack mode right from page one of this book which opens with a corpse floating in a swimming pool like every other noir. I’m guessing Rucka is a huge Mario Puzo fan because this book reads like Godfather fan-fic with mafia cliches everywhere. The one exception being at one point when Helena leaves for the countryside to train in Eastern martial arts for contrived reasons so we get a cliched training montage of she and her sensei doing moves outside, etc. like a bad ‘80s movie.
Batman and The Question are side-characters and don’t really add anything to the story. Was it good that Huntress, rather than taking the high road, basically continued the Cosa Nostra bloodthirsty culture? Eh, I was just glad when this nonsense was over. Rick Burchett’s art was essentially DC house style at the time (2000) and it looks dated and unremarkable now.
Batman/Huntress: Cry for Blood is a hackneyed mafia story with capes - another Greg Rucka stinka!
July 10, 2020
When a mobster winds up dead with a crossbow bolt in his chest, all signs point to The Huntress! Can The Huntress clear her name and answer some Questions about her past before Batman and GCPD bring her to justice?
My wife got me this for my birthday. I've long found the peripheral members of the Batman family to be more interesting than Batman and the Earth-2 Huntress is one of my favorites.
This is the first post-Crisis Huntress story I've read and I liked it quite a bit. Helena Bertinelli is the daughter of a mobster, the last Bertinelli after seeing her whole family slaughtered when she was a child. Now, she fights crime in Batman's image but in a more lethal fashion. In this outing, she's framed for murder.
Guest starring the Batman family plus The Question(!) and Richard Dragon, Rucka explores the Huntress' origin as she tries to figure out who's framing her. It reads more like a crime comic than standard super hero stuff, not surprising since Rucka was one of the masterminds behind Gotham Central. Rick Burchett's art is pretty slick. On an odd side note, back in the day I dated a woman whose mother dated Rick Burchett when they were in high school.
I like how The Question was an integral part of the tale, more so than the Batman family, and that he and Helena didn't immediately become entangled. I also like that Helena didn't go all goody-goody at the end despite the guidance of The Question and Dragon. Maybe I missed out by not reading more post-Knightfall Batman stuff because I want to read stories featuring The Huntress.
She's no Helena Wayne but I like this Huntress quite a bit just the same. Four out of five crossbow bolts.
My wife got me this for my birthday. I've long found the peripheral members of the Batman family to be more interesting than Batman and the Earth-2 Huntress is one of my favorites.
This is the first post-Crisis Huntress story I've read and I liked it quite a bit. Helena Bertinelli is the daughter of a mobster, the last Bertinelli after seeing her whole family slaughtered when she was a child. Now, she fights crime in Batman's image but in a more lethal fashion. In this outing, she's framed for murder.
Guest starring the Batman family plus The Question(!) and Richard Dragon, Rucka explores the Huntress' origin as she tries to figure out who's framing her. It reads more like a crime comic than standard super hero stuff, not surprising since Rucka was one of the masterminds behind Gotham Central. Rick Burchett's art is pretty slick. On an odd side note, back in the day I dated a woman whose mother dated Rick Burchett when they were in high school.
I like how The Question was an integral part of the tale, more so than the Batman family, and that he and Helena didn't immediately become entangled. I also like that Helena didn't go all goody-goody at the end despite the guidance of The Question and Dragon. Maybe I missed out by not reading more post-Knightfall Batman stuff because I want to read stories featuring The Huntress.
She's no Helena Wayne but I like this Huntress quite a bit just the same. Four out of five crossbow bolts.
July 5, 2022
This was fun I guess?
So the story is mostly about Helena and well we learn her family history and tragic origins but when she is framed for murders and goes against the bat family and trains herself with The Question (Vic sage) and Richard dragon, something changes within her and she goes to find who is implicating her and her complex family dynamics and the twists keep on coming and its brutal and changes Helena's character for good. I like how its tragic and the story leaves it open ended as to what happened and shows the revenge side of the story really well. I didn't like that Batman was in the whole book for just a few panels when his name is on the front but regardless still a quick and good read and it will make you love Helena for sure!
So the story is mostly about Helena and well we learn her family history and tragic origins but when she is framed for murders and goes against the bat family and trains herself with The Question (Vic sage) and Richard dragon, something changes within her and she goes to find who is implicating her and her complex family dynamics and the twists keep on coming and its brutal and changes Helena's character for good. I like how its tragic and the story leaves it open ended as to what happened and shows the revenge side of the story really well. I didn't like that Batman was in the whole book for just a few panels when his name is on the front but regardless still a quick and good read and it will make you love Helena for sure!
February 28, 2020
Different than I expected... but mostly in a good way.
What’s it about?
One of Huntress’ criminal cousins is found dead. The thing is it looks like they were shot with one of her arrows. The Batfamily thinks it might be her but it’s not and she needs to figure out what’s going on.
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. So despite the book’s storyline I just described when I read it, it felt more like a crime drama than a superhero comic and that’s really cool. (Note: obviously it still is a superhero comic but some elements of the story and it’s tone didn’t feel as much like the typical superhero adventure)
The artwork is pretty damn good, fits the book as a whole very well.
The characters are pretty interesting. This book is more about Huntress than Batman and I must say, her story and the character as a whole is pretty bad-ass.
The action scenes are pretty good.
This book has some good plot-twists and isn’t predictable.
Cons:
So at one point the plot sorta turned to a different, honestly not as interesting direction for an issue or two. Those issues weren’t bad but the sudden change in tone and such, maybe you gotta read it to know what I’m saying but yeah...
This story felt kinda rushed. That is surprising for a six-issue miniseries but really I think it would have been better if it was 2 or 3 issues longer.
I didn’t care for the ending much (partially because it was rushed but also a slightly weak conclusion).
Mixed thoughts:
There was one scene referencing specific events from another story and the characters were even arguing about it. It’s slightly explained fortunately but not entirely so I don’t know. Not a major issue and I’m glad they half-explain a bit of what it’s about but I still had a slight “WTF was that about” feeling.
Overall:
A good, not great comic. I don’t think I’d particularly recommend it if you aren’t interested in Huntress but she seemed cool in this so I enjoyed it.
4/5
What’s it about?
One of Huntress’ criminal cousins is found dead. The thing is it looks like they were shot with one of her arrows. The Batfamily thinks it might be her but it’s not and she needs to figure out what’s going on.
Pros:
The story is pretty interesting. So despite the book’s storyline I just described when I read it, it felt more like a crime drama than a superhero comic and that’s really cool. (Note: obviously it still is a superhero comic but some elements of the story and it’s tone didn’t feel as much like the typical superhero adventure)
The artwork is pretty damn good, fits the book as a whole very well.
The characters are pretty interesting. This book is more about Huntress than Batman and I must say, her story and the character as a whole is pretty bad-ass.
The action scenes are pretty good.
This book has some good plot-twists and isn’t predictable.
Cons:
So at one point the plot sorta turned to a different, honestly not as interesting direction for an issue or two. Those issues weren’t bad but the sudden change in tone and such, maybe you gotta read it to know what I’m saying but yeah...
This story felt kinda rushed. That is surprising for a six-issue miniseries but really I think it would have been better if it was 2 or 3 issues longer.
I didn’t care for the ending much (partially because it was rushed but also a slightly weak conclusion).
Mixed thoughts:
There was one scene referencing specific events from another story and the characters were even arguing about it. It’s slightly explained fortunately but not entirely so I don’t know. Not a major issue and I’m glad they half-explain a bit of what it’s about but I still had a slight “WTF was that about” feeling.
Overall:
A good, not great comic. I don’t think I’d particularly recommend it if you aren’t interested in Huntress but she seemed cool in this so I enjoyed it.
4/5
October 29, 2019
A Great Helena Bertinelli focused miniseries. Cry for Blood and Batwoman: Elegy are proof that Greg Rucka knows how to tell an origin story. I liked the characterization, backstory, Helena's chemistry with the Question and not shying away from showing Batman in a more negative light, calling out his hypocritical treatment of Huntress. The art was the great kind of simplistic.
I also liked Tim's drive to prove someone was obviously framing Helena, it shows that he's the best Robin (fight me).
I really need to read the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries too.
I also liked Tim's drive to prove someone was obviously framing Helena, it shows that he's the best Robin (fight me).
I really need to read the Nightwing/Huntress miniseries too.
July 10, 2014
Really great book! After seeing Huntress in Arrow, i wanted to get to know the character more, and this is a great story to jump onto. This book is set a while after No mans Land, where Huntress is hunting the mafia and she has a on the rocks relationship with batman. She is framed and hunted by the police and batman, and with the help of The Question, she must find out who really did it! Highly recommend it!
February 10, 2016
This was fantastic. This story left me satisfied unlike The Hiketeia. Now don't get me wrong, The Hiketeia was very well written, but just felt abrupt and like it could've benefited from being much longer. Did not get this feeling here. I'm still a novice in the DC world, but Rucka created another great starting point for learning about another character in the DC universe. In fact, I think she may have just become my favorite character.
October 6, 2012
I have been meaning to read this since No Man's Land because I wanted to understand Helena Bertinelli and understand why Batman was such a jerk to her then and now. Through her eyes, I saw Batman in a new, not so pleasant light.
Rucka once again does a masterful job of baring the soul of a character and presenting it to the reader in a package filled with depth and emotion.
Rucka once again does a masterful job of baring the soul of a character and presenting it to the reader in a package filled with depth and emotion.
October 26, 2020
I like this one - but don't love it. It's not Rucka's fault I can't fit this into my mental timeline; but something about it didn't sing for me. I do love the way he handled little-girl Helena, and I loved seeing the Question in this role. I'm left with a lot of questions. Maybe that's the point?
August 5, 2019
Nie ma to jak historia z silną bohaterką. Schematy filmów o mafii przetykane osobistym dramatem Heleny.
November 6, 2020
This was beautiful, I love Huntress so much ever since I first saw in Justice League Unlimited she’s been one of my favorite characters. I loved everything about this book from the retelling of her origin to her relationship with the Question. This is a must read for any fan of the Huntress it’s especially great for new comers who are getting into the character through the Birds Of Prey movie.
May 19, 2015
This was a pretty good story, the Bat-Family and The Huntress trying to solve the mystery of who is framing the Huntress for her cousins murder. I liked the story well enough, I just didn't love the art or the ending so much. The Huntress is still the DC Queen of bad assery and long live the Queen!
September 29, 2022
The events of this book are set sometime after "No Man's land" . No men's land was a fantastic story arc in many senses and it led to alienation of Huntress, who was never really a part of the Bat- family anyways , she after all was a killer and Batman used her to lure joker and further alienate her away from the family .
Talking of family, that's what this book is essentially about , the mafia family , that rules Gotham in the shadows of Batman , and Huntress 's family.
This book deals with a proper origin story for Huntress and plays out a mafia story in the viens of "The Godfather " in fact there are quite a few similar scenes in the two , this is garnished with a murder mystery that sees Huntress trying to clear her name from the murder .
The involvement of Batman is very minimal in this book , making this a pure Huntress book , and honestly with a clean , crisp art and the mafia storyline, it was definitely the best Huntress book I ever read , and i feel its an essential read for all bat-fans.
Quick edit : the only reason i dont give it a 5 star rating , is because at points the dialogues were way too corny , the involvement of 'The Question' felt unjustified and the book was marketed as a Batman/Huntress collab , where it barely featured Batman , so i felt cheated in that respect.
Another tiny edit : the comixology version i bought was so lagging when i flipped the pages . Ugh .
Talking of family, that's what this book is essentially about , the mafia family , that rules Gotham in the shadows of Batman , and Huntress 's family.
This book deals with a proper origin story for Huntress and plays out a mafia story in the viens of "The Godfather " in fact there are quite a few similar scenes in the two , this is garnished with a murder mystery that sees Huntress trying to clear her name from the murder .
The involvement of Batman is very minimal in this book , making this a pure Huntress book , and honestly with a clean , crisp art and the mafia storyline, it was definitely the best Huntress book I ever read , and i feel its an essential read for all bat-fans.
Quick edit : the only reason i dont give it a 5 star rating , is because at points the dialogues were way too corny , the involvement of 'The Question' felt unjustified and the book was marketed as a Batman/Huntress collab , where it barely featured Batman , so i felt cheated in that respect.
Another tiny edit : the comixology version i bought was so lagging when i flipped the pages . Ugh .
September 25, 2020
Muito braba essa HQ. Além de retomar a história da origem da caçadora, mostrou a evolução da personagem superando buscar apenas vingança. Batman aparece mas não é tão frio e calculista, ele reconhece a caçadora e deixa ela resolver os b.o dela suave.
March 1, 2015
Rucka is a fantastic writer, and, for whateve reason, particularly good with female characters. He does a great job with everyone here, althogh I really don't think we needed another telling of Huntress' origing, but that's me.
Helena has finally more or less gotten the seal of approval from Batman, making her life in Gotham a lot easier. Then a mob boss (her preferred prey) shows up dead by crossbow bolt (her preferred weapon). Now Huntress, with some help from the always enigmatic Question, has to solve the case while avoiding both the police and the Bat-family.
I love Rucka's writing, I'm a fan of the Question, and some versions (including this one) of Huntress. I enjoyed this.
Recommended to fans of Huntress, Question, and various Gotham tales.
Helena has finally more or less gotten the seal of approval from Batman, making her life in Gotham a lot easier. Then a mob boss (her preferred prey) shows up dead by crossbow bolt (her preferred weapon). Now Huntress, with some help from the always enigmatic Question, has to solve the case while avoiding both the police and the Bat-family.
I love Rucka's writing, I'm a fan of the Question, and some versions (including this one) of Huntress. I enjoyed this.
Recommended to fans of Huntress, Question, and various Gotham tales.
July 13, 2019
Bah, gente, esse nem parece um quadrinho do Greg Rucka, apesar de ser. Os quadrinhos do Greg Rucka costuma m apresentar personagens densos, complexos com narrativas intrincadas e pesadas. Essa minissérie traz uma narrativa bastante linear e sem muitas surpresas, apesar de desvendar uma questão-chave da origem de Helena Bertinelli, a Caçadora. Também uma escolha acertada nessa minissérie foi colocar o questão e seu "sensei" Richard Dragon como personagens principais, evitando assim que o Batman servisse mais uma vez como mentor da Caçadora. Os desenhos do veterano Rich Buckler estão estranhos porque ele não se decide se está querendo fazer um estilo de traço que seja mais calcado num traço atual ou se ele quer buscar um estilo retroativo. Eu preferia que ele usasse um traço retroativo, mas isso não fica nem claro nas sequências de flashback, onde este recurso seria muito bem utilizado. Enfim, se você está naquela dúvida "compro ou não compro este encadernado", eu diria para você não comprar. É uma história totalmente dispensável, a não ser que você seja, como eu, um fã da Helena Bertinelli.
December 30, 2021
This is said to be a Batman/Huntress book but people in the know realize this is really a Question/Huntress book. It's all the better for being that.
When one of Huntress's enemies is found dead with a crossbow bolt in his chest the world all turns on her. She's up to her old tricks again, isn't she? Who else would be running around with a crossbow, after all? Things are made significantly worse when she accidentally ends up nailing Bruce in the chest with one later. The only person she has left to turn to is one Vic Sage, the Question, who is asking a number of those himself about the situation at large.
This is a great Question comic, and the backbone for the Justice League Unlimited romance between Huntress and Question that I grew up loving so much. There are so many great scenes, and a fun bit of intrigue to unravel the drama between the mafia families of Gotham. This works well as an origin book for Huntress, and a deeper look into what makes Vic tick.
Got this one for my partner for Christmas, and I have to say I think he enjoyed it just as much as I hoped he would. Long live the Question.
When one of Huntress's enemies is found dead with a crossbow bolt in his chest the world all turns on her. She's up to her old tricks again, isn't she? Who else would be running around with a crossbow, after all? Things are made significantly worse when she accidentally ends up nailing Bruce in the chest with one later. The only person she has left to turn to is one Vic Sage, the Question, who is asking a number of those himself about the situation at large.
This is a great Question comic, and the backbone for the Justice League Unlimited romance between Huntress and Question that I grew up loving so much. There are so many great scenes, and a fun bit of intrigue to unravel the drama between the mafia families of Gotham. This works well as an origin book for Huntress, and a deeper look into what makes Vic tick.
Got this one for my partner for Christmas, and I have to say I think he enjoyed it just as much as I hoped he would. Long live the Question.
January 5, 2021
"Identity is fragile, we construct it out of glass and pretend it's cast in iron."
First five star read of 2021, this was my first foray into Huntress and man, I loved it. It was completely solid, the art was integrative, telling a story all it's own, weaving in and out and with background information and evocative images. Rucka's writing was top tier from the first to the last page, Helena's characterization and story was impactful and allowed a new reader to understand and immediately be drawn in. It was emotional, it was funny, it used the characters of Gotham well.
First five star read of 2021, this was my first foray into Huntress and man, I loved it. It was completely solid, the art was integrative, telling a story all it's own, weaving in and out and with background information and evocative images. Rucka's writing was top tier from the first to the last page, Helena's characterization and story was impactful and allowed a new reader to understand and immediately be drawn in. It was emotional, it was funny, it used the characters of Gotham well.
Read
December 14, 2021Not Rucka’s best, but it’s nice to see a Huntress story follow up on her heavy experiences in NML, which were probably the high point of Huntress material, as well as a follow up to Dennis O’Neil’s Question run. Excited to see where Rucka takes the Question next, and it’s too bad he never wrote much more Huntress material. Rick Burchett’s BTAS influenced art is easily the highlight here. The Godfather references are almost too many, but honestly they were pretty fun in how detailed they were. The wedding sequence in particular was a fun twist on such a classic scene.
August 23, 2021
It’s a good enough story, though sometimes confusing. The art was nice, but not perfectly consistent.
May 10, 2022
helena is an icon. a legend. love her <3
March 30, 2021
She was probably my least favorite from the movie, but this comic collection was on point. Absolutely enjoyed!
August 9, 2021
This book is the BEST!!! It is funny and very exciting. It's defendant one of the best mysteries I've red. I am a big huntress fan and when I saw this book I just had to read it. I loved reading about Huntress' backstory how the author built her characters.
January 31, 2022
A mobster is dead and Huntress is blamed for the murder. The first issue sets up what seems like it’s going to be a gripping story, but disappointingly it takes a long time to deliver on that promise. Much of this comic feels like filler, such as a pointless trip to Canada and a plethora of shoehorned in scenes with the Batfamily. The twist at the end is good, but undermined when you are told Batman knew everything the whole time. Still, the end is compelling and fulfills most of what was promised. I can’t help but think that this would have been a great comic if you removed all the superfluous characters, focused wholly on Huntress and her excellent back story, and made it about half as long.
February 24, 2024
Story: 4/5 stars
Huntress' level of badass: 4/5 stars
In this book, Huntress/Helena is going through an identity crisis. Throughout the story we get flashbacks (I really enjoyed these) that help us make sense of the character and her history.
There are two things I didn't like about the comic. There is a lot of backstory you need to know to understand some of the references. I also didn't like how everyone treats Helena like a child. It's understandable how angry that would make her.
Helena is always being watched which is quite unsettling. The police, the mob, Batman, Nightwing and The Question always seem to be spying on her. There are so many scenes where we the readers are watching Helena in her apartment (often looking down from a neighbouring building) from the perspective of her stalkers. It makes me feel guilty - as though I am also invading her space.
Helena is in a man's world. The mob is patriarchal, and Gotham is Batman's city where she just happens to exist in. She is trapped and angry.
The reason why I like her is because she fights back. She doesn't care about the police, she faces mobsters, and doesn't let Batman or others talk down at her. She pushes back. Because of her environment I find that she is closed off (and with reason) to the point where even after reading this comic, she is still a mystery to me. I LOVE how unpredictable the end is. She surprises the reader by doing the unexpected despite it upsetting the people around her.
Huntress' level of badass: 4/5 stars
In this book, Huntress/Helena is going through an identity crisis. Throughout the story we get flashbacks (I really enjoyed these) that help us make sense of the character and her history.
There are two things I didn't like about the comic. There is a lot of backstory you need to know to understand some of the references. I also didn't like how everyone treats Helena like a child. It's understandable how angry that would make her.
Helena is always being watched which is quite unsettling. The police, the mob, Batman, Nightwing and The Question always seem to be spying on her. There are so many scenes where we the readers are watching Helena in her apartment (often looking down from a neighbouring building) from the perspective of her stalkers. It makes me feel guilty - as though I am also invading her space.
Helena is in a man's world. The mob is patriarchal, and Gotham is Batman's city where she just happens to exist in. She is trapped and angry.
The reason why I like her is because she fights back. She doesn't care about the police, she faces mobsters, and doesn't let Batman or others talk down at her. She pushes back. Because of her environment I find that she is closed off (and with reason) to the point where even after reading this comic, she is still a mystery to me. I LOVE how unpredictable the end is. She surprises the reader by doing the unexpected despite it upsetting the people around her.
July 9, 2020
4
I had been hunting down this storyline in its original trade but it had proved elusive. Greg Rucka is a name I've only started to come across even know he has been a large name in the medium. I'm very lucky the Birds of Prey film was made, otherwise this would've been impossible to find. The Huntress character has such a strong history and it's a shame she has failed to make an independent dent in the DC universe.
Why the 4?
It's a solid storyline but it isn't a classic. I'm amazed how they retell The Huntress storyline and only allow her to function under the Birds of Prey team banner. Once upon a time this girl was Batman and Catwoman's daughter, it's been a long time since that. The storyline is quick and offers some playtime for another obscure DC character to shine. I enjoyed the book overall but it's based as an origin storyline and if you read Huntress Year One, you've already read the core storyline. I only hope The Huntress gets a better play in the future and a named writer.
I had been hunting down this storyline in its original trade but it had proved elusive. Greg Rucka is a name I've only started to come across even know he has been a large name in the medium. I'm very lucky the Birds of Prey film was made, otherwise this would've been impossible to find. The Huntress character has such a strong history and it's a shame she has failed to make an independent dent in the DC universe.
Why the 4?
It's a solid storyline but it isn't a classic. I'm amazed how they retell The Huntress storyline and only allow her to function under the Birds of Prey team banner. Once upon a time this girl was Batman and Catwoman's daughter, it's been a long time since that. The storyline is quick and offers some playtime for another obscure DC character to shine. I enjoyed the book overall but it's based as an origin storyline and if you read Huntress Year One, you've already read the core storyline. I only hope The Huntress gets a better play in the future and a named writer.
September 30, 2012
Greg Rucka is honestly at his best when he can write short, standalone stories. He also is one of the best writers currently in mainstream comics, or he was until he quit both DC and Marvel. This is an older work of his, and his strengths as a writer really shine through. For those not in the know, Huntress is a vigilante from the Batman universe, and she has a strained relationship with Batman and his family at best. This book is not really a Batman story, but the compilation probably highlights Batman to sell the series to comic book fans. What lies within is a character study of a morally complex woman and her quest of revenge. While this book does have surprises that would seem hokey on a given day, Rucka's strength as a writer means he can make it work. The story is good at giving background, and you can honestly pick up this book whether you read comics or not. Like anything by Greg Rucka, it is worth a read.
July 31, 2013
I loved this exploration of the character, Helena. Her interactions with Batman bring up issues that propel her on a journey of self discovery. Along the way she meets up with Vic Sage who, while training her, brings intuition and supportiveness that enable her journey. Greg Rucka also infuses the dialogue with heady references, which, when it pops up in comics, is like a juicy steak to a hungry woman. As Helena reveals her story, there is this realization of how she became the way she is... the weight of vengeance was saddled on the shoulders of this little girl who grew up, and how that would affect a person.
Bottom line: so revealing, delving into this character, and the execution is brilliant.
p.s. This was the first time I never consciously noticed the lead female's body. The art just didn't put her physicality center stage. In retrospect, I really appreciate that. It's refreshing when it's not all about boobs and butts.
Bottom line: so revealing, delving into this character, and the execution is brilliant.
p.s. This was the first time I never consciously noticed the lead female's body. The art just didn't put her physicality center stage. In retrospect, I really appreciate that. It's refreshing when it's not all about boobs and butts.
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