Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom (The New 52) - Softcover

Winick, Judd

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1401234763 ISBN 13: 9781401234768

Publisher: DC Comics, 2012

Synopsis

As a part of the acclaimed DC Comics—The New 52 event of September 2011, Batwing follows a soldier carrying on the legacy of The Dark Knight in the most tumultuous region on Earth. Meet Batwing, the Batman of Africa, as he takes on the villainous Massacre!

This volume collects issues 1-6 of Batwing, part of the DC Comics—The New 52 event.

About this title

Review:

Q & A with Judd Winick, the author of Batwing Vol. 1: The Lost Kingdom

Q: What's it like working on a huge initiative like The New 52?

Judd Winick: When it came to Batwing it was a chance to take on an entirely new character on a whole new playing field. The mission was to create stories that felt inventive, present, topical, and just knock folks right over with surprise.

Q: What would you say defines the character you are working on?

JW: Batwing is very much like Batman, but very, very different. They are both men who have been forged in tragedy. But Batwing is the "Batman of Africa." And his life and upbringing are culturally based. That isn't to say that reading Batwing is like a trip to a social studies class. This is still about super heroes fighting super villains, but it's set in the realistic landscape of Africa. We take our hyper reality of superheroes and marry to the real-world drama of Africa.

Q: What have you thought about the response so far for The New 52 and your title(s) as whole?

JW: I was delighted how surprised folks were with Batwing. I think they were expecting something very clichéd, with Batwing flying through the jungles of Africa and battling alongside lions and giraffes. But instead they found the birth of this character, and this world we’ve built around him. It's both beautiful and horrific. Terrifying and surprising.

Q: The New 52 was a huge success for DC, but how to you think it affected the comic book industry as a whole?

JW: I think it's first time in a very long time that we are looking to bridging the gap between new readers and long-time readers. We are telling stories that are accessible to people who've never read a comic, or aren't familiar with these characters, but we don't turn our backs on what's made these characters great in the first place.

Q: With over 75 years of stories, is it difficult discovering new ideas and places for these characters to go that haven’t already been done?

JW: No. The truth is, in all storytelling, there are only a few places you can go. This isn't about finding a new plot, or inventing a new bad guy. It is simply about looking at the characters and finding the best story we can tell. I think The New 52 is doing that.

About the Author:

A former cast member on MTV's The Real World, Judd Winick is the writer and illustrator of Barry Ween—Boy Genius and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated Pedro and Me. His DC Comics work includes Batman, Outsiders, Titans, Justice League: Generation Lost, Green Arrow and Green Lantern. Also, he is the creator of the Cartoon Network series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. He is currently writing Catwoman and Batwing as a part of DC Comics—The New 52.

About this edition

• Publisher: DC Comics
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1401234763
• ISBN 13: 9781401234768
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144
• Illustrator: Oliver Ben