Batwing #14

That body armor really does make him look fat. Shh. Don't tell him. He's sensitive about it.

Last issue, The Cult of Father Lost was performing a sacrificial ritual but it was interrupted by Dawn, the blade creating people's hero. But there were way too many cultists for her to handle, so Batwing smashed his way into the building to save the day. Will he save the day?

Who the fuck knows?! This is a Judd Winick book so the story never begins where it left off. Okay, so a lot of books do that. But Judd Winick doesn't even begin anywhere near the same year as when the last issue left off! This issue begins "years ago" in "Africa's Children's Harbor of Tinasha." Oh! That's The Refuge for Children Kidnapped by Despotic Warlords that Batwing attended when he was young. And Dawn must have as well since she visits the grave of Rene, one of the teachers that was murdered many years ago.

This is Rachel and David. Also known as Dawn and Batwing.

Okay, I get it! They know each other. I kind of already assumed that though. Not because they're both black! Because they both went to the same school! Which technically I didn't know one hundred percent but all the clues had been laid out and I'm pretty good at picking up on the clues because I play Text Adventure Games!

Back to the present, Batwing and Dawn continue to help save the abductees. They have no idea that they once knew each other and consoled each other and hugged in the dark. That's privileged information for the reader. Their team-up almost works but Batwing ends up hypnotized by The Finders one more time. He captures Dawn and spouts a bunch of nonsense about serving Her and Father Lost. So maybe Father Lost is female! Just like Father Time in Frankenstein. I knew it! I mean, I suspected it! I mean, I was kind of making a half-assed joke and I doubt Father Lost and the "Her" Batwing is talking about are the same person. Anyway, Dawn puts an amulet on Batwing and he gets unpossessed and the police once again break in and everyone is okay!

Except Dawn slips away unnoticed once again. And nobody still knows who the hell Father Lost is or what his plans are.

I think he's a member of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

But everyone isn't okay for very long! Batwing figures out Dawn is Rachel and that she worked for the government. I think she was part of Africa's Team 6. Half of her team was wiped out by Father Lost's cult. One third of the survivors was the general that crashed his plane at the beginning of this story line. The other one third was some woman whom Batwing got all of his information from. And that last one was Dawn, of course! But she didn't survive either. I mean, she survived up until the last page of his issue!

Whoops!

Batwing #14 Rating: No change. Another mediocre issue of a mediocre title that had a few shining moments many issues ago. But lately it's just been flat and uninteresting. Not horrible. Just simply forgettable.