Review by Frank Plowright

Enemy of the State begins strongly with Batwing back in his home city of Tinasha and facing the problem of a cult. While the police are reactive, a new hero called Dawn has been investigating and has managed to disrupt activities with some success. This is a fresh start after In the Shadow of the Ancients.

Much of Batwing to date has removed the hero from his homeland, and therefore from the potential for him to be anything other than a surrogate Batman, so Judd Winick keeping the focus on local activities is welcome. Unfortunately, having set up the story over two chapters, Winick and artist Marcus To depart, and Fabian Nicieza and Fabrizio Fiorentino (sample art) finish things off in one, not bothering to explain what cult leader Father Lost’s main objective is.

Nicieza then turns his attention to the long running subplot of endemic corruption, experienced by Batwing first hand as police officer David Zavimbe. The first chapter sort of stands alone and features the finest art seen in the series from Allan Jefferson, who supplies a richness of detail, along with recognisable people in solid surroundings using interesting viewpoints. In comparison To and Fiorentino’s work looks ordinary.

While starting well enough, Nicieza’s look at police corruption devolves into Batwing becoming the target for a vengeful industrialist used to buying the law, and the series again returns to generic superheroics. In doing so Nicieza spends as much time with the industrialist and his minions as he does with Batwing, and the plot dives into mediocrity when a key scene involves someone who’s arbitrarily changed their principles for the sake of a shock ending. It’s very, very poor, even taking into consideration some pulling back in the final chapter.

Almost from the start Batwing has been a missed opportunity, and with Welcome to the Family, the series transfers to new creators.