Exactly the kind of issue that sets "East of West" head and shoulders above the crowd.

A stunning conclusion to a great storyline, this issue has everything you might want from a "Doctor Strange" book.

A very strong start to the second arc of an excellent book.

This might be issue that will bring you on board if you've been skeptical of America's solo outing so far.

A fantastic ride through comic history that manages to stay modern.

An extremely satisfying, classic comic story that leaves the door open for great things to come.

With history balanced on the head of a pin, Gillen keeps the stakes high in this ambitious undertaking.

While the shift in art is distracting, it shouldn't keep anyone from enjoying the book. Gibson and his co-creator, Michael St. John Smith, have built an impressive world to play with and the only thing I'm worried about is what comes after the limited run wraps up next issue.

The message may have gotten muddled, but as a setup for things to come, this issue is ultimately fine.

A somewhat messy tangle of plots, kept aloft by impressive art.

The Status may be Quo, but that's not always a bad thing when the art is this good.

Phenomenal art isn't enough to compensate for the lack of a cohesive story.

One issue of this might have been effective, as evidenced by the excellent #1, but "Batwoman" needs to step it up.

An intriguing venture into something new, but needs a lot more polish before it's ready to shine.

My takeaway from this issue was that the series is still really nascent. It's not a good issue, but that's because there's nothing really here yet to catch on to. A more experienced writer might have started us a little more in media res, and let the school scenes from #1 play out in a later issue, but there's nothing fundamentally bad about "Superb" yet either. I'm definitely coming down on in 'wait and see' camp.

A completely unpleasant issue that does a lot to undermine the quality of the whole.

An undeniably poor ending to a series that had a lot of promise.

There is so much wrong with this issue that I'm running out of word count to deal with it.