I’ll never forget cackling maniacally at that scene in Fast and Furious where Vin Diesel stands in the middle of a deserted road, looks at a couple of skid marks, and proceeds to recreate an entire car crash and subsequent murder exactly as it happened in his seemingly supernatural imagination. And I wasn’t laughing because I hated it. It was because I’d been driven to great joy by the sheer audacity of staging such a scene in such a movie.

That’s the first thing I thought of when I got to the killer (or, more accurately, killed) spread on pages 16 and 17 of Batwoman #2, upon which Detective Maggie Sawyer does her best Dominic Toretto while D.E.O. Agent Cameron Chase gets 47 kinds of shown up. Only this time, the cars have been replaced by were-creatures of every variety, whose horns and claws and fangs and other unnatural limbs go to bloody war against some kind of sword-wielding cobra cult. The action-packed diagram is a blast of magnificent planning and execution by artist J.H. Williams III and his co-writer, Haden Blackman.

And so, too, is the rest of the book. The D.E.O. wants Batwoman and even suspects Sawyer of being the scarlet crusader, who finds herself warned by Batman about the dangers of everything from underestimating the D.E.O. to taking on sidekicks who aren’t as ready for the field as they (or their mentors) think they are. (Batman’s last comment comes off as a little too flippant, but on the other hand I’m glad to see the continuation of a healthier Bruce Wayne who actually respects Kate and her mission and sincerely wants to build a good rapport with her.)

Kate and Maggie have a date with a conclusion that’s a breath of fresh air for the sex-drenched New 52, while the introduction of a new mystery takes a little bit of wind from the sails of the Weeping Woman case from issue 1. (Don’t worry -- she still appears with eerie results, though only briefly.) For a book that’s got so much going on, Williams and Blackman do a fine job of keeping everything balanced.

(And I think I’ve figured out the mastermind behind everything. It’s Russell Crowe. Do you see him disco-dancing on page 11?)

I still miss Kate’s relationship with her father, but hopefully we’ll see the Colonel again soon. I did enjoy seeing a bit more of Kate’s own personality coming through in her date with Maggie, not to mention the respect she shows Maggie (even if it’s only from the shadows) as Batwoman.

Williams continues to push himself with the artwork, blending different mediums and styles accentuated with pure class by colorist Dave Stewart. There’s so much to see and enjoy here; these guys build this book not just as artists but as architects of the macabre.

I was a bit disturbed by a phone call Maggie makes late in the book, and the cliffhanger comes up so fast that it’s more jarring than truly suspenseful, but I’m also pretty sure all is not what it seems. What matters is this -- just as I couldn’t wait for issue 2, I can’t wait for more Kate in issue 3. I’m in love with this book. -- John Bierly

Grade: A