Detective Comics #860 REVIEW and SPOILERS
Detective Comics #860 review: wrapping up the origin of Batwoman (DC’s openly gay super heroine), writer Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams III put on another great piece of work this month. Here we see the beginning of Kate Kane’s crime career- working undercover dressed like a slut in seedy places to gather intel, and stealing technology and tear gas from an army base to work the streets. When her dad finds out, he gives her a hard time before realizing that Kate needs to do this to serve a greater good. Her dad actually accepts her and supports her. This was a great scene.
If you see Kate’s secret crime fighting life as a metaphor for her being a lesbian (both are not accepted in society) than it is refreshing that her dad supports both aspects of his daughter. I’m sure many gay comic book readers were glad to see her dad support her crime fighting lifestyle (and, of course, never judging her lesbianism).
Splash pages show how Kate got her physical training and detective skills all around the world, with the help of her dad’s connections and money. We also see how her dad designed the Batwoman costume. Comic book continuity fans take note: J.H. Williams III was 100% correct with the way he drew Batwoman’s original costume, which was designed by Alex Ross during 52. Williams could have easily penciled his own tweaked version, but he stuck to the continuity. Her dad included the Bat emblem so “everyone knows whose side you’re on”.
In the last scene we see Kate and her dad’s relationship sour; he’s drinking, it’s raining, and Kate had used her skills to determine that her twin sister Elizabeth was the villain (Alice- like Alice in Wonderland) from previous issues (whom Batwoman saw fall to her death). Her dad never told her that her sister may have been still alive. Since she was 12 and her mom died, her dad wanted to protect her feelings and not say that he was unable to find her sister (no body was recovered).
The Question backup story was finally good, once again featuring Rene Montoya, the female Question (DC’s other lesbian super heroine, and on-again/off-again lover of Batwoman), and the Huntress cracking down on organized crime.
I feel much better about Batwoman now than when I first starting reading this story arc. Here’s why:
1) Batwoman is a strong lesbian character. Although her outfit and artwork seems overly fetish, she’s not just eye candy like a WWE diva.
2) Kate Kane is victim of tragedy and society, but is strong, and focuses her energy to save one life at a time, not to bring back her mom or sister or to win the war on crime.
3) Unlike the seemingly dozens of Batman related characters running around Gotham City, her origin isn’t tied into Bruce Wayne’s and she in effect is her own person, not a Batman wanna-be, Robin-wanna be, or Batgirl wanna-be (and obviously both Robin and Batgirl can be seen as Batman, Juniors). She sees her role as a crimefighter as a “call to arms” and that’s what Batman’s light in the sky means. I think she would shrug if the other Batman characters or even Batman himself judged her.
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That was a great conclusion to Batwoman's origin! Thanks for the review!
I can't wait for her and Batman to, uh, meet.