Seems like 2017 will be the Year of the Batwoman. With the incredibly warm reception with her appearances in “Detective Comics” it looks like Kate Kane is not quite done. Batwoman will be starring in a brand new ongoing as part of the next wave of “DC Rebirth” titles (another being the Orlando/Reis “JLA”). The new series will be written by Marguerite Bennett (“DC Bombshells”, “Insexts”) and illustrated by Steve Epting (“Velvet”, “Captain America”), the latter making his return to DC after fifteen years.
“There has never been a heroine I have loved more than Batwoman,” said Bennett. “Her flaws, her ferocity, her struggle to rise above her own history and find a way to serve the greater good and those she loves—she’s always cut me straight to the bone. To be a queer woman and to see a queer woman as not just a part but a pillar of the Bat-family was life changing, inspiring and gave me the courage to pursue this career in comics. The opportunity to add to Kate Kane’s story and legacy is both an honor and a sincere dream come true.”
“I am very excited for the opportunity to work on Batwoman,” said Epting. “I love the character design and how she fits into the whole Batman mythos, and I’m looking forward to the artistic opportunities the story will provide. Batwoman has a rich visual history and I’m thrilled to be a part of it!”
The first arc of the series will be co-written by “Detective Comics” scribe James Tynion IV (he and Bennett will be writing a 2-part lead in story in “Tec” called “Batwoman Begins”), spawning from the pages of the “Night of the Monster Men” crossover. After she and Batman learn that the venom from the defeated monsters corpses is being sold as a bioweapon, the mystery will lead Kate in a chase spanning all across the world.
This is great news. DC has been doing pretty well in books starring non-straight characters, with “DC Bombshells”, “The Hellblazer”, the recently returned “Midnighter & Apollo,” not to mention what we know of “JLA”. But “Batwoman” has really been a missing piece for a while now. To have a queer female character being written by a queer female writer with art from one of the highest-regarded illustrators in the Big 2 is something to look forward too. Now DC just needs to keep this momentum going.
A “Batwoman: Rebirth #1” one-shot will launch February 2017 with issue #1 of the series proper launching in March.
