Kate Kane: Batwoman Appreciation 2021

[Twice-named]

I don’t remember it being established how long Renee and Daria were together before the events of Half a Life. It’s been a while since I read Gotham Central though.

I wish all writers would leave Elegy alone and not mess with it. Whatever. I’ve ignored all of Kate’s continuity for the last 8 years.

[Coco Loco]

I've also heard rumor that in the TV show he gets abducted and manipulated every other episode, and is now a drug addict. True or not: I'm not going to watch it to find out.

I guess the comic writer's think Kate having a loving and supporting father makes her less of a 'tragic-bat' or something.

There are two constants on the TV show. One is that any decision or statement Jacob Kane makes is wrong, and despite that he will continue to blunder around with absolute unearned confidence. Dude is bad at literally everything he attempts.

The second is that the actress who plays Sophie only has one facial expression, an odd mix of concern and constipation.

[Stars & Stripes]

There are two constants on the TV show. One is that any decision or statement Jacob Kane makes is wrong, and despite that he will continue to blunder around with absolute unearned confidence. Dude is bad at literally everything he attempts.

The second is that the actress who plays Sophie only has one facial expression, an odd mix of concern and constipation.

How'd that guy even get to be tasked with Gotham's security if he's so inept?

[Caivu]

How'd that guy even get to be tasked with Gotham's security if he's so inept?

He's not, that's the thing. It's complete hyperbole to say that "any decision or statement Jacob Kane makes is wrong" or that he's "bad at literally everything he attempts."

[Caivu]

Unlettered preview of Truth and Justice #5:

TAJ_ch13_01_600_CMYK-1-scaled.jpg
TAJ_ch13_02_600_CMYK-2-scaled.jpg
TAJ_ch13_04_600_CMYK-3-scaled.jpg

[Caivu]

More:

TAJ_ch13_06_600_CMYK-4-scaled.jpg
TAJ_ch14_10_600_CMYK-5-scaled.jpg

Happily, these pages don't seem to indicate that Kate left Gotham for personal reasons, which is something I had worried about. Related to that, according to an interview with the author, Grace Ellis, the bartender character doesn't seem to be being positioned as a romantic interest.

[Coco Loco]

How'd that guy even get to be tasked with Gotham's security if he's so inept?

I don’t think the show’s portrayal of him as inept is intentional. He’s supposed to be a badass - it’s just that he’s too often in the role of being the antagonist/ obstacle/ guy who’s not in the know, and they’ve done it so often he looks like a goober. Kind of like Lord Donk on Downton Abbey.

[Caivu]

Man, this has not been a good week for Kate Kane appearances. Her role in The Other History #4 sucked and now Truth and Justice #13 has her getting so stressed out from facing Nocturna again that she has to go for a vacation. Really? I get that Nocturna abused Kate, but Kate also stomped Nocturna's teeth out of her head at the end of the New 52, and more importantly hasn't had any lingering affects from that abuse in the form of, say, panic attacks or nightmares or the like. It doesn't help that this is the second Batwoman story in just over a year to feature Nocturna again, without many (or any) other Batwoman stories in the interim. There's no unfinished business with Nocturna, no dangling plot threads. So why do writers keep going back to her?

Additionally, like that previous Nocturna story, this one also feature Kate calling upon Maggie. Why? They haven't been a thing for, what seven years now? Does no one at DC realize Kate and Renee are still a couple?

Fortunately, those two things along with some other details lead me to believe that this isn't a canon story. That's not just wishful thinking on my part, because I wanted this to be an actual, meaningful story. Not necessarily in the sense of big or character altering, but something to proudly add to Kate's history. But I can't say that now, and since she shows up so sporadically in main comic roles now, I don't know when that will be true again after June.

Edit:

After looking up the initial press release for Truth and Justice, it was compared to other confirmed "continuity free" series like Sensation Comics and Legends of the Dark Knight, so it's always been the same sort of series, it seems. That takes the edge off things a little. Whew.

[Cyberstrike]

How'd that guy even get to be tasked with Gotham's security if he's so inept?

He runs/owns a private army that before the show was basically a second police force and was considered by many to be better than Gotham City Police Department which is a legendary for being so corrupt and inept.

[Twice-named]

Man, this has not been a good week for Kate Kane appearances. Her role in The Other History #4 sucked and now Truth and Justice #13 has her getting so stressed out from facing Nocturna again that she has to go for a vacation. Really? I get that Nocturna abused Kate, but Kate also stomped Nocturna's teeth out of her head at the end of the New 52, and more importantly hasn't had any lingering affects from that abuse in the form of, say, panic attacks or nightmares or the like. It doesn't help that this is the second Batwoman story in just over a year to feature Nocturna again, without many (or any) other Batwoman stories in the interim. There's no unfinished business with Nocturna, no dangling plot threads. So why do writers keep going back to her?

Additionally, like that previous Nocturna story, this one also feature Kate calling upon Maggie. Why? They haven't been a thing for, what seven years now? Does no one at DC realize Kate and Renee are still a couple?

Fortunately, those two things along with some other details lead me to believe that this isn't a canon story. That's not just wishful thinking on my part, because I wanted this to be an actual, meaningful story. Not necessarily in the sense of big or character altering, but something to proudly add to Kate's history. But I can't say that now, and since she shows up so sporadically in main comic roles now, I don't know when that will be true again after June.

Edit:

After looking up the initial press release for Truth and Justice, it was compared to other confirmed "continuity free" series like Sensation Comics and Legends of the Dark Knight, so it's always been the same sort of series, it seems. That takes the edge off things a little. Whew.

If I had the honor of writing Kate, I certainly wouldn’t revisit Andreyko’s run in any way, shape or form.

[Frontier]

I see they're giving her a Ruby Rose-inspired haircut now.

I wouldn't call Jacob inept, although he has been kidnapped or knocked out a lot in the current season.

[Bat-Meal]

Truth and Justice #13 has her getting so stressed out from facing Nocturna again that she has to go for a vacation. Really? I get that Nocturna abused Kate, but Kate also stomped Nocturna's teeth out of her head at the end of the New 52, and more importantly hasn't had any lingering affects from that abuse in the form of, say, panic attacks or nightmares or the like. It doesn't help that this is the second Batwoman story in just over a year to feature Nocturna again, without many (or any) other Batwoman stories in the interim. There's no unfinished business with Nocturna, no dangling plot threads. So why do writers keep going back to her?

Additionally, like that previous Nocturna story, this one also feature Kate calling upon Maggie. Why? They haven't been a thing for, what seven years now? Does no one at DC realize Kate and Renee are still a couple?

Well...you know, abused is a rather gentle way of phrasing it - Nocturna raped her (multiple times by all indications). If this was a British or Australian publication then the timing for a story addressing sexual abuse and coercive control is very topical at the moment.

He runs/owns a private army that before the show was basically a second police force and was considered by many to be better than Gotham City Police Department which is a legendary for being so corrupt and inept.

He's probably irrelevant to the show now, I'd guess. They likely want to write him out once the actor's contract is up, or maybe I'm just being cynical, but I don't care.

I see they're giving her a Ruby Rose-inspired haircut now.

Ruby Rose has had a lot of different haircuts though. Does this mean in later comics she'll start looking like Wallis Day?

[Caivu]

DC Pride promo by Paulina Ganucheau:

20210530_114446.jpg

[Caivu]

Weekly notes:

The Batwoman story in DC Pride was good. Not earth-shattering, but it gave a slightly different perspective on Kate that we haven't seen before, without breaking anything.

The Truth and Justice story ended up being pretty pointless. Not necessarily bad, and it's not canon anyway even if so, so eh. But it was just sorta... there.

Kate has a single-panel appearance in Justice League: Last Ride #2.

[Twice-named]

Did DC Pride introduce a new love interest for Renee or something? That’s the gist I’m getting.