Kate Kane: Batwoman Appreciation 2024

[Man-Thing]

wait what was part two? Did they have another encounter besides this after the Andreyko run that I missed?

In Crimes of Passion a few years ago. And in Truth & Justice, but that's non-canon.

Looked these up, I quite liked them. I appreciate that recent authors are trying to reconcile the stuff that happened during that run instead of continuing to brush it under the rug. Also gives Kate an ongoing antagonist that isn't just Alice again, and brings Maggie back into the picture, so that's all neat.

[Caivu]

Looked these up, I quite liked them. I appreciate that recent authors are trying to reconcile the stuff that happened during that run instead of continuing to brush it under the rug.

That the thing, though... I don't think there was anything to reconcile. It's not like the New 52 run left anything hanging there. Lots of people (myself included) don't care for those two stories because they keep trying to go back to 1. a bad time in Kate's history 2. that was resolved. It's a bit like how every Batman writer just has to give their take on the Batman-Joker relationship for some reason.

[Man-Thing]

That's entirely fair. I did just read these all at once. I imagine if I hadn't missed them and had saw this same thing pop up three times now in Kate's scant appearances in the last few years I'd be rather tired of it as well.

[Bat-Meal]

That the thing, though... I don't think there was anything to reconcile. It's not like the New 52 run left anything hanging there. Lots of people (myself included) don't care for those two stories because they keep trying to go back to 1. a bad time in Kate's history 2. that was resolved. It's a bit like how every Batman writer just has to give their take on the Batman-Joker relationship for some reason.

Beth/Alice has been removed from the Rogue's gallery, so writer's are looking for a new main enemy for Kate. Since Kate has such a small gallery at this stage - Nocturna is it (for now).

[Man-Thing]

They really do just need to give her more of a rogues gallery...
Or at the very least bring back some other people she's previously run into.

Like, why not flesh out that Wolf Spider guy.
Or bring the reimagined Executioner to the comic pages from his CW TV revival.

Or otherwise pull some one-off baddies out of the vault to reinterpret for modern day like they did with Nocturna. Like, idk, Mirror Man or The Answer.
...actually, The Answer would be a good one to turn to, given her history with The Question.

[Bat-Meal]

They really do just need to give her more of a rogues gallery...
Or at the very least bring back some other people she's previously run into.

Like, why not flesh out that Wolf Spider guy.
Or bring the reimagined Executioner to the comic pages from his CW TV revival.

Or otherwise pull some one-off baddies out of the vault to reinterpret for modern day like they did with Nocturna. Like, idk, Mirror Man or The Answer.
...actually, The Answer would be a good one to turn to, given her history with The Question.

Yeah, there's plenty they could do, but the lazy route is to just do what's been done before. Also, Nocturna has brand recognition whereas it requires effort to build-up a new villain, and that takes time.

[Man-Thing]

does she? I'd never heard of her before Batwoman lol

[Bat-Meal]

does she? I'd never heard of her before Batwoman lol

Been in Batman stories in the past - I mean, she's originally from Batman's rogue's gallery, but Kate seems to have inherited her.

[Man-Thing]

Ah I see. That's, well, at least she's a "Batwoman" villain now. Which probably raises her profile a bit, just because numbers-wise there's way less of those recurring than over in the million Batman books.

But still, would be nice to give her some other villains to chat with.

That aren't Clayface. Was intrigued to see Nocturna back, and then annoyed that Clayface was right there and Kate didn't so much as look at him. But idk maybe it was a different Clayface, there's like a dozen of them around...

[Bat-Meal]

But still, would be nice to give her some other villains to chat with.

Batwoman's Rogue's Gallery is very small, but off the top of my head I can recall:

• Alice/Beth - the most used but now retired as a villian
• Wolf-Spider - used in 1 arc
• Green Fairy - seen but never used
• Colony Prime - used in 1 arc
• The Knife - specific to Coryana, not a Gotham resident
• Safiya - specific to Coryana, not a Gotham resident

Nocturna and Clayface etc. are all hand-me-downs from Batman and other heroes. I think even Abbot wasn't specific to Kate, not sure I'd need to look it up. It's been a long time since I read her first solo but there were a lot of supernatural beings she battled, but I don't know if they were specific to her.

[Man-Thing]

I personally think Wolf-Spider has the most potential, just because he stands out as the sole original male antagonist of the bunch. Especially since he knew Kate before either of them put on costumes. You can mine some stories out of that.

[Twice-named]

Batwoman's Rogue's Gallery is very small, but off the top of my head I can recall:

• Alice/Beth - the most used but now retired as a villian
• Wolf-Spider - used in 1 arc
• Green Fairy - seen but never used
• Colony Prime - used in 1 arc
• The Knife - specific to Coryana, not a Gotham resident
• Safiya - specific to Coryana, not a Gotham resident

Nocturna and Clayface etc. are all hand-me-downs from Batman and other heroes. I think even Abbot wasn't specific to Kate, not sure I'd need to look it up. It's been a long time since I read her first solo but there were a lot of supernatural beings she battled, but I don't know if they were specific to her.

There was also Cutter from Detective Comics #861-863

[Oberon]

There was also Cutter from Detective Comics #861-863

I mostly only followed Kate in her original volume. I didn't see much of her stories before (which included Cutter)

or after in Detective a few years ago.

I can only hope that a clever writer might have an idea that would give Kate more prominence again.

It would be sad to bring back Cutter, without considering the return of Bette though.
(of course Bette's return and possible reuniting with Kate could be the causal factor in Cutter's return)

[Man-Thing]

I don't particularly understand why it needs a clever writer. Why can't we just have an ongoing Batwoman series with some solid writing? They greenlight new Bruce runs all the time where it's just a fun ol' romp and maybe there's a new villain or an arc hook or something but there's no, like, deeper meaning or lit class stuff behind it. Why can't we have the equivalent of The Court of Owls, but in a Kate book? Not everything needs to be a character study or a commentary on something. Sometimes all you need is some decent writing, a good artist, and a cool villain for her to face off against.

Right now I feel like a lot of Kate's regular adversaries can be mapped to Batman's, if not just outright being Batman villains she's co-opted.

Alice is her Joker, Safiya is her Talia or Catwoman, and Nocturna is her Ra's. What I'd really like is for her to get a neat long-standing adversary that isn't just a "and here's the Batwoman version of such and such Batman foe". And also that didn't involve having their own cult.

[scary harpy]

I don't particularly understand why it needs a clever writer. Why can't we just have an ongoing Batwoman series with some solid writing? They greenlight new Bruce runs all the time where it's just a fun ol' romp and maybe there's a new villain or an arc hook or something but there's no, like, deeper meaning or lit class stuff behind it. Why can't we have the equivalent of The Court of Owls, but in a Kate book? Not everything needs to be a character study or a commentary on something. Sometimes all you need is some decent writing, a good artist, and a cool villain for her to face off against.

Right now I feel like a lot of Kate's regular adversaries can be mapped to Batman's, if not just outright being Batman villains she's co-opted.

Alice is her Joker, Safiya is her Talia or Catwoman, and Nocturna is her Ra's. What I'd really like is for her to get a neat long-standing adversary that isn't just a "and here's the Batwoman version of such and such Batman foe". And also that didn't involve having their own cult.

THIS!

This is what Kate needs. This is what most Bat-heroes need right now.

It's a simple back-to-basics approach: bat versus foe-of-the-issue...and maybe a subplot. Remember when this is what comics were?

Remember when comics were fun?