In 2009, Batwoman or Kate Kane was introduced as the lead in Detective Comics issue #854 written by Greg Rucka. The first few issues followed Batwoman hunting down a crime gang. This plot was a somewhat typical and expected storyline of the comic book issues. So much so that Batwoman could have easily been substituted with Batman. But this changes, when a twist at the end of issue #857 reveals the head of the crime gang to be Kate Kane’s sister.
The next three issues reveal Batwoman’s back story. The issues tell of her Mother’s death, her coming out to her Father, her meeting Renee Montoya and her transition from West Point drop out to vigilante, Batwoman. These issues transitioned the storyline for me from being plot driven to character driven. As a writer, I decided to review these issues further to understand why I enjoyed reading these issues more then the first three introductory issues of Batwoman into the Detective Comics.
Right from the start of issue #858 the reader is taken to a different place and time just by the style and panel layout of the first nine pages. The style is reminiscent of the old 1950′s Batman comics from the choice of words and picture use to the coloring and illustrations. The storyline and plot also take a turn focusing on Kate Kane’s relationship with her sister when they were young and at a time when her Mother was still alive. While the issues prior to #858 show Kate Kane’s relationship with her Father and other women, the episodes mainly focused on the telling of the plot and how Batwoman would discover who was the crime gang’s leader. In these prior issues there is also a level of detachment between Kate Kane and others which help to set up issue #858 and the sequential issues that tell Kate Kane’s back story.
The pages ten through fourteen orient the reader in the future. They explain how the pages before and after relate to Batwoman. Immediately, these pages pull the reader into a different time and place similar to the first pages by their style and layouts. The illustration is modern, detailed and dark while breaking out of standard square panel layouts by using a set up that breaks the fourth wall where the artist extends the illustrations to the edges and across pages while incorporating the ‘panels’ or points of focus within as part of the entire page illustration. While this layout can be seamless and artistic it is often difficult to follow. As a reader, I found that I had to look over/read the pages more then once to truly understand their meaning. I felt the reason for having to reread these pages was because of this chosen layout and the interdependent nature of the words and picture in the design.
The following pages, after this section, return to the same style and layout as the first pages. This more standard type of layout, flows easier and tells Kate Kane’s history effectively. Some could say this simple layout is boring, but it helped with the telling of emotions in the events as well as the telling of the ‘human’, relatable and vulnerable side of Batwoman.
Issue #858, #859 and #860 all use the same method for the storytelling of Batwoman’s history with each issue building up to the next to reveal Kate Kane’s transformation into Batwoman. These methods, overall, worked well for me as the reader to find the vulnerability in the main character that made her less of a detached superhero and more of a woman looking to heal her wounds while finding her place in the world.