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| Art by J.H. Williams III |
Batwoman has had quite a bit of exposure on social media since her upcoming TV series was announced, and it seems likely that the producers will be drawing on the work of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III for inspiration. Published in 2009, their story Elegy defined the modern version of the character, and is where you need to look if you want to get to know her.
Elegy is a four-part story about the link between Batwoman and a cult known as the Religion of Crime. This is her own case - Batman makes an appearance as you'd expect, but you learn why she's the caped crusader for the job. Writer Greg Rucka, who has a history of writing powerful women, easily makes you a fan of both the vigilante and her alter-ego Kate Kane.
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| Kate Kane and her father, Jake |
Kate isn't just a gender-swapped Bruce Wayne. Her crime-fighting style more strongly resembles that of a soldier, and as a civilian she has to deal with a whole new batch of issues such as her sexuality and family relationships. Of course, the parallels with her male counterpart are there, but Rucka embraces these and makes them part of the comic.
Rucka's writing is gritty and grounded - there wouldn't be much of an issue translating it to live action, which bodes well for the upcoming series. Elegy is far from a storyboard for a TV show, however - J.H. Williams' art is so incredible that it could never be faithfully brought to life.
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| One of William's sensational splash pages |
Batwoman and the enigmatic characters she meets inhabit an ambient world, with Williams switching between different styles to create different atmospheres. The stand-out thing about the art (and perhaps the whole comic) is the innovative panel layout - rather than using something simple like Watchmen's three-by-three grid, the panels are dynamic and form different shapes such as bats and lightning bolts.
Elegy is followed by Go, detailing how Kate Kane became Batwoman. Rucka's ideas sting with brutal realism - this origin might never become as iconic as Batman: Year One, but it's certainly more relevant for the 21st century and maybe even a better story. Williams returns for this tale, channelling Year One's David Mazzucchelli and demonstrating his artistic range. Go also serves as a sequel to Elegy, with present-day sequences reflecting Kate's history.
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| Batman and Batwoman contrasted by Jock |
The third and final Batwoman story by Greg Rucka, Cutter, continues the themes established by the other two. Jock replaces Williams as artist, but his work fits the story so well that it isn't a problem. It follows both Batwoman and Batman as they work on two different but similar cases, providing opportunities for some great page layouts.
Cutter isn't really a conclusion of the narrative started by Elegy - if anything, it leaves Kate's story more open-ended. While some might find this unsatisfactory, it definitely piques even more interest in the world of Batwoman and lays the groundwork for future classics that will feature the character. Hopefully the TV series takes some notes from Rucka's three tales, because it's absolutely the best place to start with Kate Kane.
Rating: 8.5/10
These Batwoman comics can be found in the Batwoman by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III collection, available in print and on Comixology.
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