June was a queer ol’ month for DC’s big two lady-led Bat-family titles: Batwoman #32 introduced a new recurring lesbian character in the form of Kate Kane’s former West Point girlfriend Sophie; and in Batgirl #32, Barbara Gordon’s bisexual, transgender roommate, Alysia Yeoh, got some lady-lovin’ action. Batwoman Let’s kick it off with Batwoman because the last time we talked about her, I was feeling pretty perpetually disappointed with direction the new creative team was taking the title. What I’ve decided is, I have to think of this new – less mature, less nuanced, less layered – version of Batwoman as a new book, instead of a continuation of Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III‘s gold medal work. I like plenty of comic books aimed at teen readers. She-Hulk, for example, is one of my favorite series right now. And Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane was a big love of mine. So when I realign my expectations, I’m finding that I enjoy the Marc Andreyko‘s work much more. Batwoman #32 is actually a really good jumping-on point for new readers. Andreyko & Co.’s first full arc concluded last month, so we’re kicking off with a brand new villain and a brand new phase of Kate Kane’s personal life. The new villain is a gold-digging, husband-killing vampire named Nocturnal. The new personal life is … more complicated. (Hashtag lesbians, amirite?)
Maggie is out of town dealing with her ex-husband who wants sole custody of their daughter, something that’s putting a big strain on her relationship with Kate. Maggie doesn’t want Kate to be with her during the trial, which of course makes Kate feel like there’s something wrong with her, and Maggie doesn’t have the time (or desire?) to process her situation with her fiance. She checks in, briefly, and leaves Kate feeling left out. Things get even more weird for Kate when her ex-girlfriend from West Point shows up in Gotham (in her full uniform!) for a job at the Gotham Military Academy.
We don’t know Sophie, but we can tell by the way Bette says, “Oh. That Sophie” that there’s a whole lot of history there. Probably of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell variety. Kate is so thrown that she actually goes to her therapist without an appointment so he can exposit to us that she’s probably feeling unsettled about seeing an ex-girlfriend with whom she doesn’t have any closure, and also a little rageful that said ex-girlfriend stayed closeted and in the army and now has a life Kate could have had if she hadn’t come out as a lesbian.
Kate’s not much of a talker (and Andreyko’s never been accused of using his words too much), so Kate works out her frustration by donning the cape and cowl and heading out into the night to bust some heads.
The setup doesn’t feel completely organic, but it does pose a very timely, gay-specific internal dilemma for Kate to face down. It’s the first time I’ve been excited to see what happens in the next issue in a long time!
