At a time when companies like DC and Marvel have been criticised for not putting the same spotlight on their female heroes as they do their male ones, Batwoman is a rare standout.
Not only that but she’s also an out and proud gay lady (who was kicked out of the military because of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, no less) which makes her one of the few queer characters in all of comics.
She hasn’t exactly had an easy time, however, as DC Comics recently caught flak for not allowing the iconic hero and her girlfriend, Maggie Sawyer, to get married although they were engaged.
This caused the lead writer – followed by the entire original creative team – to leave. And then there was further controversy when the comics seemed to show Batwoman being sexually assaulted.
Eventually, Batwoman, within the New 52 series, was cancelled as DC rejigged the entire thing and did its best to fix its mistakes.
Since then, fans have lamented the lack of Batwoman media, but this new DC comic series Bombshells could be exactly the refresher that fans need.
In Bombshells, Batwoman, Maggie Sawyer and queer-fan favourite Wonder Woman do their bit to help the war effort.
When the series kicks off, it’s 1940 and World War 2 is in full swing, so Batwoman (as Kate Kane, a baseball player) and Maggie Sawyer (who is also a detective in this series) pitch in to help fight crime.
In the first issue of Bombshells, we see Batwoman use her bat as a weapon while saving a family and a headline about her reads “local celebrity smashing her opponents on and off the diamond”.
Most of Bombshells is about Batwoman, Maggie, and eventually Wonder Woman in their adventures outside of Gotham City (Batwoman is already bored of the place by the time the comics start) and how they put their ass-kicking to good use, e.g when they help the Amazons to defend their island.
However, there are some sweeter moments too where we see Batwoman and Maggie cuddle up in bed and even take a shower together.
Admittedly, this won’t completely make up for all of the missteps that DC made with Batwoman’s New 52 run, but it at least does a good job of catering to fans who have grown impatient waiting for what’s next.
