Trade Issues: Batwoman-Elegy

Trade Issues: Where Chris reads comics he should have read years ago

Upon starting it when the new 52 began, Batwoman quickly became one of my favorite titles. Not only did it follow a very compelling and layered character that I was new to, it has some of the best art that I've ever seen. Ever. EVER. But one problem I had with the series is that I felt like I'd missed something; like there was some prelude to it that I had needed to read first to fully grasp what was going on. Some quick investigations led me to to find Batwoman: Elegy, an arc on Detective Comics, during Dick's time as Batman that sort of exposed the modern world to Batwoman a bit more. Despite only being six issues long, this comic basically contains two different stories.

The first three issues focus on the Kate Kane's dual life as she attempts to balance her dating life with her life as Batwoman. The comic almost right away starts as Kate is dumped by her girlfriend (Oh yes, Batwoman is a lesbian. If you didn't know....seriously?) as the girl assumes that all Kate's nights away are spent in another woman's bed. Unlike Bruce Wayne, Kate doesn't have Alfred there to cover for her. This is one of the things I love about Batwoman: She isn't that connected to the Batfamily. She was not trained by Bruce/Dick/Tim/Babs and solely became a vigilante because she was inspired by Batman and wanted to pay homage to him. I like this dynamic, her being a more solo hero in Gotham.

The first few issues of the book cover a new villain coming to Gotham City and coming after Kate. The High Madame Alice is a madwoman that speaks entirely in Alice In Wonderland quotes is nearly as mad as The Joker and just as deadly. Alice's plan quickly unfolds to reveal that she plans to abduct Kate's Dad(a high ranking military officer) and steal a plane to unleash nerve gas throughout Gotham. This story unfolds like a bit of a formulaic baddie plot but ends with a sudden revelation that I won't spoil.

The second story in the comic cover the origins of Batwoman. This was the part of the comic that was absolutely blew me away and THIS WAS JUST AN ORIGIN STORY. It just had so much heart and was so real!!It covered her tragic childhood life, showing her deep connection with her Father. It moved on to Kate's time at West Point Military Academy until she was expelled for refusing to keep quiet and hide who she was under Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This led to Kate, who had only ever wanted to serve, losing her way as she partied it up in Gotham City for a few years.

The reader moves onto to see a small snippet of her relationship with The Question/Renee Montoya (I honestly wish this part of the comic had been a bit longer since it was REALLY cool to see them together) before an inevitable break-up. Finally, we see Kate become inspired after a run in with the dark knight himself, causing her to go through years of combat training as she's finally found her way to serve. 

All of this connects back flawlessly with the main story between Kate, her Dad, and the high madame Alice. If you're not reading Batwoman yet, start here. After reading Elegy, I plan on going through and rereading JH Williams III's run on the new series to see how the first 2 arcs have changed now that I know the character better. 

Kate is truly one of the most engrossing and unique characters in comics right now. And Williams' art/writing in the new series is absolutely topnotch. Grab the first new 52 trade of it ASAP. You won't regret it.