SPOILER WARNING!
If you haven’t read Batwoman #17 this week you may want to skip this post – even though the headline gives it away – I know!
Seriously!
OK!
Here it comes:
Congratulations Batwoman! Kate Kane proposed to her girlfriend Maggie Sawyer in this week’s Batwoman #17. by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman. This issue was the big finale of Batwoman’s team up with Wonder Woman against Medusa. Kane revealed to the Gotham City Police Captain that she was the caped crusader, kissed her and proposed.
Here’s some of what the writer said about this week’s issue on his blog:
“Back when we (Haden and I) were offered to take over Batwoman’s direction after Greg Rucka’s departure, there was a certain sense of elation and trepidation in saying yes, and a certain kind of responsibility. Batwoman is an important character, and a socially important one that has meaning that extends well beyond the printed pages of the world she lives in, reaching out into ours possibly affecting those who encounter her story. At the time, we quickly said yes to telling her story, but then had the arduous task of putting that puzzle together, while having it be an expansion from what Greg and I had already set in motion.
After weeks of planning and plotting, figuring out just how those pieces moved and fit into a bigger construct, we knew where we were going with her, where the bigger fantastical story interacted with more personal aspects of Kate Kane’s life. So the current few issues of the tale have all been set up since the beginning, since Batwoman’s first Issue 0 (yes, there has been more than one). And it’s all culminating now, into issue 17 that is out now. It’s an important issue in many respects, not just to Kate’s story, but to ours as well. But this is really only phase 1, while this new chapter brings lots of things to a head, it’s also the beginning of phase 2.
Maybe the biggest surprise is that the proposal received little to no pre-release publicity and fanfare. Marvel heavily hyped the wedding of Northstar and partner Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men last year. DC Comics unleashed a big publicity push for The New 52 introduction of Alan Scott as an openly gay man who would become the Green Lantern of Earth 2. DC is currently under fire for hiring Orson Scott Card to contribute to an Adventures of Superman anthology. Card is an open opponent of same-sex marriage.
I’m pretty sure this is the first lesbian marriage proposal in a mainstream comic book. This week’s proposal is the latest groundbreaking moment for Batwoman. Kate refused to serve in silence and was kicked out of the military when the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was still in effect. Kate would later become Batwoman.
Good call by Bleeding Cool on this being the second GLBT character created by John Byrne to get engaged! Northstar was created by Byrne in Alpha Flight. Maggie Sawyer was created by Byrne in Superman. Both were created to be gay characters decades ago but couldn’t be. Byrne was way ahead of his time!
Ironic that Batwoman was created in the 1940’s a love interest for Bruce Wayne to dispel rumors and theories that Batman and Robin were gay. Kathy Kane dressed up as Batwoman and fought crime with her purse full of weapons. Greg Rucka and Williams introduced the modern-day Kate Kane in Detective Comics in which Kate was romantically involved with Detective Renee Montoya and created the amazing Batwoman: Elegy epic. Batwoman really has come a long way.
As a reader pointed out Maggie has say to yes! Regardless, I have a feeling this GLAAD awarding winning book may get another nomination!
By Editor