Collecting Batwoman (Early Access for Crushing Comics Club members)

Today I'm bringing you a guide to one of my favorite characters introduced in the past decade - Collecting Batwoman.

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This guide is tentatively scheduled for general public release on March 13, coinciding with the first issue of Batwoman's new ongoing series!

Batwoman is an interesting character for many reasons, but from a collecting perspective it is because she's a hero in a bottle - she has been used sparingly enough that you could read all of her appearances in a single week.

I tried something new here - the guide begins with a "Quick Start" section with suggestions on where to start reading and a brief Greatest Hits reading order. I'm still toying with the format and depth of these sections, but if you're new to Batwoman I'd love your feedback - I may roll this new section out across some older Marvel guides, too.

Batwoman debuted in the post-Infinite Crisis Batman vacuum of 52 as a little-seen hero keeping Gotham's streets clean. She never had her own stories there, but served as a foil and former flame of fan-favorite GCPD detective  Renee Montoya.

Later, Greg Rucka adopted Batwoman in Detective Comics during another one of Batman's absenses - this time, after Morrison's Batman R.I.P. . This arc is a knockout stunner with sumptous artwork by JH Williams. 

Williams was so taken with the character that he continued her into New 52, co-writing a cerebral and gorgeous series with Haden Blackman. Unfortunately, the creators walked off the title in 2013 - half due to their plots being co-opted by other books, and half due to DC's hard line on Batwoman marrying her fiancé Maggie Sawyer.

The back half of Batwoman's New 52 solo title is a slog that plays up her frequent horror themes, but she got a fresh start in Rebirth as one of the anchors of the first six months of Detective Comics before graduating back to her own series - this time written by the marvelous pairing of arguerite Bennett and Steve Epting.

Next up? A page for Batman's other ongoings, DC's Events and Alternate Realities, Flash, and my first author bibliography ... but, first, that surprise page should be done this weekend!

Questions or comments? Let me know below!