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Batwoman (Kate Kane) Reading Order

Batwoman Reading Order (Kate Kane)

Once upon a time, during the early Silver Age of Comics, there was the first Batwoman named Kathy Kane. Created by writer Edmond Hamilton and artist Sheldon Moldoff, she was introduced in 1954 as a female counterpart to Batman with her side-kick Bat-Girl and as a love interest for Batman. It was a way for the Batman editorial to fight all those allegations of Batman’s homosexuality that arose after the publication of the book Seduction of the Innocent in 1954. Kathy Kane never became an important character and was simply later removed. Crisis on Infinite Earths erased her from history until the events of Infinite Crisis which established a new Universe and a new incarnation of Kathy Kane.

But this is not the Batwoman that interests us today. The one we are focusing on today is called Kate Kane. Created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Ken Lashley, she was introduced in 52 #7 as a loose adaptation of the Original Batwoman.

Katherine Rebecca “Kate” Kane is a wealthy heiress lesbian and a cousin of Bruce Wayne. Inspired by the superhero Batman, she decides to fight crime as a masked vigilante in her home of Gotham City as Batwoman. Her profile grew with time, and she had her own eponymous Batman ongoing title, as well as a lead role in Detective Comics.

If she’s not the star of her own series right now, we can still count on Batwoman to protect Gotham!

Renee Montoya and Batwoman (2006-2008)

Before living her own adventures, Kate Kane aka Batwoman is introduced in 52, a weekly anthology series telling a real-time, year-long tale of heroes surviving in the wake of Infinite Crisis, when DC’s trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman was nowhere to be found. She was then mostly a supporting character in Renee Montoya’s story. A fact to keep in memory when reading the following stories, where Kate can have a limited presence.

This is where Final Crisis (see complete Reading Order), a crossover event published by DC Comics in 2008 coming from Grant Morrison, takes place. Following are the collected edition where Batwoman appears.

Batwoman Reading Order

The Greg Rucka period (2009-2010)

After three years of living in Renee Montoya’s shadow, Kate Kane gets a more prominent role in a year of Detective Comics.

Batwoman Reading OrderThis era and a big part of the New 52 era are now collected in one Big omnibus:

  • Batwoman Omnibus
    Collects Detective Comics #854-863, Batwoman #0 (New 52), Batwoman #0-24, and Batwoman Annual #1.

Batwoman during New 52

We enter New 52 territory and Batwoman is the star of her own series where she faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City’s underworld–and new trials in her personal life.

Batwoman Reading Order

Batwoman in DC Rebirth

Following Flashpoint (go to the full Reading order), we’re leaving New 52 behind for Rebirth, and Batwoman is a big part of Detective Comis relaunch by James Tynion. She will also have her own title.

All of Detective Comics stories written by James Tynion are now available in one big omnibus:

For the end of Rebirth, Batwoman is not attached to any particular title and makes some guest-starring appearances in multiple titles during the City of Bane, Year of The Villain, and more.

Joker Batman New 52 Reading OrderLike the other members of the BatFamily, Kate Kane took part in The Joker War, see reading order here.

Batwoman Reading Order

Kate Kane  during the Infinite Frontier Era

A new era begins with more of the same as James Tynion IV’s run on Batman coming to an end with another crossover event: Fear State (Reading order of the event here). Like a lot of members of the Batfamily, Kate Kane played a small part in it. Batwoman continues to have a recurring role in Detective Comics.

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