Marguerite Bennett – like many writers – falls into a trap when portraying homosexual characters. She tends to reinforce ad nauseum the fact that Batwoman is a lesbian. Yes, she is. She is also a soldier, a daughter, a crime fighter, and many other things. But here’s the thing about people (real or imaginary) who wear that identity on your sleeve: If that’s all you show the world, that’s how the world will judge you. This is what leads to phrases like “black comedian,” or “Jewish scholar” – or lesbian super-hero.

Batwoman #10 wraps up the previous story arc, in which Batwoman and Colony Prime were held captive in Scarecrow’s underground lab, heavily dosed with fear-inducing drugs. The post-mortem on the lab leads to a confrontation with her father, suggesting their fractured relationship may not be entirely his fault.

For reasons above, I’m not enjoying Batwoman very much. I get it: she’s gay, and I am totally fine with that. People of all types should be represented in comics. What I take issue with is that hardly an issue goes by that there isn’t some reminder of that; a romantic interlude between two women. I wouldn’t mind if it was a romance comic, but it’s not, is it?

Batwoman’s investigation into the many arms of death may reveal some unpleasant truths. It seems nothing Batman himself couldn’t have handled, which begs the question as to why a Batwoman is needed in the first place – something I’ve been wondering for a while. Thankfully, the answer is much more than “Because DC needs more diverse characters.” So maybe there’s hope for the book yet.

Rating: 4/10