Batwoman is a character I've been obsessed with since I was very young. I had backissues of Batman Family and Brave and the Bold featuring the yellow-clad Kathy Kane and she intrigued me greatly. She was more serious and stern than Batgirl, she had romantic tension with Batman, and she had an outlandishly colorful outfit that didn't make any sense for crimefighting. She was also in the twilight years of her presence in the comics. By the mid-80s she was phased out completely. Then roughly twenty years later she was re-introduced with a vengeance. This new Kate Kane character thwarted the characters homophobic origins and gave her a gritty and believable backstory. I was thrilled. But when the CW show was announced I was cautiously optimistic. Modern Batwoman comics seemed so cinematic, there were perfect scripts with perfect storyboards already laid out. The most successful comic adaptations honor those illustrated panels as the perfect blueprint they are. It seems like a simple recipe.
But I have found that CW shows often miss the mark - dialogue, atmosphere, lighting, etc seem to follow a (cheesy) studio standard rather than authenticity to the source material. Unfortunately my fears were realized. Despite me liking the talent involved, I found the show very difficult to watch. I felt the same with previous adaptations of beloved comics - Hellboy, Y the Last Man, all the X-Men movies, etc. And Batwoman was just another not to meet my high expectations. When Ruby Rose announced she was stepping away from the role after a single season, I didn't have much of a reaction. But then I heard the title character would be replaced with a new actress - who would not be Kate Kane - and I was intrigued all over again. The replacement was to be Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, a homeless orphan with tragic past, heroic aspirations, and fighting skills, who found the Batsuit in the wreckage of the flight where Kate Kane was lost. I still don't love this show, but I like Season 2 much more than Season 1 - and I would love to see Ryan reinterpreted into the comics. This Funko Pop was unexpected but very welcome. Even if I don't love the show, the character recognition and costume design should be celebrated. Let's check her out below!
I think Poison Ivy on this show looks awesome.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here are the three Batwoman POPs so far: DC Bombshells, CW Television, and DC Comics.
Cheers!
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