So, last week J.H. Williams III and his co-writer W. Haden Blackman walked away from Batwoman, blaming editorial interference for the situation — most notably a refusal to let Batwoman get married.
There was some question as to whether the series would even continue — Williams had put such a distinctive stamp on the series it seemed hard to imagine anyone filling his shoes. Well, turns out Batwoman will continue and DC has found just about the best possible replacement for Williams on the writing front…
Starting with issue #25 (which means Williams’ run is ending two-issues earlier than first reported) Marc Andreyko will be writing Batwoman. Andreyko spent years writing the criminally underappreciated Manhunter, one of the best female-starring superhero series DC has ever done. He’s also openly gay, which doesn’t really matter, but will help DC deflect some of the “you hate gay people” criticism it’s been getting for nixing Kate Kane’s nuptials.
Speaking of which, according to DC (and Williams himself) Kate Kane being a lesbian had nothing to do with the Batwoman wedding ban, it’s simply a case of marriage in general being verboten in the DC universe. So, what the hell’s DC got against marriage? Here’s Dan DiDio’s explanation…
“Heroes shouldn’t have happy personal lives. They are committed to being that person and committed to defending others at the sacrifice of their own personal interests.
That’s very important and something we reinforced. People in the Bat family their personal lives basically suck. Dick Grayson, rest in peace—oops shouldn’t have said that—Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Barbara Gordon and Kathy Kane. It’s wonderful that they try to establish personal lives, but it’s equally important that they set them aside. That is our mandate, that is our edict and that is our stand.”
In short, getting married would make Batwoman happy, so it can’t happen because superheroes have to always be sad. But hey, thanks to Dan DiDio for summing up his horrible, rancid, totally-missing-the-point philosophy on superhero comics in a few succinct sentences — now I never have to read anything he says ever again!
Good luck Marc Andreyko.
via Comics Alliance & The Mary Sue