Batwoman: Elegy
Batwoman is a character with a long history but sporadic publication record at DC Comics. The character was first introduced in the Fifties as a response to the speculation that Batman and Robin were homosexuals. Batwoman and Batgirl teased and flirted with Batman and Robin to serve as a reminder that the heroes were straight, and also fought crime with their utility purses and makeup themed weapons, all to make the characters as girly as possible.
The homophobic background of the character underlies the irony of DC's decision to resurrect Batwoman as an out lesbian. When the news of a lesbian Batwoman was announced I feared the book would be a puerile attempt at playing to the skeevy interests of fanboys. The book turned out to be something much better.
The crime fighting adventures of Batwoman take a backseat to the story of her true identity Kate Kane, who resembles a red haired Louise Brooks rather than a typical female superhero. The scene in which Kane accepts her dismissal from West Point rather than lie about her sexual orientation is inspiring. J.H. Williams' art is nothing short of amazing. Williams has sole art credit, but he makes it appear that at least three different artists worked on the story. Williams is able to shift his style completely in order to differentiate between Batwoman scenes, Kate Kane scenes, and flashback scenes. The shifting styles utilize the unique storytelling attributes of the comics medium by using what amounts to different visual languages to convey different aspects of character.