Batwoman: Elegy
Encyclopedia
"Elegy" is a 2009-2010 comic book
story arc
that ran in the main feature of DC Comics
' flagship title, Detective Comics
, from issues #854-860. It is written by Greg Rucka
with artwork by J.H. Williams III, with colors by Dave Stewart.
The story is notable for featuring the modern incarnation of Batwoman
, replacing Detectives regular feature character Batman
in the wake of that character's apparent death in the DC event series Final Crisis
. Although a title had been in the planning stages since before the character's first appearance in 52
, various production setbacks and DC events delayed the title until Bruce Wayne's removal from the present day DC Universe. Deemed the appropriate time, the story was placed as the main feature in Detective.
By 52s conclusion, DC made it clear to the talent involved that the character should appear in her own book at some point. Rucka ended up landing the writing assignment, having written most of the Batwoman material in 52. Around the time of the One Year Later
event, the then-editor on the Batman titles, Peter Tomasi
, first said that artist J.H. Williams III and Rucka would be the best team to take on the title. After Tomasi left his position as editor, Williams and Rucka began seriously discussing where to take the story. Rucka said that he "had been doing a whole lot of pre-work on it, writing up a concept bible and things like that. Jim sat down and looked at the designs that had already been done in her prior appearances, brought up some of his design and aesthetic concerns, and then went on to do redesigns. At which point I was writing scripts."
The title was announced in February 2008, although production conflicts continued to loom. Rucka described the title as, "the worst kept secret in comics for about two years." DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio
remained adamant about the title being published. Rucka said of DiDio's involvement, "He has positively backed this thing from the start, and the number of hits he's taken on this, we've lost count." When the Battle for the Cowl
story was published, DC editorial reasoned that the climate of stories without Bruce Wayne was the most logical place to release it. Rucka described, "With Bruce gone, this was the time, and the suggestion was to put it in Detective. And there was precedent for it, so we figured that's great – we'll do that."
— but Alice has more up her sleeve than just poison, and Batwoman's life will never be the same.
noted in a review of the first issue, "Any discussion of Detective Comics #854 should start with Williams' art. Williams' work is absolutely stunning, and the issue is filled with the type of eye-popping double-page sequences that tempt you to carefully disassemble the book and hang the pages on your wall. Williams is a true visionary when it comes to designing a page, and this book includes arguably his most impressive design work yet."
John Bierly of popular Batman website Batman-On-Film.com praised Rucka's story, saying, "Rucka rocks, and he's bringing his "A" game here. I've never read a single comic book featuring Batwoman, and though I'll do research AFTER I write this review, I wanted to come into this as cold as possible and present the viewpoint of someone who's new to the character. I like her. A lot."
The acclaim for Williams' artwork on this series was reflected with the artist's nomination for an Eisner Award
for best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist.
political commentator Rachel Maddow
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
that ran in the main feature of DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' flagship title, Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
, from issues #854-860. It is written by Greg Rucka
Greg Rucka
Gregory "Greg" Rucka is an American comic book writer and novelist, known for his work on such comics as Action Comics, Batwoman: Detective Comics, and the miniseries Superman: World of New Krypton for DC Comics, and for novels such as his Queen & Country series.-Career:Rucka's writing career...
with artwork by J.H. Williams III, with colors by Dave Stewart.
The story is notable for featuring the modern incarnation of Batwoman
Batwoman
Batwoman is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective...
, replacing Detectives regular feature character Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
in the wake of that character's apparent death in the DC event series Final Crisis
Final Crisis
Final Crisis is a crossover storyline that appeared in comic books published by DC Comics in 2008, primarily the seven-issue miniseries of the same name written by Grant Morrison. Originally DC announced the project as being illustrated solely by J. G. Jones; artists Carlos Pacheco, Marco Rudy and...
. Although a title had been in the planning stages since before the character's first appearance in 52
52 (comics)
52 was a weekly American comic book limited series published by DC Comics that debuted on May 10, 2006, one week after the conclusion of the seven-issue Infinite Crisis. The series was written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with layouts by Keith Giffen...
, various production setbacks and DC events delayed the title until Bruce Wayne's removal from the present day DC Universe. Deemed the appropriate time, the story was placed as the main feature in Detective.
Publication history
According to series writer Greg Rucka, DC Comics had intended to do either a Batwoman ongoing or mini-series prior to the release of the year-long 52. After the release of a much publicized New York Times article on the character, mainstream attention dictated to DC that the character should be exploited as soon as possible in the 52 mini-series.By 52s conclusion, DC made it clear to the talent involved that the character should appear in her own book at some point. Rucka ended up landing the writing assignment, having written most of the Batwoman material in 52. Around the time of the One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
event, the then-editor on the Batman titles, Peter Tomasi
Peter Tomasi
Peter J. Tomasi is an American comic book editor and writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. As an editor, he oversaw numerous books featuring the Justice League, including books starring various members of that team, such as Batman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern and the Flash...
, first said that artist J.H. Williams III and Rucka would be the best team to take on the title. After Tomasi left his position as editor, Williams and Rucka began seriously discussing where to take the story. Rucka said that he "had been doing a whole lot of pre-work on it, writing up a concept bible and things like that. Jim sat down and looked at the designs that had already been done in her prior appearances, brought up some of his design and aesthetic concerns, and then went on to do redesigns. At which point I was writing scripts."
The title was announced in February 2008, although production conflicts continued to loom. Rucka described the title as, "the worst kept secret in comics for about two years." DCU Executive Editor Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
remained adamant about the title being published. Rucka said of DiDio's involvement, "He has positively backed this thing from the start, and the number of hits he's taken on this, we've lost count." When the Battle for the Cowl
Batman: Battle for the Cowl
Batman: Battle for the Cowl is a 2009 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, three issue miniseries written and penciled by Tony Daniel, as well as a number of tie-in books. The central story details the chaos in Gotham City following the "Batman R.I.P." and "Final...
story was published, DC editorial reasoned that the climate of stories without Bruce Wayne was the most logical place to release it. Rucka described, "With Bruce gone, this was the time, and the suggestion was to put it in Detective. And there was precedent for it, so we figured that's great – we'll do that."
Plot summary
Batwoman battles a madwoman known only as Alice, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable. Batwoman must stop Alice from unleashing a toxic death cloud over all of Gotham CityGotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
— but Alice has more up her sleeve than just poison, and Batwoman's life will never be the same.
Critical reaction
The series, most notably the artwork by Williams III, received high critical acclaim. Dan Phillips of IGN ComicsIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted in a review of the first issue, "Any discussion of Detective Comics #854 should start with Williams' art. Williams' work is absolutely stunning, and the issue is filled with the type of eye-popping double-page sequences that tempt you to carefully disassemble the book and hang the pages on your wall. Williams is a true visionary when it comes to designing a page, and this book includes arguably his most impressive design work yet."
John Bierly of popular Batman website Batman-On-Film.com praised Rucka's story, saying, "Rucka rocks, and he's bringing his "A" game here. I've never read a single comic book featuring Batwoman, and though I'll do research AFTER I write this review, I wanted to come into this as cold as possible and present the viewpoint of someone who's new to the character. I like her. A lot."
The acclaim for Williams' artwork on this series was reflected with the artist's nomination for an Eisner Award
Eisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for best Penciller/Inker and Best Cover Artist.
Collected edition
A deluxe edition hardcover graphic novel of Elegy was released in June 2010, and collects Detective Comics #854-860, (ISBN 1-4012-2692-2). The collection features an introduction by Rucka fan and MSNBCMSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
political commentator Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
.