Batwoman (2026-) #1

by Greg Rucka, DaNi (Artist)

Batwoman. Daughter. Sister. Soldier. Hero. But since she was 10 years old, Kate Kane has lived in the shadow of a prophecy and the machinations of a religion devoted to the end of all things. How do you fight the devil when the devil is real? And how do you win? Acclaimed writer and co-creator of the modern Batwoman Greg Ruck returns to the story of Kate Kane alongside visionary artist DaNi for aDC Next Level series that will redefine Batwoman and her mission fora new generation.

Genres: Comics

Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2026

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Machiavelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up mostly because Greg Rucka’s name is on it—I’ve loved his work elsewhere—and I was excited to finally try Batwoman. But as a first entry point… I’m not sure this was the right place to start.

This issue feels very rooted in past continuity. There are a lot of references, relationships, and emotional beats that clearly carry weight, but I didn’t always have the context to fully understand them. Because of that, I spent a good chunk of the issue feeling a bit lost.

That said, you can still see what it’s aiming for. The tone is dark and psychological, leaning into trauma and family dynamics more than straightforward superhero action. And visually, it’s striking—bold, stylized, and very much in that classic Batwoman red-and-black aesthetic.

I don’t think this is a bad comic—I actually think there’s something strong here—but it feels like it’s written for readers who already know Kate Kane’s story. As a newcomer, I was more confused than hooked.

I’ll probably circle back to Batwoman at some point… just maybe starting somewhere earlier.

[Jadyn❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a start. Kind of hard to judge because it feels like it went by so fast and ended as quickly as it started. I trust this team knows what direction they’re taking.

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did that feel WAY too short for anyone else, like you were just so engrossed in the story that it wet by in a flash and now you need at least 30 more issues? Cause that’s how I feel. Rucka back at the helm and this art and color work is phenomenal. Although I will admit I am a detriment to myself, I need to read more batwoman as it feels like there is some context I am missing, but the pieces are laid out here in a way that it’s not hard to pick up on anything I missed. As we jump into this issue we actually find Kate Kane in Greece located on a small island where a sanatorium is located where she is seeking treatment. According to the attendants, she is waking up screaming and appears “defeated.” For some reason her arm is also bandaged and as she sits down for a session with Doctor Sidaris, the session immediately goes to Kate’s sister, Beth aka Alice. One thing in not exactly sure of is how much the doctor knows about Kate, everything Kate says to her keeps things quite generic. Framing a fight to the death between batwoman and Alice as a sibling argument that never seems to end. But they do seem to know about Beth’s abduction when they are both 12 and how Kate presumed her death. But as the doctor continues to try and talk about her childhood, Kate continually brings it back to their last fight where Kate felt she had no other choice left. Beth was abducted into a darkseid cult which saw her as their herald to bring anti life and darkseid to all. In order to accomplish this they brainwashed her and set her up with the switch for a giant bomb. During their fight Kate desperately tried to break through to her sister and she partially succeeded, with Beth breaking free of her Alice persona just a moment to say “…how do we fight the devil when the devil is real?” Kate used this moment to deploy her grappling hook and knock the trigger out of Alice’s hand, lunging for it as Alice went akimbo with her pistols which thankfully deflected of Kate’s armor as she slipped away. The entire fight takes place on some cliff face on a dark and stormy night and Kate was thankfully able to take apart and disarm the trigger, throwing it over the cliff side. But as Alice caught up and tackled Kate to the ground the two tussled, with Late ending up stabbing in the arm, as the two eventually went off the side of the cliff. This adds new meaning to the doctor’s line of question earlier to Kate about her sister dying but Kate living. As Kate finishes the story she comments on Beth’s line about fighting the devil, reflecting on it being a trick question as you can’t fight it’s a trap they all cannot escape. With this the doctor calls the session so Kate can rest and they can talk further tomorrow. Kate is brought to her room where she can’t help but look at a photo of Beth and her together when they were still innocent children. But just outside we find one of the attendants working there is a spy, and has sold Kate out to Darkseid’s cult as they believe that Kate is the other half of the twins that can be reshaped to herald the coming of anti life. The leaders of this group meet as Eschaton Tower where their head armor clad muscle seems ready to take a dozen monks to retrieve Kate, leaving a trail of blood in their path for the glory of darkseid. But their leader doesn’t see it the same way, he thinks they are too easy to kill and that Kate must accept her conversion willingly. But suddenly the window of the penthouse they are standing in lights up red with a giant projected batwoman symbol. Hahahaha, you thought you could hold Kate down?! She is ready and waiting for them!!

[Neil Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a strange one and reflects more on my old collecting habits than the quality of the book. I own all of this version of Batwoman which scarily makes it 20 years old but I've only read the first few issues. I kept meaning to read but never caught up with my "to read " pile (which was substantial back then and still growing). So here is another chance to get on board.

With Rucka you're pretty much guaranteed quality and in safe hands. Perhaps wisely, they just let him write in what's essentially his own continuity (like they do with Tom King) which is great in the sense it's accessible and stands alone. The downside for continuity/shared universe fans is they may question the canonicity of this book. With this issue, it feels a little like those weird X-Men and Spider-Man books that act as a continuation of a title from 20 years ago (usually by Claremont but sometimes JMS or Dematteis) but it's at least clear it's for fans of that era and not regular continuity. This book feels like it should be a black label book to be honest, or maybe even a new "vertigo" title as the tone and art reminds me a lot of the recent "Brutal Dark" book. I guess promoting as "next level" or "Absolute" like gets most eyes on it, even if not the best fit for the style of book.

Anyway, putting aside how this book should have been promoted what we have is a very noir story, sort of like "memento" mixed with the occult/cults. It suffers from most of the issue recounting events, rather than just experiencing them, but it makes narrative sense when we reach the final page spread. It's a reveal that has you rereading the issue and left wondering what happens next.

The art fits the tone of the book and reminds me of Eduardo Risso but with much sketchier inks in places which can make the art look a bit loose in places - although this may suit the flashbacks and hospital setting adding to the dream-like quality. Again, I would argue the style fits better with the black label/vertigo style and less the mainstream aesthetic a lot of people are "used" to.

If I wasn't operating on a budget, I'd definitely read the next issue as I'm curious where Rucka takes this tale next. As it stands, it's not quite strong/connected enough for me to continue. I will however grab hold of the trade, which appears to be my curse when "reading" Rucka's "Batwoman" forever collected and seemingly never read.

For those wanting to try out a more vertigo-like Bat-book and one that doesn't currently appear to require knowledge of Batman and his connected books, I would strongly recommend.

Overall = 3/5
Writing = 3/5
Art = 3/5

Will I read the next issue? Maybe

Wait for the trade collection? I think it would be a better way to get a feel for this story in one go instead of waiting several months.

Did I need to read previous issues/series? I don't think so although I'm sure this follows Rucka's previous runs with this character.

Will I read previous issues? I really should as I own most/all of this Batwoman's issues.

[Annemarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my very first Batwoman comic, and I was excited to start, but unfortunately, this doesn't feel like a series to start with. I am missing so much context that I spend this issue confused. I'm not sure if I'll continue trying this series, or give up until I've read some of the older Batwoman comics.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit difficult to rate as I feel like it is going to rely heavily on what follows. There is a lot of backstory here that I was not familiar with but Rucka does an admirable job making it feel understandable. The art will not be for everyone but it did not bother me. I am intrigued to see where this goes.

[nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

hey! i quite enjoyed this 👍 i thought the story was pretty interesting and i think that the obvious missing context serves to build intrigue. i also thought the art was gorgeous. i can't wait to see where this story goes. welcome back pixie cut kate oh how i've missed you

[Roland Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally we return to the real Kate Kane. The art by Dani gives the character the surrealist style that has become foundational to the characters aesthetic over the past two decades. This is going to be great

[Cheyenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is AMAZING, but I definitely suggest reading Elegy first. The sudden jump in is a little insane but it’s okay.

[Mikey Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate sits down with a therapist to talk about the death of her sister.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful art. The story doesn't mean a whole lot to me yet, but I'm sure it will get more clear.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
Probably works better if you know about batwoman but it's not like it's not understandable. The ending was a little abrupt.

[rafaela (taylor's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3, 25

[Oisin Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking forward to seeing where it goes. Was an incredibly brief read.

[Mocassin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, pour du Batwoman par Greg Rucka c'est clairement décevant. C'est giga réchauffé, ultra décompressé et, il faut le dire, assez moche.

[Ushnav Shroff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

[Powerman61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great issue of Batwoman.
The writer did a good job setting
the stage for what's to come.
I enjoyed the artwork because it
really made you look at what was going on
in the story.

[Pluto · Rating 3 out of 5]

very promising start (I don't know what's going on)

[Andy Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

no clue whats goin on here but damn does it look great

[josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Maisie Dickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artstyle is a vibe. I've loved Greg Rucka work previously with Dark Magick and this gives similar vibes.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. New Batwoman series! Let's goooooo! The artwork is going to have to grow on me but I'm so excited for this new series and can't wait for issue two.