Marguerite Bennett

Today sees the launch of the new Batwoman solo ongoing series, scripted by Marguerite Bennett, co-plotted by Bennett and James Tynion IV, with art by Steve Epting and colors by Jeremy Cox. At least I'm counting this as the launch, even though Batwoman Rebirth came out last month. That book was a great prologue to this series, but it's immediately clear that the new book is where the story really gets moving.

This is the year of Batwoman and not only is she kicking butt twice-monthly in Detective Comics, tomorrow sees the release of Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting and Jeremy Cox's Batwoman #1. If you need to catch up on why Kate Kane is one of the best new --- or reimagined if you want to be pedantic --- characters of the past ten years, Comixology has young covered with a massive sale featuring a tonne of Batwoman comics.

Insexts, the AfterShock comic by Marguerite Bennett and Ariela Kristantina, mixes gothic and body horror to tell a feminist story about women monsters in love. Lady Lalita Bertram (she just goes by Lady) is a rich widow, and Mariah is her maid. Except that they're actually lovers and devoted partners, and even have a child together. They're also insectoid monsters, especially Lady, who has a tendency to sprout deadly bug-parts when she's stressed out. And thanks to the expectations Victorian society places on women, she gets stressed out a lot. And yes, some men die along the way. These songs were chosen because they reflect some combination of the monstrous feminine, the gothic violence, and the unapologetically queer themes of the comic.

One day, all of the animals started talking. Started thinking. And they rose up. And made humanity bleed. That's the high concept that drives Animosity, an AfterShock Comic by Marguerite Bennett, Rafael de Latorre, and Rob Schwager.

This week we're casting an imagined movie version of Animosity, a really fun apocalyptic comic written by Marguerite Bennett with art by Rafael de Latorre. It takes place in a world where, one year ago, every animal on Earth gained human-level intelligence and the ability to speak. Obviously this has sent society into complete disarray. The book follows a young girl named Jesse and her dog Sandor. Sandor's a bloodhound who now speaks with a Southern accent, but remains loyal to Jesse. He's attempting to protect her after the death of her parents, as they travel across a chaotic North America in search of her older brother.

I'm not sure that there's anyone out there who needs to be sold on picking up Josie and the Pussycats right now, but if you've been on the fence about continuing with it, consider these facts about next week's issue. First, there are hints --- multiple hints --- that the band is going to be going to space, and that it's going to happen sooner rather than later. Second, a scene in a previous issue is accurately referred to as "the emotionally revelatory jet ski chase." And third, well... Melody straight up becomes Sailor Moon in this issue. Okay, so maybe she doesn't become Sailor Moon, but it's close enough for me! Check out an exclusive preview of Josie and the Pussycats #4 from Marguerite Bennett, Cameron DeOrdio, and Audrey Mok, and see for yourself!

This week, like a lot of people, we're in the mood to punch some Nazis and see some Nazis get punched, and there's no better comic on the stands for that than DC Comics: Bombshells, which takes the iconic heroines of the DC Universe and recasts them as World War II resistance fighters. The great thing about Bombshells is that it doesn't just extol the virtues of smacking a Nazi upside the face with a baseball bat; it reminds us there's more than one way to fight back.

This week sees the release of Detective Comics #948, the first part of "Batwoman Begins," a two-part story that leads into the upcoming Batwoman solo series. That series will be scripted by Marguerite Bennett with art by Steve Epting, so Bennett has joined scripter James Tynion IV as co-plotter on this Detective story, featuring art by Ben Oliver, and Tynion in turn will co-plot Batwoman. ComicsAlliance sat down with Bennett and Tynion to talk about who Kate Kane is, how she's different from Bruce Wayne, and why it's important to fill the DC Universe with queer characters --- including a new transgender character who will be introduced in this story.

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