Before Ryan Wilder, the new Batwoman played by Javicia Leslie on The CW‘s Batwoman, makes her TV debut, the character will apparently find her way into the pages of the final issue of DC’s current run of Batgirl later this month. The issue, which will hit the stands on October 27, will feature an appearance by Wilder, according to DC’s official publicity blog. Some preview pages linked from the solicitation page show Ryan’s first appearance, living out of her van and disillusioned with the system that Barbara Gordon is helping to prop up in her role as a congressional staffer. In a moment that feels a bit like Jason Todd stealing the Batmobile’s hubcaps, Ryan’s first name-drop comes on a page where she flips the main character off.
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Don’t worry folks, it’s fine. The bird was flipped on a breezy fall day, and the offending middle finger is obscured by a leaf drifting down through the frame.
You can see it below (and more context here).
Wilder appears not just in the final issue of Batwoman but as the “Joker War” story arc is winding down. It is not immediately clear how close to the planned TV characterization comics-Wilder will be, but watching the two of them being developed together in real time could be pretty interesting for fans.
According to the official synopsis from The CW, Ryan Wilder is described as likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed, she’s also nothing like Kate Kane, the woman who wore the Batsuit before her. With no one in her life to keep her on track, Ryan spent years as a drug-runner, dodging the GCPD and masking her pain with bad habits. Today Ryan lives in her van with her plant. A girl who would steal milk for an alley cat and could also kill you with her bare hands, Ryan is the most dangerous type of fighter: highly skilled and wildly undisciplined. An out lesbian. Athletic. Raw. Passionate. Fallible. And very much not your stereotypical all-American hero.
Wilder came into the TV series as a result of former Batwoman star Ruby Rose stepping away from her role as Kate Kane. The show’s second season, which recently started shooting, will see a new Batwoman step in to replace Kate, and deal with the fact that the city’s latest protector disappeared as suddenly and surprisingly as did Bruce Wayne before her.
Batgirl #50 is on sale next Wednesday at comic shops and online. Batwoman season two is expected to launch in January.
