In February we were thrilled to report DC Comics’ lesbian caped crusader, Batwoman, had popped the question to her girlfriend Maggie Sawyer and immediately began counting down the issues before the happy couple would say “I do.” However, news has begun to spread that writers J.H. Williams and W. Haden Black have left the book over editorial interference that included prohibiting the same-sex wedding, reports Towleroad.
The co-writers were quick to site their reasons for leaving in a statement on William’s blog:
Unfortunately, in recent months, DC has asked us to alter or completely discard many long-standing storylines in ways that we feel compromise the character and the series. We were told to ditch plans for Killer Croc’s origins; forced to drastically alter the original ending of our current arc, which would have defined Batwoman’s heroic future in bold new ways; and, most crushingly, prohibited from ever showing Kate and Maggie actually getting married. All of these editorial decisions came at the last minute, and always after a year or more of planning and plotting on our end.
We’ve always understood that, as much as we love the character, Batwoman ultimately belongs to DC. However, the eleventh-hour nature of these changes left us frustrated and angry — because they prevent us from telling the best stories we can. So, after a lot of soul-searching, we’ve decided to leave the book after Issue 26.
We’re both heartbroken over leaving, but we feel strongly that you all deserve stories that push the character and the series forward. We can’t reliably do our best work if our plans are scrapped at the last minute, so we’re stepping aside. We are committed to bringing our run to a satisfying conclusion and we think that Issue 26 will leave a lasting impression.
The news that DC editorial forbid Kate Kane to permanently put a ring on it was labeled as a homophobic move by fans who immediately rallied around the writers of the GLAAD award-winning comic on social media. However, Williams was quick to dispel the notion that the decision was antigay. “"Not wanting to be inflammatory, only factual- We fought to get them engaged, but were told emphatically no marriage can result...But must clarify- was never put to us as being anti-gay marriage," he wrote on Twitter.
Batwoman is the highest-profile lesbian superhero in comics today and currently the only LGBT character to star in her own solo title from a mainstream comics publisher.
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