The bombshell from the first day of WonderCon wasn't the announcement of a new title but rather the apparent confirmation that DC Comics has again shelved plans for a Batwoman series.

Unofficially announced in December, the Batwoman title, by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III, was to have continued their award-winning story arc from Detective Comics -- itself the product of years-long corporate starts and stops. But last month, at Emerald City ComiCon, Williams offered the first indication the project had hit another roadblock: "I don't know if that's going to happen."

Rucka all but confirmed the title's fate Friday during his WonderCon spotlight panel, where he revealed he doesn't know what will happen with Batwoman. He also said that on Thursday he turned in his last work for DC, at least for the foreseeable future.

"It is agonizing to walk away from Batwoman," the writer was quoted as saying.

For those who have followed the character's four-year history, this latest twist may seem par for the course.

The introduction of the new Batwoman -- lesbian socialite Kate Kane -- in summer 2006 was met with a hail of mainstream-media coverage, perhaps far more than the publisher had anticipated. A long-rumored Batwoman series faced one delay after another, which some chalked up to DC's nervousness about any potential effect the character's sexual orientation could have on the lucrative Bat-brand.

Finally, in February 2009, it was confirmed that the long-awaited Batwoman comic by Rucka and Williams would become an arc of Detective Comics beginning with June's Issue 854, timed to coincide with the "death"-induced absence of Batman. Their tenure ended in December, with Detective #860, followed by a three-issue arc by Rucka and Jock.

Update: This morning on Twitter, Rucka wrote: "To all who sent kind words: thank you! No bad blood w/ DC; just time to move on."

Update 2: Comic Book Resources has posted a report from the Rucka spotlight.