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DC's Earth-Prime: Batwoman #1
- Artist:
- Clayton Henry
- Colorist:
- Marcelo Maiolo
- Cover Artist:
- Kim Jacinto
- Letterer:
- Tom Napolitano
- Price:
- 5.99
- Publisher:
- DC
- Release Date:
- 2022-04-05
- Writer:
- Natalie Abrams, Kelly Larson
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Earth-Prime #1, on sale now from DC Comics.
Crossing over Arrowverse shows Batwoman and Supergirl seems like a natural choice. After all, the Arrowverse had ramped up to crossovers every season, so why shouldn't newcomer Batwoman get in on the fun? And so, a plan was made for the two series to crossover during their first and fifth seasons, respectively.
Unfortunately, COVID had other ideas.
The network scuttled plans as they shut down sets to protect the cast and crew. Alas, news of Supergirl ending after Season 6 soon followed, effectively ending the possibility of a televised team-up. Thankfully, comics still exist. The crossover that fans have been longing for has finally happened in Earth-Prime #1 (Natalie Abrams, Kelly Larson, Clayton Henry, Marcelo Maiolo, and Tom Napolitano). Sort of.
In the opening issue, Ryan Wilder had to contend with a new Clayface and struggled to find a way to contain him. That's when Supergirl's Lena Luthor showed up. Kara directed Lena toward Wayne Enterprises and, more specifically, its (former) CEO Ryan Wilder. Lena had been working on a renewable energy source and needed a stabilizing agent. The perfect solution was Mr. Freeze's freeze serum, which was a significant plot point in season 3 of the Batwoman show. In the end, Lena's work on the freeze serum provided a solution to stopping Clayface and ending her own troubles.
Although this isn't exactly the crossover fans were hoping for back at the first announcement, there are hints that some such crossover did happen off-screen. Moreover, there are suggestions that another one could be possible. Lena mentioned that when Kate Kane left Gotham at the end of Batwoman season 2, she paid a visit to Kara Danvers. Despite being not shown, this was the reunion that everyone anticipated. It's nice to know that it happened at the very least.
It also turns out that Kate didn't forget to mention the new Batwoman to Supergirl. Apparently, she even mentioned that Kara should visit Gotham for a team-up sometime. That's why Lena featured in this issue and already knew about Ryan Wilder's crime-fighting alter ego. It seems Kate has so much faith in her successor that she believes Ryan and Kara could be a great team someday. The next World's Finest, perhaps.
That also implies that a televised Batwoman/Supergirl crossover remains possible. Even though Supergirl is off the air now, the titular character could still fly over to Gotham in a future episode of Batwoman. During its "Armageddon" event, the Flash crossed over with several canceled Arrowverse shows during its "Armageddon" event. Characters such as Black Lightning, Mia Queen, and Supergirl's Alex Danvers all made appearances, showing that they still have a future even after their shows are laid to rest. Even Ryan showed up.
It may not be the crossover fans expected, but it's more than nothing. Lena Luthor was the perfect character to choose for a Batwoman crossover. Her tech skills mean that she's just the right person to assist Ryan and Luke. Her history with evil brothers gives her a connection to what Ryan's been dealing with throughout season 3, too. This comic book tie-in manages to give fans what they missed out on and set up another crossover in the future.