DC FanDome: ‘Batwoman’ Panel
by Benjamin Hall
(+++Warning of spoilers for Batwoman +++)!
The panel itself provides very little new information about the upcoming second season. Yes, we get a recapping of the first season via a montage of clips, but there are no clips or images promoting the second season. In fact actress Javicia Leslie mentions that she is still in discussions with the costume designer about the look of her Batwoman. Not to mention that comments from executive producers Caroline Dries and Sarah Schechter suggest that this season is still in development story-wise. Thus, the casting of Leslie may be a triumph (to an extent) for diversity, but Season 2 could still end up being messy in execution. This is not counting how some LGBTQ fans of Batwoman (such as myself) may still feel the recasting is a bit of erasure as well as a win. To clarify it seems like erasure in the sense that they are replacing one LGBTQ actress for another as if they not are people, but instead ways to mention diversity.
Barring all that bleakness, there is a lot of positivity in the panel, including from host Trish Bendix (who is a contributor to the New York Times). For instance actor Camrus Johnson brings up that he didn’t expect Batman to appear in the show. This leads to one of the executive producers talking about Batman’s appearances at the beginning and end of the first season. However, neither Dries or Schechter tell how they are able to do so when higher ups are saying not to use Batman. While actresses Nicole Kang, Rachel Skarsten,and Meagan Tandy all get to expound on what they hope happens in season 2 they also still seem happy with season 1. Kang and Johnson especially gush over the Hamilfox ship name that Johnson claims to be the originator of. As for Ruby Rose’s departure, it is apparently affecting season 2 with a possibly season long mystery regarding the status of Kate Kane (the former Batwoman).
In conclusion the Batwoman panel, despite the positivity from the cast, feels very much like a Comic-Con@Home panel. Yes, DC FanDome is better in terms of creating awareness on social media. However, Day 2 is arguably not as engaging due to everything being watchable for 24 hours on demand. Also day 2 does not provide the illusion of being a ‘live’ virtual event. Instead we only get a higher production version of Comic-Con@Home.
