Batwoman

IT'S ALL THERE.

TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND THE JACK NAPIER PAINTING.

YOUR PAINTING IS BEING HELD BY THE COLLECTIVE,

PRIVATE CLUB OF CONNOISSEURS

OF OUTLAWED ARTWORK AND ANTIQUITIES.

YOU WANT TO TIE THE ROOM TOGETHER

WITH A VINTAGE CANVAS THAT TAKES YOU

INSIDE THE MIND OF PSYCHOTIC CRIMINALITY?

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO KNOW.

I WANT AN INTRODUCTION.

OH. THE TOP CROW?

YOUR BIGGEST CLIENTS ARE IN THE COLLECTIVE.

THEY PAY YOUR BILLS.

YOU WALK UP TO THEIR DOORSTEP

TRYING TO GRAB THAT NAPIER,

THEY'RE GONNA ASK YOU FOR A REFUND. UNH!

YOU'RE FROM CORYANA.

YOU'RE GONNA TELL SAFIYAH TO GIVE MY DAUGHTER BACK.

UNH!

AAH!

I GOT A REPORT OF A GUY LURKING AROUND EAST END

WITH A SPIKY POLE.

IT DOESN'T CONCERN YOU, BATWOMAN.

THAT SO? BECAUSE HE'S HANGING OFF MY LINE,

SO WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT KIND OF FISH I CAUGHT?

THERE'S AN ITEM I'M LOOKING FOR.

IT'S GONNA HELP ME FIND MY DAUGHTER.

THE WOMAN HOLDING HER CAPTIVE DOESN'T WANT ME TO FIND IT.

SAFIYAH? SHE SENT THIS GUY?

WEAPON FITS THE M.O. OF HER ASSASSINS,

BUT I'LL CONFIRM AFTER YOU HAND HIM OVER NOW.

I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM CROWS,

AND I GOT A BETTER SHOT AT FINDING KATE KANE BEFORE YOU DO.

"ALL CROWS ARE BASTARDS."

MORNING, GOTHAM. GUESS THE EARLY BIRD

GIVES US THE BIRD.

ACROBATIC ART PRANKSTER WOLF SPIDER WAS AT IT AGAIN,

ROLLING HIS EYES AT THE ENTIRE CITY

FROM THE TOP OF THE GOTHAM CENTURY SKYSCRAPER

WITH AN IRIDESCENT EMOJI,

MILLENNIAL HACKTIVISM AT ITS FINEST

AND ALMOST ENOUGH TO DISTRACT US FROM AN EVEN JUICIER BAT STORY.

ANOTHER SIGHTING OF BATWOMAN 2.0

AND TOP CROW JACOB KANE TOGETHER,

THIS TIME WORKING IN THE EAST END CRIME SCENE.

ARE WE LOOKING AT GOTHAM'S NEWEST POWER COUPLE?

NO. JEEZ.

I THOUGHT BATWOMAN WAS COOL.

HEY. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING.

MAYBE BATWOMAN WAS SAVING HIS ASS.

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE HUNGRY

AFTER LAST NIGHT'S RECONNECTING.

STILL SLEEPY.

I WISH YOU COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.

YOU CAN TAKE THE DAY OFF.

MMM. I CAN'T.

AS CUTE AS I LOOK IN YOUR RIDICULOUS ROBE,

I SHOULD GET HOME AND CHANGE FIRST.

YOU WALK OF SHAMING FOR ME?

LIKE THE OLD DAYS.

SPEAKING OF THE OLD DAYS,

IT'S TIME YOU GOT THAT APOLOGY I OWE YOU.

MY PARTYING WAS OUT OF CONTROL,

AND YOU TOOK MY STASH THINKING IT WOULD HELP ME,

AND INSTEAD, IT GOT YOUR ASS THROWN IN JAIL,

AND I GET WHY YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO VISIT YOU.

YOU SERVED 18 MONTHS FOR ME, RY,

AND IT'S TIME I START PAYING YOU BACK.

ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR ME?

I LOVE IT,

BUT WE'RE GOOD.

YOU GOT YOUR LIFE TOGETHER.

THAT'S ALL I WANTED.

OHH! HEY. WHAT IS THIS?

IT'S.. A WORK INJURY.

YOU FALL ON A CORKSCREW?

RYAN, YOU NEED TO GET THAT LOOKED AT.

YEAH. I JUST GOT THIS JOB.

I DON'T NEED MY BOSS THINKING I CAN'T HACK IT.

YOU TEND BAR. SHE'LL UNDERSTAND.

ALL THESE YEARS LATER STILL WORRYING ABOUT ME.

IT'S KIND OF CUTE.

-YOU KNOW WHAT'S KIND OF CUTE? -HMM?

YOU...

WITHOUT THAT NASTINESS ON YOUR SHOULDER.

YOU TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE ELSE.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FOR ONCE.

GIVING YOU AN ANTIBIOTIC.

SO...IT'S JUST AN INFECTION?

WELL, IT MIGHT HAVE TURNED NECROTIC

IF YOU HAD WAITED ANY LONGER.

ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT HAVING ANY OTHER SYMPTOMS

THAT YOU'RE NOT TELLING ME ABOUT?

NO. I...

MAYBE A LITTLE MORE TIRED THAN NORMAL.

OK. OK.

KATE WOULD POP TWO OF THESE,

AND SHE'D BE BACK IN FIGHTING SHAPE.

-OK. COOL. -BUT IF YOU'RE HURT,

YOU SHOULD SIT OUT A FEW DAYS.

RIGHT. DID KATE EVER SIT OUT?

KATE WAS NEVER SHOT WITH ANYTHING

THAT PIERCED THROUGH THE BATSUIT,

AND YOU SHOULDN'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO HER.

WHAT'S MY CHOICE, HUH? EVERYBODY ELSE IS.

I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE A TWITTER,

SO I ASSUME YOU MEAN LUKE.

JUST DON'T TELL HIM ABOUT THIS, OK?

I DON'T NEED ANOTHER REASON FOR HIM NOT TO TRUST ME.

HE'S BEEN QUESTIONING EVERY DECISION I MAKE.

NOT TO BACKSEAT DRIVE, BUT AREN'T YOU

PROFICIENT IN 6 DIFFERENT FORMS OF MARTIAL ARTS?

WHAT'S THE POINT OF JUST LEAVING HIM HERE?

I TOLD HIM WE WANTED THE LOCATION OF CORYANA.

HE'LL GIVE IT UP. TAKE IT FROM A FOSTER KID.

IT IS AMAZING HOW WELL YOU BEHAVE

WHEN YOU ARE LITERALLY STARVING.

WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT HIM OUT.

IF ALICE FINDS OCEAN BEFORE WE FIND CORYANA,

SAFIYAH'S GONNA GIVE KATE TO HER,

AND ALICE IS GOING TO KILL HER.

OK. SO DO YOUR HACKER THING

AND GET SOME INFO ON THE SPIKY POLE GUY

TO SPEED THIS UP.

I ALREADY TRIED.

I TRACKED HIS MOVEMENTS AND CONFIRMED

THAT HE WASN'T AFTER JACOB KANE.

HE WAS STALKING THE GUY THAT HE KILLED IN THE ALLEY,

BUT THE VICTIM WAS AN INVESTMENT ANALYST

AT GOTHAM CAPITAL WITH NO RECORD.

WHAT'S HE GOT TO DO WITH CORYANA?

SIR, I'M NOT DEFENDING HER ACTIONS,

BUT MY GUESS IS SHE'S AFTER WHAT WE'RE AFTER--

KATE'S LOCATION.

LET HER KEEP SAFIYAH'S THUG.

WE GOT A NEW LEAD ON THE NAPIER--

EVAN BLAKE, OLD FRIEND OF KATE'S

AND A FIXTURE ON THE GOTHAM ART SCENE.

JUST FLEW BACK FROM A TRIP TO BERLIN.

HE WAS CAUGHT A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

WITH PLUNDERED ARTIFACT AND FORCED TO PAY RESTITUTION.

IN OTHER WORDS, A LIKELY MEMBER OF THE COLLECTIVE

WHO MIGHT COOPERATE.

COMMANDER, YOU'RE UNDERSELLING OUR ENTIRE ORIGIN STORY.

KATIE KANE SAVED MY LIFE.

-REALLY? -GOTHAM PREP.

IT'S EIGHTH GRADE, AND THE WINTER FORMAL

IS A MULTIVERSE SHATTERING CRISIS

BECAUSE I'M "STRAIGHT."

KATE WAS WAY OUT BY THEN,

I HAD THIS TRAGIC CRUSH,

AND I ASKED HER TO THE DANCE.

I'M SURE SHE WANTED TO ROLL HER EYES SO HARD,

BUT WITH THE GRACE OF A SAINT,

SHE SAID YES.

THE ONLY TIME YOU'LL EVER HEAR TEENAGE KATE

DESCRIBED AS A SAINT.

MY PARENTS TAKE ME TO PICK HER UP,

AND KATE IS JAW-DROPPING

IN THIS TAILORED VELVET SUIT,

JUST RADIATING QUEER CONFIDENCE.

I ON THE OTHER HAND DISSOLVE INTO A MONSOON OF TEARS.

KATE RACES ME UP TO HER BEDROOM,

AND WE GO THROUGH THE WHOLE THING.

"I'M GAY." "I KNOW."

WE MAKE IT TO THE DANCE,

AND I CAME OUT BY DEFAULT

BECAUSE I WORE KATE'S ALEXANDER McQUEEN

OFF-THE-SHOULDER MINI,

WHICH BEGGED A LOT OF QUESTIONS,

BUT I WASN'T AFRAID ANYMORE.

I WAS GLOWING,

AND THEN KATE DITCHED ME TO MAKE OUT WITH MAGGIE WATSON.

SOUNDS LIKE OUR GIRL.

SO YOU NEED MY HELP WITH KATE'S DISAPPEARANCE.

I'M HERE FOR YOU.

KATE WAS LOOKING FOR A PIECE OF ARTWORK,

SOMETHING THAT MAY HAVE GOTTEN HER

ON THE WRONG SIDE OF SOMEONE VERY DANGEROUS.

OUR THEORY IS IF WE FIND THE ITEM

IT WILL LEAD US TO HER CAPTOR.

WELL, YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT ART SNOB.

I WAS SENIOR EDITOR AT THE GOTHAM MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES,

I CURATE MY OWN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS,

I'VE GOT MY HANDS IN A BIT OF EVERYTHING.

YEAH. WE KNOW. AGENT MOORE.

KATE WAS LOOKING FOR A CANVAS PAINTED BY JACK NAPIER,

ALIAS THE JOKER.

YOU'RE AWARE OF IT, YES?

I KNOW THE LEGEND.

PSYCHOTIC EVILDOER BREAKS INTO HOME,

SPLASHES HOMEOWNER'S GUTS ALL OVER SOME OLD PAINTING

IN THE FOYER AND CALLS IT MODERN ART.

IT'S A BIT ON THE NOSE IF YOU ASK ME.

NOT TO MENTION ILLEGAL TO BUY, SELL, OR POSSESS

SINCE IT WAS STOLEN FROM AN ACTIVE CRIME SCENE.

I'M SORRY. SHOULD THERE BE A HARSH LIGHT

SHINING IN MY EYES RIGHT NOW?

BECAUSE THE KATE I KNEW NEVER GAVE A CRAP ABOUT ART,

AND I HAVEN'T SPOKEN WITH HER IN YEARS.