The Beeboverse is back, baby! The CW’s new TV season is only a quarter later than usual. By now you should know Ruby Rose isn’t returning to star in Batwoman’s second season. Rather than recasting Kate Kane, Javicia Leslie has been cast Rose Wilder. She’s a brand new character created to be the brand new Batwoman. Ryan Wilder debuted in the wilds of Batgirl #50 (after she’d been announced to be headlining a TV show) so she’s technically a canon DC Comics character. I don’t think she’s shown up in since, so any future comics appearances will take their lead from the show fleshing her out. Meanwhile DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow will add as many characters as possible so long as they’re not from DC comics.
I wrote up a lengthy blog about my initial thoughts on the matter. Lets see how the series confirms or denies my suspicions as the season progresses. If you don’t want to go back & reread that, here are the highlights of my misgivings: The first season’s arcs heavily involving Kate hadn’t been concluded. The inaugural season’s writing was quite ropy, & we don’t know whether they would’ve stuck the landing. The entire show’s character dynamics are constructed to revolve around Kate. We barely established Kate Kane as Batwoman last season, & now we have to halt the narrative momentum to do another origin story for a whole new Batwoman. Now Kate is missing when it still hasn’t solved the mystery of what happened to Bruce Wayne. It’s not so much that the rookie has big shoes to fill as she has big shortfalls to overcome.
They’ve abandoned doing Lewis Carrol quotes for titles this season. “Whatever Happened To Kate Kane?” is very direct & possibly misleading. Here are SPOILERS of the non-Stephanie Brown variety!

“I’ve got the mayor breathing down my neck, & he’s ready to call in the penguin commandos!”