Queering the Batman Universe (starring Renee Montoya)

In an article for Autostaddle, May Rude calls Gotham Central “one of the defining books for queer women in comics.” This legacy begins with the award-winning story “Half a Life” starring Renee Montoya, which masterfully yokes superhero conventions to institutional and social critique. 1/12

This story’s inciting incident is Renee getting outed at her department and to her religiously conservative parents. The photos of Renee and her girlfriend Daria are taken by a street-level perp out for revenge, who we later learn is being directed by the supervillain Two-Face. 2/12

Renee is a successful & respected detective within the Gotham City Police Department. But her outing quickly reveals how the respect and support of her colleagues is limited by their bigotry. After Renee is outed, her coworkers immediately subject her to homophobic teasing and slurs. 3/12

Even seeming sources of support within the Department–such as openly gay Captain Maggie Sawyer–are limited in ways that emphasize the intersectional stakes of Renee’s outing. As Renee observes, Sawyer is white and doesn’t have to face the wrath and rejection of her Catholic parents. 4/12

Renee’s outing also coincides with Two-Face framing her for murder. While it’s not stated directly, it’s implied that Renee’s outing heightens suspicion around the content of her character and contributes to her colleagues making a spectacle of her arrest & the interrogation of her girlfriend. 5/12

Renee also faces hurtful prejudice from her mother, father, and brother. Eventually, her mother and father disown her. And while her brother offers some marginal support, he ultimately blames Renee for causing family strife by (from his perspective) selfishly “choosing” to be a lesbian. 6/12

But amid all this social pressure and persecution, Renee never doubts herself. In this powerful scene, she tells her brother that being a lesbian isn’t a choice, and that despite everything, she’s glad she is who she is. Note how Lark frames Renee so that she’s also speaking to the reader. 7/12

Renee also powerfully rejects the manipulations of Two-Face, who kidnaps her off a prison transport vehicle and brings her to an underground bunker, where he attempts to seduce her. This scene resonates with homophobic, misogynistic beliefs that a strong man can turn a lesbian straight. 8/12

This encounter with Two-Face also resonates with how villainy is often associated with homophobic stereotypes, which underscore (perceived) social deviancy. Here, Two-Face tries to convince Renee they should be together because she’s a freak, just like him. She forcefully rejects this premise. 9/12

Importantly, Renee saves herself before Batman arrives, further asserting agency. Her angry reaction to Batman’s intervention also reveals the limits of his approach to justice. Renee is angry because she wanted to kill Two-Face & because Batman can’t fix the bigotry she’ll continue to face. 10/12

Renee finds strength not in superheroes, but in loyal coworkers such as her partner Crispus Allen and another young cop, both of whom are notably people of colour. She also finds support in Daria, who sticks with her throughout the ordeal; the story ends with Daria holding Renee as she cries. 11/12

But this conclusion is also hopeful. Before she cries in Daria’s arms, Renee refers to her, for the first time, as her lover. Renee’s harrowing experiences don’t scare her straight, but make her more determined to live her truth. Which is why Renee, rather than Batman, is this story’s hero. 12/12