In Batwoman #3, readers are presented additional depths of an already richly layered characterization of Kate Kane. This third issue begins where #2 left off: the first seven pages of this issue cover an underwater scene in which Batwoman, nearly drowning, pursues Weeping Woman. The scene also serves as an investigation into Kate’s psyche as images of her in various incarnations subtly reference different periods of her life through changes in her hairstyle and clothing. These images, juxtaposed with images of Alice and Weeping Woman, float in the tumultuous water enveloping Kate. Near death and with life flashing before her eyes, Kate’s literal and psychological demons wash over her, their weight pulling her down and starving her of life. These images are the constituent parts of Kate’s self-concept, a coherence implied by the water’s fluidity. Towards the end of the scene, the images of Alice and Weeping Woman adopt a more amorphous form, and so Kate is surrounded by characters that may or may not be real in the physical sense. Both the reader and Kate must negotiate the boundary between what is real and what is imagined. This effect heightens our concern for Kate’s character by transferring the anxiety and confusion that Kate experiences to the reader. Meanwhile, at Kate’s apartment, Bette is working out with music blasting. Sharply contrasting the darkness and gravity of the previous scenes, the bright colors used in these panels create a lighthearted tone and Bette seems like more of a free spirit than she may actually be. After entering the apartment and still reeling from having gone through physical and psychological torment, Kate heeds Batman’s warning from #2. Perhaps in an attempt to spare her young, seemingly uninhibited cousin from a dark and burdensome fate, Kate lashes out at Bette and effectively “fires” her. Ironically, this act of "compassion" compels Bette to plunge deeper into the very world Kate hoped to spare her from.