In “Evapotranspiration,” Kate defeats Weeping Woman and is once again confronted by her literal and psychological demons. As the final issue in the “Hydrology” arc, the book dutifully moves the series forward, simultaneously tying up loose ends with just enough uncertainty to set up the next arc. Logistical demands notwithstanding, this book manages to be an exemplary work, particularly in its elaborate treatment of time and memory.

The first page shows Kate meditating as she is surrounded by a series of smaller images accompanied by one word captions. The panels convey a kind of reverse Proustian moment. Instead of using mental associations to recall memories of her past, Kate’s associations are prognostications of the events that will unfold over subsequent pages. This use of two timescales—the first, smaller one being the single page of thoughts and the second, larger one being the unfolding of events over the following fourteen pages—illustrates how time affects the representation of events, one of the issue’s motifs.

The themes of time and memory pervade the ensuing fight scene between Kate and Weeping Woman as well. These characters are connected by the similarities of their stories as both have lived with doubt and regret over her role in past events. Regret, particularly when involving matters of death, often entails a lot of questioning and remembrance. Through the dialogue, the reader sees how, for each character, the passage of time mediates her memory of the past.

Kate’s eventual victory comes not so much as a result of a physical fight, but rather by having judged how another has dealt with regret by working outside the law. The similarities between the judge and the judged are striking, and one must wonder if Kate would have come to the same conclusion if she were the one being judged. Here, the relationship between self-justification and self-deception is explored, and readers see just how muddled the boundaries can be, particularly during times of self-preservation.

The subject matter involved here—past and present, life and death, truth and deception—is varied and complex. Yet, in spite of the brevity of the medium’s form, the book adeptly interweaves its well-developed elements into a cohesive, richly layered narrative. In demanding more from the medium, this book challenges and elevates it; Batwoman serves as an aspirational model for what comics can achieve.