Warning: contains spoilers for Detective Comics #1061!
A surprising pairing brought to the pages of DC Comics is one between Gotham’s Supergirl and Huntress. Claire Clover, A.K.A. Gotham Girl, explores her trauma and struggles with mental health in the three-part series, ‘Gotham Girl, Interrupted’. While Huntress may not seem like the ideal person to talk about feelings with, she’s been battling her own demons since before she ever donned a mask. Both Huntress and Gotham Girl prove to be prime examples of imperfect heroes who experience personal battles every day.
Claire Clover was imbued with Superman-level abilities as a teenager, alongside her brother, Hank. Together, they became Gotham and Gotham Girl. The only downside was that every time they used their powers—created through an experimental form of Bane’s Venom—their life forces would be drained. After an ordeal that involved the loss of her brother and powers, Batman managed to return Claire’s abilities sans the life-draining side effects. Unfortunately, her life would never be the same. Unable to trust her mental state, Claire turned herself in to Arkham Tower. In ‘Gotham Girl, Interrupted’, the intersection between superhuman abilities and trauma is explored. Claire’s narration provides a valid critique of the flaws in psychiatric institutions as well as society’s failure to accommodate for diverse mental states.
In Detective Comics #1061, Sina Grace, David Lapham, and Trish Mulvihill present readers with the third and final installment of ‘Gotham Girl, Interrupted’. In this issue, Gotham Girl and Huntress come toe-to-toe when Claire goes after Dr. Chase Meridan, who she believes is responsible for the death of her friend, Andre. After what turns out to be a misunderstanding, Claire teams up with Batman’s true equal, Huntress and Dr. Meridan to uncover the true culprit. Later, Helena meets Claire in the abandoned Wayne manor with food—a peace offering. They eat and talk, Helena pointing out that even though there seems to be no “fix” for her mental health struggles, she’s ‘still here.’ Helena shares how Dr. Merdian helped her, and how the only way she was able to push through her own struggles was through connection, which is exactly what Claire needs.
Huntress suggests that perhaps Andre’s efforts weren’t futile after all, showing that ‘you can still help others when you’re miserable and connect with those who need you.’ In a city like Gotham, where mental illness is so commonly associated with the rogues Batman is always locking up, it’s important to remember that anyone can be affected by these problems. Heroes are just as susceptible to having a breakdown as villains, but what distinguishes the two is how they choose to cope and live with it. Huntress and Gotham Girl are both black sheep in the Bat-family, often ignored by the other members. However, they’ve all experienced life-changing trauma. It’s part of what makes them great heroes.
Hopefully, future interactions between Gotham Girl and Huntress will be possible in DC Comics. It’s important that characters like Gotham’s Supergirl have their stories heard, as a reminder to anyone who may experience mental health struggles: this isn’t something that has to be dealt with alone.
Detective Comics #1061 is now available from DC Comics both digitally and in print.
