Since nearly the beginning of the New 52 Batwoman series, Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer have been in a relationship. They are currently engaged and living together with Maggie fully aware of Kate's identity as Batwoman.

But the two have a great many problems.

As much as I enjoy Batwoman's series, I have found it incredibly jarring the way that Kate's relationship with Maggie has been neglected - both by Williams and Blackman and Andreyko (granted, it is early in his run). Many of the issues that the two have with one another are swept under the rug and seldom voiced by the two of them. Maggie discovering that Kate is Batwoman, for example, should've led to something. Maggie did have something of a vendetta against Batwoman for some time. Yet her reaction to the discovery is skipped over and we are not given much information about how Maggie has adjusted to this discovery. Also, lets not forget that the two were having problems before Kate proposed to Maggie. Secrets and neglect being a big factor in their problems. Yet the two have yet to have an actual conversation where they voice their issues to one another.

Personally, I sincerely hope that Andreyko addresses some of these issues in the future. The relationship is beginning to feel one-dimension and unrealistic, in my opinion.

Does anybody else have a similar issue? And does anyone have a prediction for what is to come between the two character?

There definitely is a lack of elaboration on the Kate-Maggie relationship; going from "the kids are safe but you're still under arrest" to "Yes! I'll marry you!" had to have taken at least some consideration. Heck, we didn't even get to see the Yes the first time. Batwoman #23 was a step in the right direction (where Kate re-proposes after some talking), but there hasn't been much else.

However, I think that might change now that Jamie Sawyer is in the picture. We've heard how protective Maggie is of her daughter, and if Jamie is around, that's a pretty strong impetus for Maggie to iron out any ongoing uncertainties. Personally, I'm an avid fan of Kate/Mags, and would love to see significant character progress between them (and no DC, that doesn't mean a cliched rush into bickering over wedding plans, especially since that got iced).

I loved the last issue -- the art on the hallucinogen trip was well-executed, and cross matching the references gave me a delightful excuse to dig through the series/Elegy archives. But poor Jamie -- her first impression of her future step mom is some bloody nut in the bathroom. I'm hoping Maggie's plan of calming her daughter down (once Kate is back to clean and in civilian clothes) is for Kate to really get to know Jamie (giving us a gauge on how well Kate does in the meantime). My gut sense is that DC is going to keep Mags and Kate together for at least the foreseeable future; given how much flack they (rightfully) caught over the wedding cancellation and Williams/Blackman jetting out I don't think DC wants the attention of breaking them up.

@chisoxrox: That jump that Maggie made from "I'm arresting you" to "Yes, I'll marry you" is the biggest problem I've had with the relationship. True, issue 23 was a step in the right direction. But even that felt a bit off to me. Maggie had obviously been distant to Kate prior to issue 23. Then Kate doses herself with the fear toxin and Maggie is ready to forgive her. I just feel like we need more. An actual addressing of the issues that the two have, particularly from Maggie's perspective.

That's a good point about Jamie. She could be the push that the two need to get their relationship back on track. Hopefully the next issue will give us an idea of if this will be the case.

While the hallucinations in the previous issue were pretty cool, it felt far too soon to me. As you mentioned, Kate was just drugged in a similar fashion in issue 23. Now we're in issue 27 and it's basically happening again - and without bringing much new material to the table. Granted, the art was great and there was plenty of interesting content. I just wasn't as wowed by the drugging as I felt I could have been.
I definitely agree that DC will likely shy away from breaking up Kate and Maggie anytime soon. I just hope that the relationship isn't continually neglected.

Also, there is something unsettling about the most progress in the Kate/Mags relationship being basically drug-induced.

As for the four issue gap between Kate getting drugged again, I wonder if the hallucinations might have been heightened by lingering fear toxin interacting with the Wolf Spider venom. Bette last issue mentions it's been "a few weeks" since the Batman/DEO mess right after the re-proposal (that we don't get to see for three more months), so I'm wondering if the fear toxin is fully out of her system or still floating around a bit.

I'm really looking forward to how they deal with poor Jamie next issue; like you said, I think she's the key to further development.

(As an aside, I noticed Kate is listed as being in Detective Comics #27 (the huge anniversary edition), but I didn't see her just flipping through quickly. Have you read it, and if so is it like a one panel cameo?

@supbatz: I enjoyed the newest issue, especially how well Jamie seemed to take things the next day once she was calm. Although I have a sinking feeling that her father wanting full custody is going to come back later, and who knows how Jamie will react if/once she finds the Batwoman suit.

I'm hoping Kate takes Maggie's recommendation on the therapist; besides helping Kate work through the stress it could be a way for the new writers to fill us in on the relationship development we've missed so far.