DC Comics has been very busy introducing new characters lately. Notable characters include the Kiss of Death, Punchline, and the Designer. Interesting to note, the individuals named are all villains. One new character introduced recently is Elainna Grayson. Her significance has many layers. Firstly, her last name reveals she is the daughter of the famous Dick Grayson. Dick is the former Robin of Batman and the current hero, Nightwing. Just like her dad, she fights on the good side of justice. Lastly, during the most recent Batman Beyond arc, she helped Terry McGinnis (Batman Beyond) during the last crisis. During this crisis, she dons the Batwoman Beyond costume and protects the city while McGinnis is out of action. Now the question is; is she the new savior or Neo-Gotham?
Elainna Grayson makes her first appearance in Batman Beyond #25. She appears in many panels in this issue and is known as the right-hand woman for the mayor of Blüdhaven. In this issue, she is having a conversation on the train with him and the mayor is reminiscing of a situation in the past when he was fighting as Robin. The situation is a reminder that he does not want his daughter to join the "family business". Of course, the mayor is revealed as Dick Grayson. Later in the issue, Elainna helps her dad in a hostage situation with the Joker, taking a bullet to the shoulder in the process. Adversely enough, the story did nothing in preventing Elainna in avoiding danger in helping her father. In the end, she does assist in fouling the plans of the Joker.
Falseface is a villain whose purpose is to destroy Batman. He can change the shape and color of his face to the person he touches. With that, he finds a way to touch Bruce and impersonate him. With that, Bruce loses his memories in the process. Terry McGinnis does find out about the Bruce impersonator and gets into a scuffle with FalseFace. In the process, Falseface impersonates Terry and Terry is the victim of losing his memories. To make things worse, Terry wakes up confused and finds out he is framed for the murder of an owner of a diner. Terry goes into hiding from the police as he tries to recover his memories.
Without a savior in Neo-Gotham, a hero appears! Batwoman beyond appears and it is revealed none other than, Elainna Grayson. Batwoman beyond has a cameo appearance in Batman Beyond #36 and her first full appearance is in Batman Beyond #37. The identity of Elainna as the Batwoman Beyond is eventually shown in Batman Beyond #40.
While Terry McGinnis is trying to recover himself and his memories, Elainna protects the city in his absence. In addition, she also saves him when he gets captured by the villain, Blight. Later, Blight infiltrates the bat cave with the intent to eliminate the "Bat-Family". Terry, with the help of Dick and Elainna, takes care of Blight for good in saving everyone.
Moreover, Terry McGinnis has been Batman Beyond since 1999 and he has done an excellent job in succeeding Bruce Wayne. He has become the symbol justice for a long time, though it would seem foolish for DC to allow what Elainna had done in Terry's absence to be forgotten. There has to be more for her for the future, if not taking over the mantle for Terry, but at least a self-titled series. Sadly, it is very common for publishers to push more sales in introducing new characters. I just hope this push is more exposure for her and let it not be a "one-off" scenario for her. Personally, I do not mind the fresh face, especially if it is a new female hero. In the end, Elainna proved she is capable of being a worthy hero and can be a worthy addition to the "Bat-Family".
