I've already covered my feelings about busts (the statue kind) in my review of the Zatanna bust from this same Women of the DC Universe range, and nothing much has changed - I'd still rather have a full-bodied action figure, but in special cases I don't mind making an exception. Kate Kane, the current Batwoman (that DC editorial seems eager to sweep under the rug, lest a (gasp) lesbian "damage the Batman brand" somehow) has had her share of controversy - mostly DC's own damned fault for chickening out of featuring her, thus making her sexuality seem like a stunt, which is ironically what they're trying to avoid - but when she's managed to appear, in 52, in the follow-up Crime Bible miniseries, and in a finely-crafted story in the Infinite Holiday special, she's shown herself to be a complex, interesting character. Far moreso than Batman, if you ask me, but I've never cottoned to Bruce Wayne much. Batwoman follows the usual design for the Women of the DC Universe range, 'standing' about 5.5" tall, emerging at the mid-thigh from her base and being fully detailed from that point upwards. Compared to Zatanna she's a much more expansive piece of work, so much so that her packaging needed to be a size larger - where Zee was compact, Kate is spread out in a flourish, arms wide in mid-Batarang-throw, cape whirling out behind her, and even the base, a Gotham-gothic gargoyle, is larger and bulkier than Zatanna's travelling case. Her pose is effective in conveying action, though as she's rearing back to throw her Batarangs, she does have rather a noticeable backward lean, which can look a bit odd when you're accustomed to more static-posed busts. We've already had an action figure of Batwoman, from the DC Direct 52 series, so comparing that to this bust reveals the increased quality of sculpt and paint you get when you pay the extra price tag. Her costume design and all the details are fundamentally the same - though the bat-symbol on her chest is noticeably larger here - but for the bust the costume is rendered to a higher standard, with seam lines sculpted into the body to give it the feel of a practical bodysuit, rather than a sprayed-on superhero costume, and a matte finish producing the look of soft leather on the black sections, while a gloss gives the reds some extra definition. The red lining of the cape - necessarily shorter than normal, since there just isn't room on a thighs-up bust for an ankle-length cape - is a shade darker than the red on her costume, and doesn't have the gloss finish, which keeps this large area of solid colour from dominating the darker body, or from looking too bright and toy-like. What's visible of Kate's face duplicates her look from the comics pretty well, with a strong, finely-featured facial structure and darkly-tinted lips pursed in concentration. Her mask is glossy black, picking up highlights on the cheeks and the edges of the points, though this does have the effect of taking attention away from her silver-coated eyes. Her hair is straighter than the action figure's rendition, which was based on a curly-haired prototype drawing, rather than the straighter hairstyles she ended up with in 52, and also has a darker, redder hue to it. A bit more shadow in the crevices would have been nice, to bring out the detail of the dramatic whirl of her hair as she spins around, but the sculpt is visible enough to produce a pleasing result on her own. In a cute touch, she's in the act of throwing not one but two Batarangs, held between her fingers - these are her homemade ones, simple machined steel, rather than the fancy techy version Nightwing gave her as a Christmas present during the 52 year after they'd worked together a while. The weapons have a brushed steel tint to them, but they're dark enough to fit in with the black of her costume, so as not to seem out of place. The gargoyle serving as a base for the bust is rendered in art deco bronze, with hints of black and dark green in the crevices - it fits the traditional gothic imagery of Gotham City, but the warm metal colour is reminiscent of how Gotham looked in Batman Begins.