Posted in: Comics, DC Comics, Justice League | Tagged: Featherweight, Ra's al Ghul, trans

Featherweight, A New Trans Character For The DC Comics Universe

Featherweight, a new trans character for the DC Comics Universe, revealed as the grand daughter of Ra's Al Ghul

Featherweight is a new DC Comics character created for the comic book series Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League, created by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott, which saw its sixth and final issue published yesterday. Featherweight, or Alya Raatko, is the daughter of previously established character Nyssa Raatko, who first appeared in Detective Comics #783 in 2003, created by Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson. Twenty-threeyears later, Greg Rucka is on hand to co-create her daughter. An enemy of Batman, a daughter of Ra's al Ghul, and the older half-sister of Talia al Ghul, Nyssa Raatko also appeared in the television series Arrow, played by Katrina Law, and in the final season of Gotham, played by Jaime Murray. She is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul and a Russian-Jewish peasant woman, born during his travels in Russia in the 18th century. During World War II, Nyssa and her family are sent to a concentration camp, where Nyssa's entire family dies; she survives solely due to her exposure to the Lazarus Pits. Which would indeed make Featherweight the granddaughter of Ra's Al Ghul, as created by Julie Schwartz, Dennis O'Neil, and Neal Adams in Batman #232 in 1971, and portrayed by Liam Neeson in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Matt Nable in Arrow, and Alexander Siddig in Gotham.

Alya Raatko is first seen arguing with her mother on the phone over just who is or is not a Nazi. Just befor she joins in a protest in which the authorities are responsing with force.

And then showing off her powers on the streets of Hub City, the DC Comics analogue of East St. Louis or Southern Illinois, home to The Question and Blue Beetle.

With Cheshire and Cheetah suitably impressed, as they are looking for muscle for their job.

Just in case there was any doubt of her heritage, writer Greg Rucka stated "We'll let people do the math there." And she tells us, after being recruited for the heist at the centre of this comic book series, that a) she doesn't like to be called Al and b) her mother went up against Superman.

Her power is to be immensely strong, even though her frame is light.  And her relationship to grandson of Ra's Al Ghul, Damian Wayne, is brought up.

And can (literally) hold her own against the likes of Solomon Grundy.

This could be seen as a form of dysphoria, expressed as a superheroic metaphor, but it's a state that Featherweight seems perfectly happy being. And in the final issue, with Klarion expressing interest in her, she lets him know her place on the spectrum.

Bisexual and trans. And that maybe she's a little old for him, Klarion is established these days as being around sixteen (rather than thousands of years old), as well as being from another demonic dimension, so who knows how that works over there. But for now, DC Comics has a new trans character, Featherweight. And she's the granddaughter of Ra'a Al Ghul, niece of Talia Al Ghul and cousin of Damian Wayne. And co-created by Greg Rucka, she may even turn up in his next DC Comics project, Batwoman. Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #6 by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott was published yesterday by DC Comics. The mini-series will be collected as a graphic novel and published later as Justice League: Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Watchtower in May 2026.

• Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Justice League by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott
  It's one thing to get the goods. It's another thing entirely to get away…especially when Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are in hot pursuit. Will Cheetah, Cheshire, and the rest of the crew win the day, or will they blow it at the blowoff? The unforgettable conclusion to Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott's epic caper series goes out with a bang!
• Justice League: Cheetah & Cheshire Rob the Watchtower Paperback by Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott
  Villains unite as a misfit team plans the heist of the century—robbing the Justice League's outer-space headquarters—in a new series from the Wonder Woman and Black Magick team of Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott! Get ready for twists and turns galore as frequent collaborators, Eisner Award-winners, and bona fide comic book superstars Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott re-team for a slick, stylish, and villain-forward heist adventure set firmly in DC's top-selling All In era, starring fan-favorite DC villains! Cheetah and Cheshire have an ambitious target: robbing the Justice League's Watchtower headquarters, with a particularly lucrative and powerful item in mind. All that stands between them and pulling off the most daring heist in history are a few tiny complications, like the most sophisticated orbital platform ever constructed, its AI-driven security system, and one other thing…the smartest and most powerful heroes in the DC Universe. Of course, they'll need to assemble the right crew to pull this off… Can this team of misfits and oddballs not only do the impossible…but get away with it? This volume collects Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1-6 and includes the entire series (the story is complete in one volume)

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