| Batwoman | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | (Kathy Kane): Detective Comics #233 (July 1956) (Kate Kane): 52 #7 (July 2006, cameo) 52 #11 (July 2006, full-app.) |
| Created by | (Kathy Kane): Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff (Kate Kane): Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, Keith Giffen, Ken Lashley |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Katherine "Kathy" Webb Kane Katherine "Kate" Rebecca Kane |
| Team affiliations | Batman Family |
| Abilities | Exceptional athlete and martial artist; highly-skilled detective; has access to bat-themed weapons and equipment. |
Batwoman (originally referred to as the Bat-Woman) is the name of several fictional characters, female counterparts to the superhero Batman. The original version was created by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff. Her alter ego is Kathy Kane. This character appears in publications produced by DC Comics and related media beginning in Detective Comics #233 (1956). The character was introduced as a love interest for Batman to disprove allegations of homosexuality in response to the backlash from the book Seduction of the Innocent (1954). When Julius Schwartz became editor of the Batman-related comic books in 1964, he removed non-essential characters including Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Bat-Mite, and Bat-Hound. Later, the 1985 limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths retroactively established that Batwoman has never existed, though her alter ego Kathy Kane continued to be referred to occasionally.
The second Batwoman, Kate Kane, first appears in week 7 of the maxi-series 52 (2006), operating in Gotham City during Batman's absence following the events of the seven issue miniseries Infinite Crisis (2005). The modern Batwoman is written as being of Jewish descent and as a lesbian in an effort by DC editorial staff to diversify its publications and better connect to modern day readership. Batwoman's sexual orientation has been both criticized and praised by the general public and the character has been described as the highest profile gay character to appear in stories produced by DC Comics. Both incarnations of the character are written as the heiress of a family whose fortune is comparable to the wealth of Bruce Wayne. The name has since been used by several other characters including Selina Kyle, Helena Wayne, and Bette Kane.
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Kathy Kane is primarily associated with the Silver Age of Comic Books. In the aftermath of the attacks on comics in the early 1950s, the Batwoman was the first of several characters that would make up the "Batman Family". Since the family formula had proven very successful for the Superman franchise, editor Jack Schiff suggested to Batman creator, Bob Kane, that he create one for the Batman. A female was chosen first, to offset the charges made by Fredric Wertham that Batman and the original Robin, Dick Grayson, were homosexual.[1] Kathy Kane and alter ego Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956).[2] In the character's debut issue, Batwoman is introduced as a female rival to the crime-fighting prowess of Batman.
There's only one Batman! That's been said many times and has been true for no other man has ever rivaled Batman as a champion of the law, nor matched his superb acrobatic skill, his scientific keenness, his mastery of disguise and detective skill! But now, in one suspenseful surprise after another, Batman finds he has a great rival in the mysterious and glamorous girl... The Batwoman![2]
She was a costumed crime-fighter like Batman, yet in many ways not an exact counterpart. For example, the contents of her utility purse were actually weapons disguised as stereotypical feminine products such as lipstick, cosmetic compacts, charm bracelets, and hair nets.[1] Batwoman appeared regularly in the pages of Batman and Detective Comics through the early 1960s. Although letters from fans indicated Batwoman had become popular with readers,[3] editor Julius Schwartz considered the heroine, as well as other Batman-related characters, to be inappropriate for the new direction he planned to take the Batman universe. Following the revamp to Detective Comics in 1964, Batwoman was removed from the series. The "new" Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, not only replaced Batwoman as Batman's female counterpart, she surpassed the original heroine in popularity. Batgirl also proved to be more appropriate for her time period and the realistic approach DC Comics began taking with its characters. Unlike Batwoman, Gordon's Batgirl used a utility belt and various gadgets similar to Batman's, in addition to being a skilled martial artist and possessing a doctorate in her civilian identity.[4] Despite requests from readers to revive Batwoman, DC's editorial staff initially declined to bring the character out of retirement, considering the fact that she was specifically created to be a love interest for Batman.
The conclusion of the 1985 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths[5] altered DC Universe continuity, subsequently changing the character histories of Batwoman and Bat-Girl. In the new continuity, Kathy Kane did exist, though her persona as Batwoman had been erased. Bat-Girl never existed either, but a superheroine named Flamebird was introduced who had a somewhat similar costume and similar name, "Bette Kane".
Kathy Kane's history is rewritten and her role as the original Batwoman is reinstated follow the continuity-altering events of Infinite Crisis. Note that Infinite Crisis restored some pre-Crisis elements to the modern continuity and that Grant Morrison has made efforts to treat Batman's entire publication history as his backstory.[6] In Detective Comics #824, the Penguin refers to Kate Kane as the new Batwoman (which is the first post-Infinite Crisis implication that there was an earlier Batwoman). Kathy, as Batwoman, appears in a flashback story in Batman #682 (which provides a brief look back throughout Batman's career and features a scene of Batman and the original Batwoman kissing, with Robin showing his distrust of her and Bat-Girl). In this story, Kathy is referred to as "Katy" Kane. In Batman #686, Alfred mentions that Bruce Wayne was once romantically involved with Kathy.
The limited series Infinite Crisis (2005), written as a sequel to the 1985 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, altered DC Comics continuity. Subsequently, all comic book titles published by DC Comics skip forward one year and a new maxi-series entitled 52 retroactively chronicles the 52 weeks which directly followed Infinite Crisis.
When DC editors called for a redesign of Batwoman, comic book artist Alex Ross drew inspiration from the modified Batgirl costume he designed for Barbara Gordon, seven years prior to Kate Kane's debut in the limited comic book series 52. Ross and comic book author Paul Dini initially planned to revive the former Batgirl Barbara Gordon using an updated version of the character's original costume, with red accents in place of the traditional yellow. However, since Gordon serves as one of a very small number of disabled superheroes of DC Comics as Oracle, DC's editorial staff decided to revitalize the original Batwoman instead. In an interview with Newsarama, Ross states:
| “ | They had me change the mask and hair to make it a bit more Batwoman, rather than Batgirl...I pointed out to them that the mask makes her look like the Huntress a little overall—but there weren't many options. The original mask that I had in there when it was to be a Batgirl design was the complete head cover that we've seen, so they did need something different from that.[7] | ” |
Unlike the Silver Age Kathy Kane, who was romantically attracted to Batman, the new version of Kane is a lesbian.[8] Her sexual orientation was announced at the same time the character was revealed in the spring of 2006.[9] Stories appeared on television news outlets such as CNN,[10] general news magazines such as USA Today, and gay culture magazines such as Out.[9] The modern Katherine "Kate" Kane made her first comic book appearance in issue #7 of the maxi-series 52 (2006),[11] where Kane is revealed to have been romantically involved with Renee Montoya, a former Gotham City Police detective (who later takes up the mantle of the Question after the original hero dies).
No Origins titles have been presented for Batwoman; her fictional backstory is presented in Detective Comics through the use of exposition and flashbacks. In their early childhood, Katherine "Kate" Rebecca Kane and her sister Elizabeth "Beth" Kane were identical twins and were very close to each other. On their twelfth birthday, Kate and Beth were taken by their mother, Gabrielle "Gabi" Kane, to an expensive restaurant for chocolate and waffles, their favorite dish. On the way to the restaurant, a group of gunmen attacked the family and took them hostage, killing their bodyguard in the process. After learning of her family's kidnapping, Kate's father Colonel Jacob "Jake" Kane led a rescue mission to save his captured family, which ended with Kate's mother executed and Beth apparently killed after being caught in the crossfire between the kidnappers and soldiers.[12]
Inspired by her encounter with the caped crusader, Kate begins fighting crime using stolen military body armor and weaponry. After being confronted by Jake, Kate accepts his offer for assistance and begins an intense two years of training across the globe. Upon returning to Gotham, Kate discovers that her father has created a Batsuit for her, along with an arsenal of experimental weaponry and a bunker hidden in the Kane home. The first reference to the modern Batwoman is made by the Penguin in Detective Comics #824 who suggests Batman bring a date to the opening of his club, asking, "Why don't you bring that new Batwoman? I hear she's kind of hot."[13] In 52 #7 (2006) the new Batwoman is introduced.[11] Kane is revealed to have been intimately involved with former Gotham City police detective Renee Montoya and is heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Gotham, owning that which the Wayne family does not. In her third appearance in issue #11 of 52 entitled "Batwoman Begins",[14] Kane assists Montoya and her partner the Question in a mystery revolving around a warehouse owned by Kane's family. When Montoya and the Question are attacked sometime later by Whisper A'Daire's shapeshifting minions, Kane intervenes as Batwoman and rescues them.[15]
DC announced that Batwoman will star in a series with art by J. H. Williams III who will also co-write the series with writer W. Haden Blackman and artist Amy Reeder Hadley for later art duties.[16][17] The series' introductory "zero issue" was released on November 24, 2010. The launch of Batwoman #1 was originally scheduled for February 2011, then delayed until spring; in early March it was announced that Batwoman #1 will be released sometime in Fall 2011.[18][19]
In Alan Davis's JLA: The Nail, Selina Kyle wears a Batwoman costume that looks very similar to the costume worn by Kathy Kane. In the sequel JLA: Another Nail, she fashions her own Batwoman persona.[20]
In Batman: Dark Knight Dynasty,[21] Batwoman is the alter ego of Vice-President Brenna Wayne, the descendant of Bruce Wayne from the year 2500. In the story, man now lives side-by-side with intelligent apes. Brenna Wayne, having discovered evidence of an elaborate conspiracy against her family - thirteen generations of Waynes have all died young in a violent manner after spending their last few days dressed in a bat-like costume - takes up the mantle of Batwoman and faces off against Vandal Savage in one final battle. Discovering that her brother James has betrayed her, Brenna and Savage face off on the meteor as Savage tries to draw it down to Earth, unconcerned about the destruction that this will cause. The battle culminates in Savage being left drifting through space on the meteor, determined to learn the purpose of his life.
Bette Kane first appeared in the sixties as "Betty Kane", the Bat-Girl. Later, her name was modified to "Bette Kane" and she took on the mantle of Flamebird.[15]
In an Imaginary Tale from Batman #163, Betty Kane dons the mantle of Batwoman after Kathy's retirement, becoming "Batwoman II".[22]
In the alternate future storyline "Titans Tomorrow", it was revealed that after her death at the hands of Duela Dent, Batman (Tim Drake) used the Lazarus Pit to resurrect Flamebird, who assumed the alias of Batwoman and became his partner (and lover). But when he and the other Teen Titans began to take over the Western United States, Batwoman formed a Titans East team with the Titans who opposed their rule (Cyborg, Terra, Bumblebee, and Captain Marvel Jr.) and helped the Titans' past incarnations defeat the dark adult counterparts. After Infinite Crisis, the "Titans Tomorrow" timeline was altered by the deaths of Superboy and Bart Allen, with Duela Dent also being killed during Countdown. As such, in the "Titans Tomorrow... Today!" storyline, Bette remains Flamebird in the future, with Cassandra Cain being Batwoman. With the altered timeline, all the future heroes, even those who opposed the West Coast Titans, were unified in their fascistic endeavors to "save the world."
Helena Wayne appears as Batwoman in an alternate Earth where the genders of Superman, Batman and other heroes are reversed.[23] Batwoman's closest ally is Superwoman.
Batwoman, much like Batman, lacks any superpowers, and instead relies on her martial artistry and Batman-inspired equipment when fighting crime. Although the original Kathy Kane did not display any martial art skill during the Silver Age, the Modern Age Kane is depicted as a skilled martial artist and detective.[14] and while Kathy also used weaponry disguised as feminine items like lipstick and a compact, Kate Kane's arsenal includes a baton-like device which can extend from the center in length that has Bat-shaped attachments at each end, Batarangs, and a Batman-inspired grappling hook.[14]
| Title | Material collected | Date Published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batwoman: Elegy | Detective Comics #854-860, 192 pages, DC Comics, deluxe hardcover | July 2010 | ISBN 1-4012-2692-2 |
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