Batwoman revealed!

[Batdan]

Dig it!

www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71980

Kathy Kane as Batwoman:

[wavedash]

Ouch. I don't like the tone in that article when they basically say they'll mess around with the series as they like and they know the consumers will continue to lap it up.

[All Star Batman]

Meh. I was expecting someone new.

[coliv1977]

She's a lesbian?

[/\/\att]

coliv1977 said:

She's a lesbian?

Big deal. Homosexuality does exist, like it or not, and to diversify comics to better reflect real life, they need to do things like this. Its fine with me, as long as they write it well.

What I'm questioning is that they're actually using Kathy Kane?! Wtf! I'll certainly give it a fair try, and I'm reading 52 anyway, so bring her on!

[Eric]

I dont know, i think its kinda cool. Im hoping they use her as part of the regular bat team, depending on how they depict her. I really like the costume and color scheme.

[Dark Nightwing]

I think she looks a lot like a vampire. There have always been similarities between the two, but now they are even more similar.

[RJ]

I think this is very cool indeed, and can't wait to see how Batwoman is put into play!

[BruceWest]

''Not that there's anything wrong with that.''

[IamI]

"....wearing a costume apparently inspired by the original, Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the color scheme of Batman Beyond."

I don't know. Seems to me if you substitute yellow for red you'd have Babs.

[Eric]

iami said:

"....wearing a costume apparently inspired by the original, Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the color scheme of Batman Beyond."

I don't know. Seems to me if you substitute yellow for red you'd have Babs.

Yeh, the costume itself as far as design is just like Barbaras, the mask is like Batwomans. The Batwoman costume was also similar.

[gotham95]

Looks great to me. I can't wait for an ongoing series. I'll get it for sure.

[BullocK]

Well I'm interested. Really like the suit design as well.

[blinker]

More on her by Dido:

As the news was filteing out through various channels, we caught up with DC Executive Editor Dan Didio to talk about the new character, the role her sexuality will play, and what the future holds for the new Batwoman.

NRAMA: So – after much rumor, speculation, and teasing, Batwoman is making her debut…

Dan Didio: Yes!

NRAMA: Tell us about her…

DIDIO: We’re always looking for ways to reinvigorate the Batman franchise, and look at other characters to inhabit his world. One of my problems with it was that I felt that a lot of the characters were coming form the same place, the same sense of origin, the same sense of tragedy in their backstory. We wanted to find a way to branch out a little bit more in the Bat-world. We looked at the Kathy Kane character, and we wanted to find a way to bring her back to the DC Universe. We figured that coming out of Infinite Crisis was a good time to re-introduce the character to the DCU –we can blame Superboy Prime for that.

We wanted to find a way to make her feel different, and give her a different personality, a different ideology, and a different backstory, so that she wasn’t just another Batman or Bruce Wayne clone. She’s a member of high society and she is gay. But her sexuality is not the main thrust of the character; it’s just another aspect of her personality, one that helps her to determine her choices that she makes as she’s fighting crime in Gotham City.

NRAMA: What do you mean by that last part? How does the fact that she’s gay help to determine the choices she makes as she’s fighting crime in Gotham?

DIDIO: Basically, what it means is that we have another very strong female character, and how her private life plays against her heroic life is going to be where the stories play in; as well as different types of adventures and different types of dramas that she gets caught up in. One of the first stories is that she does have a history with Montoya – because of that, it pulls her directly into a lot of the events in Montoya’s world, brings her into confrontation with The Question, and gets her hooked up with the things that are happening in 52.

NRAMA: Playing devil’s advocate, as you said, the fact that she is gay will play a role in her activities as a hero – but, when you flip that, it doesn’t really apply to say, Batman. You can’t say, “Because he’s heterosexual, Batman’s adventures are thus and so.” Heterosexuality as a character trait is has been largely ignored with Batman, yet it’s not the same when you’re talking about a gay character. Why is that?

DIDIO: If the character is gay, she might have had different levels of challenges in her life. The fact that she conceals her own sexuality to some of the people around her and to her own family is going to be a bit of a story, so there are going to be secrets within secrets. You’ll also find more and more about who she is as the story is told, and see how it plays against her lifestyle.

NRAMA: Where does she debut again?

DIDIO: 52 #11

NRAMA: And her name is Kathy Kane…

DIDIO: Or “Kate” as we’re calling her now.

NRAMA: Her costume designed by Alex Ross – it has interesting elements, both a nod to the original Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the Batman Beyond color scheme. What went into the look?

DIDIO: We really attribute the costume fully to Alex. When we went to him, we explained that we were bringing Batwoman back, but she is coming back for a new generation. He knew the backstory of the character as well, and wanted to do something that would both pay tribute to the past, but also move the character into her own identity. He’s so incredible when he does these things; he pulls from so many different places and still makes it feel unique while still giving a wink and a nod to everything around him.

NRAMA: Anytime someone shows up in Batman’s world, he takes a relatively grumpy reaction…well; he did prior to Infinite Crisis. What’s his response to this intrusion, post Infinite Crisis?

DIDIO: Well, remember that she’s operating in the city for nearly a year before Bruce comes home. She’s going to be able to establish herself in that fashion, and part of the assumption of the identity will be filling that void in Gotham City that has been left by Batman packing up and leaving after Crisis. This plays out on several levels, because you’ll also find out that there’s history between Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane from before she put on the costume as well. She’s someone who’s frequented the high society circles – they’ve encountered each other in the past, and there is some sense of history between the two, although we’re not really explaining what just yet. So, more importantly, he’s going to have to deal with her on multiple levels, as she reasserts herself in a level of prominence in Gotham society.

NRAMA: Plans for her in the immediate future? Her own series, miniseries, appearances, or can it be said at this point?

DIDIO: One of the things that I would like to do with Batwoman in particular, because we feel that who she is and the development of the character is so unique to what we’re trying to accomplish in the DCU, but also to what 52 is about, one of the things I’d like to see, at least in the beginning, is to see her as a character who will be appearing primarily in 52. Them, we’ll be exploring things in different ways.

To use a Marvel reference, I always liked the way that Marvel introduced the Punisher. He started in Amazing Spider-Man, and had some really landmark appearances in Daredevil, and they allowed interest in him to grow. I think this is a character that can really benefit form appearing in different books first before we test the waters with her on her own.

NRAMA: And let the fan demand fuel a project?

DIDIO: Yeah. We’ve introduced a lot of characters in a very short period time, and we’ve got a lot more coming down the pipeline, but I’d like to believe that mostly everything we do now is coming out of other things so that we’re not just throwing books and ideas and concepts at people cold. I want it to be where it feels like everything has time to take root. Again, we’re throwing a lot of new ideas, and more importantly, things where people are already predisposed about how they think a character should act and behave. So I want to pull them in a little more slowly now, and get them acclimated to the new directions for the series and the characters themselves, and hopefully enjoy what we’re doing.

Therefore, when we do go bigger with series and stories, they’re ready for it, and, as the expression goes are coming out, “Because you Demanded It!”

NRAMA: Bigger picture – as you said, you’ve introduced a large number of characters in a relatively short time coming out of Crisis. A lot of these characters are non-white, or, like Batwoman, minorities in other respects. That was the plan all along?

DIDIO: Always. From the moment I walked in the door. If you go out and try to diversify the DC Universe in 15 minutes – and you can – but you’re going to get something that will instantly forgotten like, not to speak too ill of the dead, Planet DC. Noble effort, smart idea, but the execution short-circuited the concept, and it was stillborn.

So what we wanted to do is have a DC Universe that was more reflective, not only of our readership, but as society as a whole. Everything that we’re doing, every step that we’re taking, we’ll keep on pushing that, not only because I think it’s the right thing to do, but also because it allows us to create those points of difference. The fact that the Blue Beetle is Hispanic allows you to include a different kind of sensibility into the story that we might not have had in another series. It’s the same thing with the new Atom being Asian. It should affect the storytelling in some way, because it allows us to give a different point of view, a different perspective. The same thing with Renee Montoya or Kate Kane being gay – that doesn’t matter who they are, but it does help give their stories a different point of view, a different perspective on the DCU that other characters might not have. It’s trying to attack these things on a personal level, so we can get much richer, more emotional stories from them.

NRAMA: Wrapping up – Batwoman coming back…Batgirl…not around anymore?

DIDIO: …I didn’t say that, did I? [laughs]

NRAMA: So the Bat-shaking’s not done?

DIDIO: Yeah. There’s a good chance that there are some more twists and turns coming up within the Bat Family. There was that sense that they were a single unit, operating with a single mindset, and all the characters were marching to Batman’s orders. One of the key things we need to do; especially coming out of Crisis is reinstate that sense of individuality for all the characters that inhabit Batman’s world. We’ve got a great set of characters with Robin and Nightwing and several others there, but what we need to do is make sure we understand and express what each one of their point of difference is.

I don’t want somebody to pick up a Batman book, a Nightwing book, and a Robin book and feel like they’re reading the same story. These are three different people with three different perspectives, with three different stories taking place. They all should have their own tonality and their own feel, and that’s what we want to do with Batwoman right now – she should have her own tonality, her own feel so that her character and her story has something that’s unique to itself, and not just another Batman story with a woman.

[Batdan]

1. I think it's great she's homosexual (or bisexual, if that turns out to be the case).

2. I love the design because it reflects so many things:

-- classic Batwoman's mask and color scheme (sans yellow)
-- Babs' costume design
-- the colors of Batman Beyond
-- the bat design of Batman Beyond (and, don't forget, animated Mystery of the Batwoman).

3. It being Kathy Kane (or Kate) isn't a problem if you're OK with the "continuity waves," which I am.

4. I also like that there will be a significant Batpresence in 52 after all.

[catfanbogota]

I had heard about the new Batwoman.

I would not have minded seeing Barbara Gordon return as Batgirl. Kathy Kane as Batwoman? That is certainly a little retro, since she first appeared in that role in 1956. Her headgear certainly hearkens back to that era.

It had been my understanding that Batwoman would have been Renee Montoya, and that might have been muy interesante! As for me? As long as Catwoman carries on, that's all I care about really. As for Batwoman, let's see how the public takes to her.

[catfanbogota]

And she ain't Barbara Gordon, either! She is supposed to be Kathy Kane, just like in the 1956 comics. Like what narrator William Dozier said on the Batman series: "The wildest is yet to come!"

[profgriffin]

Well....I guess so.

But Officer Montoya! Well, I'll be. Tough female officer is a lesbian...or at the very least bi-sexual.
Talk about playing the stereotype.

And Batwoman....huh.

Well based on the drawing, I wouldn't mind checking her out. For the...ahem....gripping story and drama.

If they REALLY wanted to be dynamic and cutting edge, Batwoman would have been a very masucline
lesbian, butch haircut, thick and beefy...

Now THAT would be groundbreaking.

LOL.

[jabsy]

She does look fantastic in those pics but what the hell does her sexuality have to do with anything.

Its a shame, why cant they rely on good old fashioned writing instead of a lame "shock value".

[Jack-Ups]

[glow=red,2,300] neat!
But I'm not really bothered about her sexuality!
I mena what's the problem !
It just add's some dynamic's to th Character and It's about time comics did some stuff like this!
Im sure it will be all fine! [/glow]

[/\/\att]

jabsy said:

She does look fantastic in those pics but what the hell does her sexuality have to do with anything.

Its a shame, why cant they rely on good old fashioned writing instead of a lame "shock value".

Isn't shock value really how YOU perceive it, though? In a real world, some characters would be gay, some would be straight...fans always complain for realistic comics...well, here ya go! Its wrong to ignore a large portion of the populace. When a character is black, is that just for shock value? No, its to better diversify and represent the people at large.

[jabsy]

admin said:

jabsy said:

She does look fantastic in those pics but what the hell does her sexuality have to do with anything.

Its a shame, why cant they rely on good old fashioned writing instead of a lame "shock value".

Isn't shock value really how YOU perceive it, though?

Certainly not, i do not see it as shock value personally but i have no doubt that this is the writers main reason for including it.

We have reality shows over here and the main one is big brother. The writers of that show include people from every imaginable spectrum of the human race. Do you think they do that to represent different types of people? Not a chance, they try to add the shock value to entice more viewers. Its a shame that comic writers have fallen victim to the same crap.

Comics writers can represent the people by showing different races as heroes but a bisexual/lesbian Batwoman, come on, you say comics should be realistic. Super heroes are not realistic so why should we care who they are attracted to.
Why should the writer force her sexuality on us? why as human beings are we hung up on sexuality and why does the whole world have to know which sex we are attracted to.

My view is there is no need for it in comics and that is all it is, my personal view.

I have always loved this forum and enjoyed my freedom to express my views and listen to others but when someone tells me that i perceive lesbians/ bisexuals/homosexuals/ black/white or any other diverse side of human beings as shocking then it has gone to far and i take offense to it. Whether that is written as politely as possible or not.

[banzaiboy]

I think its shock value because rather than have the character be lesbian and running with it they are jumping out and having to say...Look at this character...shes gay!!! I mean, to some extent its like running around yelling...she straight...shes white...Had the character not been gay how would she have been introduced? The shock value comes from the fact that the lesbian label is being hung like a sign over the characters head.

That said, I think its an interesting concept to bring not only Batwoman back but Kathy Kane as well. Don't care for the mask too much though but I'm willing to play with it and see where the character goes.

(vVv)

[DrGreenEvil]

Heres one character that will never appear outside of the comics. Might get a dc direct figure. But seeing her in a mass market line or in a cartoon will never happen. Unless they go and make an hour Batman drama like smallville. That would be cool though.

[DrGreenEvil]

I like her costume. Like the 50's mask on the MOTB costume. I like the red to, its different. Whats funny is the other day I was thinking they should bring her back. And the costume was kinda what I was thinking it should look like.

[reideen1313]

twistedangel9 said:

If they had to do Batgirl, I think it should be Batwoman and Kathy Kane

Twistedangel9 called it way back last March gang. ;D Members here at LOG are pretty smart cookies!

[/\/\att]

I don't think thats fair jabsy. We all do care who they're attracted to...no one says its shock value when Dick loves Babs...or when Catwoman and Bats share a kiss. Is that for shock value? Its no different.

[profgriffin]

Well I never knew that...

In the comic continuity, Renee Montoya was a lesbian. I thought that was only to tie into the new Batwoman, but apparently she was "outed" by no less than Two-Face in the Gang Wars story arc.
But really, how perfect is that? Being outed by someone who is a literal embodiment of the two sides of a person. In Montoya's case the reveal by Two-Face was tragic as it created a rift in her family (who did NOT know she was gay) and caused her to overcome some hard life choices.

Since comic books have gotten more and more 'real' and the characters that we love have become like old friends, it's natural that we see them at their best and their worst.
We see them privately and yes, heroes are capable of sexuality and in most respects (if they are human) we can relate to them.

Maybe the introduction of a lesbian character as a major hero might help build understanding and tolerance in a word were there is precious little.
I don't think it was SHOCK value...not at all. I DO think that it's a little bit of pandering to the mostly MALE demographic of comic book readers...I mean, sexy, feminine lesbians is a fantasy scenario for most red blooded men.

I don't think that the book will go that far, not at all..but the idea is there and wow she's hot.
Imagination does the rest.

Bravo DC for even considering this. If Batwoman is a hit and gets her own title, the public will be that much closer to being accepting to different lifestyles and preferences.
Diversity is what makes the world go round.

-Prof. Griffin

[/\/\att]

From Wizard World Philadelphia (courtesy of comics continuum)

Dan DiDio on Batwoman: "She's a super-hero that's a lesbian, she's not a lesbian super-hero."

Batwoman will officially debut in 52 #18

[reideen1313]

admin said:

From Wizard World Philadelphia (courtesy of comics continuum)

Dan DiDio on Batwoman: "She's a super-hero that's a lesbian, she's not a lesbian super-hero."

Batwoman will officially debut in 52 #18

A recap of Didio's comments at WW Philly is available at LOG's Comic Blog.