Kathy Kane: The First Batwoman

[Johnny Nevada]

I don't have a problem with Kathy being a lesbian (though suspect DC did it for "shock value" more than any constructive attempt at diversity, considering their recent output/the stupid "buxom lipstick lesbian" remark in the article... yeah, so I'm cynical...). I'm more curious on how it's explained that she's come back from the dead (guessing the late 70's story of her death "never happened post-Crisis/Zero Hour/etc." or "Kathy never existed post-Crisis until now!" or something similarly lame...).... or what compelled DC to revive Batwoman (a character associated with the late 50's "wacky space aliens" era of Batman more than anything, with said era Bat-writers have mostly ignored since the "New Look" Bats came along...) in the first place.

[DoctorZero]

I'm certain they will say she never existed prior to this.  The cause will be once again Superboy Prime.

[Michel Weisnor]

Old readers are upset for reasons listed above. New readers are inferiorated for the apparent disregard for Cassandra Cain, the last Batgirl. The same could be said of Superboy-Prime and the modern Superboy clone. Right now, the big two, DC and Marvel are taking chances; almost as if, in a desperate attempt to garner attention to a dying genre.

[Great Rao]

I figured they made her a lesbian to appeal to the angsty young female readership - the ones who used to read Sandman in the old days.

I kind of like the fact that DC is bringing back their old characters, even if they do update them.

Kathy Kane Batwoman?  Kara Zor-El Supergirl?  Hal Jordan GL?  All good stuff.  Now just give me The Green Team and my life will be complete.

[JulianPerez]

I am disappointed that Batwoman isn't sporting her colors of yellow and black. Not because something like that is important, but because it might typefy a potential problem with this Kathy Kane: the slick black catsuit plants her firmly as "girl Batman," whereas Batwoman had a more unique, slightly upbeat identity that involved things like lipstick darts and makeup compacts that were filled with knockout gas.

If Kathy Kane uses batarangs and a grapple gun or something, there would really have been no point in bringing the character back at all. Hopefully, they'll do credit to Kathy Kane's uniqueness. They dont' have to give her a "Bat Purse," but they should do something to give Kathy Kane a glam personality. She's not Barbara Gordon, she's Crimefighter Barbie!

If someone wants to read a terrific Batwoman story, check out Alan Brennert's BRAVE AND THE BOLD #182 (1982), which had terrific art by Jim Aparo, which featured the Earth-2 Batwoman and Robin teaming up with the Earth-1 Batman.

I remember reading somewhere that Alan Brennert introduced the concept of the Earth-2 Batwoman, as he was dissatisfied by Denny O'Neil killing her off and so introduced an Earth-2 version despite the fact that considering the time scaling, Batwoman had been established as only on Earth-1.

I think it is unfortunate that they have decided to have Batwoman be a homosexual woman, because the single most tragic thing about Kathy was that she was always "the other" woman, Betty to every other girl's Veronica, to Batman what Lana Lang was to Superman. In the aforementioned Brennert tale, Batwoman, who always secretly loved Batman, noticed that his entire attitude and way of treating her had changed. She knew, without having to be told, that Batman, in his other identity, had gotten married.

Wow.

Alan Moore has something of a thing for this character. Lady Day, a pastiche Batwoman, appeared in Moore's SUPREME, and in the famous 1985 Moore Superman Annual, Batman imagines himself married to (of all the women he ever loved) Kathy Kane.

Question: if they bring back Kathy Kane, will they bring back Betty Jo Kane as Bat-Girl too? (Yes, I know she's "back," but you know what I mean.) I certainly hope so; I loved the Imaginary Story where she and Dick Grayson grow up to be married.

[davidelliott]

It's sad to me the way comics have gone... they used to be pretty innocent til the Crisis...

It's also interesting that Batwoman was created as a love interest for Batman in light of Werthams "gay" thing between Batman and Robin (forget statutory rape and stuff...) and now Kathy is back as a lesbian!  How IRONIC!!!