Batwoman

A woman of mystery; turns 50 years in 2006!

Batwoman was introduced in 1956 as a sort of romantic interest for Batman. The character’s alter ego, Kathy Kane, was named after Batman creator Bob Kane. This move seemed necessary because Batman apparently needed a romantic interest—and Catwoman had been banished from the comic in 1954.

Batwoman would be joined by the first Bat-girl, her niece Betty Kane, in 1961. They, along with Bat-Mite, would be part of the Batman universe in the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. When the Batman comic was revamped in 1964, Batwoman and Bat-girl disappeared.

Three years later, she resurfaced in a bizarre manner when the Mexican movie La Mujer Murciélago was made. Technically a ripoff of the 1966-68 Batman TV series, La Mujer Murciélago qualifies as an over-the-top production on its own merits.

Batwoman and Kathy Kane resurfaced in 2006, ironically as a “lipstick lesbian.” This has created controversy, since she is not Batman’s lover. Her sexual orientation has become an issue for some comics fans. However, don’t count her out! The wildest is yet to come!

This section added 2 September 2006.