Batwoman
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See also Batgirl
Kathy Kane (1956-1964)
The original Batwoman 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 familial formula had proven very successful, editor Jack Schiff suggested to Kane that he create one for The Batman. A female was chosen first, to offset the charges made by Frederick Wertham that Batman and the original Robin Dick Grayson were gay.[1]A Bat-Girl character was later created, who was written as the niece and sidekick of Batwoman. Batman creator Bob Kane later claimed that he originally drew the Batwoman to resemble his first wife. The fact that he named her "Katherine 'Kathy' Kane" supports this statement. 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!
She was a costumed crime-fighter like Batman, yet an exact counterpart in many ways. For example, while Batman wears a utility belt, Batwoman carried a utility purse. The contents of her utility purse- lipstick, cosmetic compacts, charm bracelets and hair nets- were actually weapons disguised as stereotypical feminine products. Although letters from fans indicated Batwoman had become popular with readers, editor Julius Schwartz considered the heroine, as well as other Batman-related characters, to be inappropriate for the new direction he took with the Batman mythology. 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 love interest for Batman.
...[Batwoman and Bat-Girl] were there because romance seemed to be needed in Batman [and Robin]'s life. But thanks to the big change and a foresighted editor, these hapless females are gone for good. In their place stands a girl who is a capable crime-fighter, a far cry from Batwoman who constantly had to be rescued from Batman.
However, with the launch of the Batman Family comic book series in 1975, readers continued to request for Batwoman to appear in new stories. One reader states:
"it is totally beyond me why you ignored Batwoman in your first two issues... I can understand your reluctance to go back to the days where everybody in Gotham had a Bat-identity, but you can't wipe out Batwoman that easily... I was counting on her making the scene in a new story, perhaps coming out of retirement to offer assistance to your Dynamite Duo [Batgirl and Robin]."
Batwoman was brought back in Batman Family #10 as "Batgirl's guest heroine" when she comes out of retirement to assist Batgirl in defeating Killer Moth and Cavalier.[5] However, Batwoman is later killed in Detective Comics #485 with editor Dennis O'Neil stating "we already had Batgirl, we didn't need Batwoman." The issue marked the final appearance of Kathy Kane in DC Comic continuity.
Kate Kane (2006-Present)
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 the only disabled superhero of DC Comics as Oracle, DC's editorial staff decided to revitalize the original Batwoman instead.