by Ben Varkentine » Tue May 30, 2006 10:27 am
Batwoman hero returns as lesbian
Comic book heroine Batwoman is to make a comeback as a "lipstick lesbian" who moonlights as a crime fighter, a DC Comics spokesman has confirmed.
In her latest incarnation, she is a rich socialite who has a romantic history with another 52 character, ex-police detective Renee Montoya.
by inlerf » Tue May 30, 2006 6:20 pm
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A Bat for the other team
July 18, 2006
BY MISHA DAVENPORT Staff Reporter
Everything old is new again, so the saying goes.
A character named Batwoman crashes through a window of an abandoned building, making her debut in 52: Week Eleven (DC Comics, $2.50), on sale today.
With her bright red lipstick, high-heeled boots, long flowing red hair framing a black bat cowl and body covered in Lycra that shows off every voluptuous curve, she is a force to be reckoned with.
Though her alter ego Kate Kane made her debut in 52 several weeks ago, this new issue marks the arrival of an updated Batwoman, who garnered headlines earlier this year when DC Comics revealed she would be a lesbian.
With 41 issues left in the weekly 52 series, Week Eleven leaves plenty of questions about Batwoman unanswered. She isn't even the sole focus of the series, but rather one plot in a book that has multiple threads.
Neither Kate Kane nor Batwoman ever acknowledges her sexuality, but there are certainly enough clues:
Private detective Renee Montoya lets the reader know in a thought balloon that she once was in love with Kane.
Kane seems jealous of Montoya's new partner (the Question, who introduces himself as Charlie, her partner).
Montoya also seems jealous of the short-haired blond woman sitting in the passenger seat of Kane's convertible.
Kane tells Montoya the woman in the car is a doctor named Mallory and "you don't know her."
Montoya acknowledges in a private thought that Kane's new girlfriend shouldn't bother her, but it does.
When Montoya refuses to tell Kane why a building owned by the Kane family is under surveillance, Kane tells her, "You don't come back into my life after 10 years asking for favors without an explanation, Renee!"
Afterward, the Question sarcastically tells Montoya she handled the situation well, and it's no wonder women are falling all over themselves to be with her.
Montoya tells the Question that any feelings she had for Kane ended when Kane broke off their relationship.
In a previous issue, Montoya referred to Kate Kane as "Katherine the young," opening up the possibility that the new Batwoman is actually the daughter of the original Batwoman, who made her debut in the '50s.
Of course, that idea doesn't make a lot of sense when you look at the original Batwoman, who made her first appearance in 1956. That character carried a purse of gadgets (as opposed to the current Batwoman's far more practical utility belt). She seemed more interested in snuggling with Batman than solving crimes and was even partnered with the original BatGirl, her niece Betty Kane (who was more interested in getting Batman's teen sidekick Robin to notice her).
How can one of Batman's former love interests have a grown daughter when Batman himself still appears to be in his 30s or early 40s?
What a difference decades make
Granted, few readers remember the 1950s Batman. Those who do would have a hard time these days recognizing their hero -- now a brooding Dark Knight, one part hard-boiled film noir detective, one part kung fu vigilante.
The modern age Batwoman is equally unrecognizable from her Silver Age of Comics counterpart. Kate Kane is a wealthy socialite whose fortune rivals that of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (the Kane family owns the half of Gotham City that's not owned by Wayne). By night, romance is the furthest thing from Batwoman's mind.
One thing that hasn't changed from that era is politicians using popular culture as a scapegoat for societal ills. While today's politicians rail about the ills of video games, Eisenhower-era congressmen denigrated comic books.
They were helped in their efforts by Fredric Wertham and his book Seduction of the Innocent, which was published in 1954. Wertham asserted that comic books were leading the nation's children down a path of drug use, sex and violence.
Wayne, Grayson criticized
He was particularly damning of Batman, describing the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson as "a wish-dream of two homosexuals living together."
"In these stories there are practically no decent, attractive, successful women," Wertham argued in his book. "A typical female character is the Catwoman, who is vicious and uses a whip. The atmosphere is homosexual and anti-feminine. If the girl is good-looking, she is undoubtedly the villainess."
Fearing government censorship, the comic book industry adopted a rigid policy of self-censorship called the Comics Code Authority in 1954.
Though DC Comics has continually denied it, the reason Batwoman emerged in 1956 was to squash claims of Batman's homosexuality. Kathy Kane became what is referred to within the gay community as "a beard" -- a woman a gay man dates to give the appearance that he is straight.
On the surface, making the new Batwoman a lesbian when the old Batwoman was an obscure character without much of a fan base and with few actual appearances amounts to a safe move for company executives. It's a move they could never have gotten away with had they used a better-known female character like Wonder Woman.
It was a risky move simply because of the backstory that led to the creation of the previous Batwoman. Batman's "beard" has come out as a lesbian. Can a rainbow flag sticker on the bumper of the Batmobile be far behind?
Will the gay line work?
Is a gay Batwoman enough to hook readers? The issue does leave you wanting to know more. What would prompt a socialite to don a cowl and Lycra suit and risk her life to fight crime? What caused the breakup between Montoya and Kane, and is a happy ending in their future? Will Batman feel threatened by an equally powerful defender of justice? Will they work collectively or establish shifts?
Public reaction to the character (read: your ability to stick with the character beyond her sensationalized debut) will likely decide whether DC grants her continued crime-fighting adventures beyond the series.
But based on her action-packed debut, she's an engaging character worthy of her own title.
mdavenport@suntimes.com
World of superheroes makes room for all inclinations
Batwoman is just one in a growing league of gay characters. Here (with some help from www.gayleague.com) are a few of our favorite openly gay heroes and villains, as well as a few we can't help but wonder about:
GAY
OBSIDIAN
(Manhunter, DC, pictured at right)
The son of the original Green Lantern, Todd Rice was separated from his twin sister and raised by foster parents in Milwaukee. His superpowers (he can become a living shadow) emerged during his teen years. He subsequently was reunited with his sister (who took the superhero name of Jade), turned evil for a bit, lost his powers and found love. Rice's boyfriend, a lawyer, seems to have a thing for superheroes. He once asked out Hawkman, who is straight, and who declined.
NORTHSTAR
(Various X-Men titles from Marvel)
The first openly gay superhero (and perhaps the best known because of it), Northstar (plain-clothes identity: Jean-Paul Beaubier) is able to achieve super-human speeds. Super speed hasn't helped him in the romance department, though. Still single, he was briefly infatuated with fellow X-Man Bobby Drake (a k a Iceman), who is straight.
PIED PIPER
(The Flash, DC)
Born deaf into a wealthy family that spent millions to restore his hearing, Harley Rathaway was obsessed with music and sound, eventually creating weapons that utilized both. A constant foe to the second Flash (Barry Allen), Piper came out to Allen's successor before retiring from a life of crime. Currently living with his boyfriend James, Rathaway is a champion of both gay rights and the homeless.
LESBIAN
SAILOR NEPTUNE, SAILOR URANUS
(Sailor Moon, Kodansha, pictured at right)
In the pages of the Japanese manga, Neptune and Uranus battle injustice and share a loving relationship. Don't look for an exploration of it in the animated series "Sailor Moon," though. The show was sanitized when it was translated into English and repackaged as a kids' show.
BISEXUAL
JOHN CONSTANTINE
(Hellblazer, Vertigo)
The long-running series has mentioned exes of both sexes for the anti-hero, a chain-smoking dabbler in the dark arts. In issues 170-174, John even seduced a man as part of a con. In the big-budget film adaptation "Constantine," Keanu Reeves played the character (pardon the pun) straight.
ON THE FENCE
JIMMY OLSEN
(Various Superman titles, DC)
Though he occasionally has a girlfriend, there's just something about Superman's pal that makes us think he's a bit light in the loafers. Perhaps it's the way he seems to hang on Clark Kent's every word or his obsession with the big guy in blue tights. Not even Lois Lane has been saved as often as Jimmy. And Superman even gave Jimmy a watch so Jimmy can contact him anytime. Hmmm.
HAWK AND DOVE
(deceased; DC Comics, pictured at right)
Yes, the original Hawk and Dove were actually brothers Hank and Don Hall, but they sure seemed to fight more like a married couple than siblings. That's all we're saying.
BATMAN AND ROBIN
(circa 1940-1956, DC)
We're with Seduction of the Innocent author Fredric Wertham on this one. The relationship between Bruce Wayne (Batman) and his ward Dick Grayson (Robin) is just weird enough that if the pair existed in the real world, we'd have no qualms about calling child protective services.
Misha Davenport
by xita » Tue Jul 18, 2006 8:26 pm
by MochaVamp » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:46 pm
I've purchased the back issues and await 11. We'll see if I get hooked.
by xita » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:02 pm
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