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Catwoman
Catwoman is a DC Comics’ fictional character created by Bill finger and Bob Kane. The first and most popular Catwoman was Selina Kyle, first appeared in the first issue of Batman #1, spring 1940. In the first issue of the comic book, she was "The Cat," a jewel thief without a costume. By the second issue, she was referred to as "Catwoman," making her the first villainess to ever appear in a comic book. By the third issue, she was in full costume, making her the first costumed villainess to ever appear in comics.
Catwoman tends to steal jewelry and other forms of art, but in all incarnations, she has shown a marked preference for feline icons and imagery and has used them as accomplices now and then. She always lands on her feet in any situation because she has to, it is how she survives, and one had to be good to survive in Gotham City. She is the very spirit of a feline trapped in a human body and she uses that fact to her advantage very well while most would screw up, especially in the real world.
Catwoman is a pioneer, and has always remained intriguing throughout her long career, not only because of her sexy costume and acrobatic skills, but also for her constant tightrope act between good and evil and her love-hate relationship with the Dark Knight, Batman. She is one of the very few villains in DC history to have her own successful regular comic.
Different Catwoman Versions
There have been many
versions of Catwoman's origins and backstory seen in the comic books over the
decades.
As Selina Kyle
Golden Age Catwoman
The first appearance of Catwoman in the Batman Universe was called “The Cat” and she cannot be recognized at all for the fact that she was not the Catwoman yet. The first issue also marked the debut of the freaky clown the Joker, where he was all for the killing and The Cat was against all that, which made her set quite apart from Batman’s other certain nemesis. The First issue set-up the love-hate relationship between her and the Dark night.
In Batman #62, “The Secret Life of Catwoman”, she already had her alter-ego as Selina Kyle. She was a jewel thief and after each robbery she made, she found out that she was being followed and chased by Batman, which she liked and made them looked like the chasing cat-and-mouse.
In this series her origin was revealed; after yet another of her burglaries, she was being pursued by Batman as she led him on a run past a demolished building. As they ran, Catwoman noticed a wall that was about to collapse onto Batman, who was unaware of his peril. She had to save him, but she got smacked on the head by a brick, and gets rendered unconscious. Batman was still concerned with Catwoman so she brought her to his Batcave. When she awoke, disoriented and confused, she did not even respond to the name "Catwoman". Batman slowly extracted from her that she was a stewardess for Speed Airways when the plane she was on went down, and the last thing she remembered was being hit on the head as she tried to escape the crashed plane. She was horrified when Batman told her of her exploits as the Catwoman, and declared that she wanted nothing to do with a life of crime. So she wound up reforming and renounced her life of crime helping out Batman. Police Commissioner Gordon of Gotham, also allowed her a pardon from all her crimes on an agreement to help capture her crime partner at that time, Mister X. Batman and Commissioner Gordon took the amnesia story at face value, and considered it a mitigating circumstance, allowing her to avoid going to jail for her crimes. She opened up a pet shop, and apparently went straight for several years.
In Detective comics #203, “Crimes of the Catwoman”, Selina decided to return to a life of crime as a law abiding citizen of Gotham City. Enraged with a newspaper article which printed a story about Batman’s arrest connoting that Catwoman was just a simple-minded woman. The local hoods and crooks sneered at her reputation, so she again donned the tights and returned to a life of crime. Her first act was to sneak up onto the roof of Gotham Police Headquarters, and alter the big bright Bat-Signal to show a giant cat on the clouds, announcing quite publicly that Catwoman was back in business.
Earth Two Origin
The second origin was published in the Brave and Bold #197, “The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne”, 1983. This was an Earth Two story and in this tale, Selina Kyle had married Bruce Wayne, Batman; soon afterwards, the couple gave birth to their only child, Helena Wayne. Their daughter would go on to be the original Huntress and continue the fight against crime when her father retired. This version of Catwoman’s origin concentrates on her marriage and death.
In this tale, Selina admits that the amnesia was a lie, and tells Batman her true origin while dressing a wound he suffered during their battle with Jonathan Crane, The Scarecrow. She had been married once, when she was very young, to a rich and handsome young man, who turned out to be extremely abusive. When she divorced him, he took away all of the jewelry he had given her, and had taken measure, in bitterness, to see that she remained penniless for the rest of her life. Seeking revenge as she dawned the Catwoman persona, she broke into his safe and stole back all of her jewelry. Enraptured by the power and strength she got from the act, she continued the role of Catwoman. Stealing her way into Gotham’s rich circles and enjoyed wealth once again, with personal independence. After several years, she began to regret her actions, turned herself in to the police, and went to jail. She was released from prison temporarily to help Batman capture the Scarecrow, which is where this story started. After the battle and mutual confessions, the two of them got married, and retired.
Soon after, the couple gave birth to their only child, a daughter they named Helena Wayne. But fate dealt a cruel card in the late 1970s, a former henchman of Catwoman, Silky Cernak, appeared and claimed to have proof that Catwoman had committed a murder. He would provide this information to the police unless she helped him commit one last crime. Selina acquiesced and Batman came of retirement to stop her. During the course of events that followed, the former criminal shot and killed Selina Wayne. Subsequent to this, her daughter Helena became the Huntress and avenged her mother by capturing Cernak (DC Super-Stars #17).
Frank Miller's Year One Catwoman
A revision in Catwoman's origin, and the introduction of the modern version of the character, came in 1986 when writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli published “Batman: Year One”, a revision of Batman’s origin. In the course of the story, the origin of Catwoman was also re-envisioned. Selina Kyle was reintroduced as a cat-loving prostitute/dominatrix who was inspired to become a costumed cat burglar when she saw Batman in action. Year One deals with corrupt police officers rough pimps and underage prostitutes.
In Batman #404, February 1987, Selina Kyle lived in a run down apartment, along with a young adoptive sister, Holly Robinson, whom Selina befriended and watched over like the little sister she believed she no longer had. Both of them were prostitutes working for a lowlife thug named Stan. She wore a black leather dominatrix suit for her clients. After a particularly severe beating by Stan, Selina was sent to a hospital, where she met a police inspector named Flannery. Understanding the predicament she was in, Flannery sent Selina to Ted Grant, a retired superhero known as Wildcat. Ted taught her some martial arts, so that she could defend herself, and she proved to be a particularly apt pupil. Some time later, she witnessed a disguised Bruce Wayne who was not yet Batman, beating up on Stan. Wayne was stabbed by Holly and Selina joined the attack on Wayne. She was not able to defeat him, but managed to run him off. Wayne, sorely injured, decided that he needed a costume to strike fear in the hearts of evildoers, and became Batman. The next time Stan tried to beat Selina, she knocked him out cold, and retired from prostitution, taking Holly with her. She decided to take up a life of burglary, and made up a costume like batman who she saw on TV lately, but reminiscent of the cats she loves so much. Selina would have continued to rob with impunity if not for the Batman. Spying the Caped Crusader from her window on one of his first outings, Selina watched him in action and was suitably inspired to take up her own costume when prowling the Gotham night. In a tight leather cat suit, Catwoman marked the city as her territory. However, she never killed, and she only stole from the wealthiest or the well-insured. At this time, Selina took Holly at the convent under the watchful eye of her sister, Maggie
Catwoman's Zero Hour
Unsatisfied after the Crisis on Infinite Earths, DC pulled another retcon stunt several years later, called Zero Hour. This one was more successful in simplifying continuity issues, and had some effects on Catwoman's origin, changed and retold in “Catwoman #0”.
Now, she had never been a prostitute, and was never trained by Ted Grant. Instead, she was orphaned as a little girl at age 12, where her brutalized mother committed suicide and her violent father drank himself to death not long after. She found her mother dead in the bathroom and had sadly committed suicide. She was an independent woman with dreams of living a life of luxury. After reporting his father’s death to 911, little Selina took to the streets and survived on petty theft for a time. She was eventually picked up by the police and sent to a child detention centre where corruption was very much alive, especially when left to the director. Selina did not liked or wanted to be there. While there she met Cassandra Cartland, later the Alley Cat, who took a slight attraction to Selina.
Selina discovered the corruption at the child detention centre, and revealed her knowledge to the director, who then tried to kill her. Naturally Selina survived, and made the director remove records making Selina never been at the detention centre. As she went out of it, she soon decided that theft was the fastest and easiest way to get the life of luxury she so desperately craved. After some close calls, she came to the realization that she needed some training in personal defense in order to survive on the streets, and was soon taken in by an armless sensei who taught her a great deal about close combat, and also instilled in her the sophistication and charm that are some of the true hallmarks of Catwoman.
As Catwoman, Selina's deeds have not escaped Batman's notice, though she has continually eluded the capture by remaining one step ahead of the Dark Knight and Gotham's law enforcement. She had many run-ins with Batman as they both have a mutual attraction to each other. Recently Selina faked her death, and has also ended up in prison.
As Holly Robinson
Following the events
of Infinite Crisis, the DC Universe jumped forward in time. In "One Year Later", Selina Kyle is no
longer Catwoman, has left the East End, and
has given birth to a child. Holly Robinson takes over as the new Catwoman while
Selina, living under the alias Irena Dubrovna, turns her attention to caring
for her daughter, Helena.
History
Holly first appeared in Frank Miller's “Batman: Year One”, as a young prostitute together with Selina as she was rescued from a cop who was trying to hustle her. However, she was left with Selina’s sister, Maggie, at her convent when Selina at that time became Catwoman. A few years afterwards, Holly left the convent parting ways with Maggie as she returned to the streets and went back to drugs and prostitution. When she returned to the original apartment that she and Selina had once shared, and finding that Selina had returned, they finally reunited. Holly became good and started as Selina’s sidekick for a while, working as her eyes and ears and ferreting out what was happening on the streets of the East End for her. She met up again with an old friend Karon, and the two of them have been dating.
Selina decided that Holly needed some training if she was to be involved in her crime-fighting, and took her on a road trip to train with Ted Grant. After the events of Infinite Crisis, DC Comics jumped forward in time. One year later, Holly Robinson has taken over as the new Catwoman, replacing Selina Kyle, who has retired.
In “Catwoman #53”, Holly Robinson made her first appearance as Catwoman; at the close of the issue she is ambushed by Angle Man. Although Holly manages to escape, her brutal beating of Angle Man is caught on film. Reluctant to ask Selina for help, Holly turns instead to Ted Grant. Not long after, Holly is arrested for Selina's murder of Black Mask.
Costumes used by Catwoman over the years
Catwoman has a lot of revamped in her costumes. When
she first debuted in Batman comics, she was wearing a simple green dress,
exactly like the one's worn by many women at the time because she has no
costume yet. Then she kept her green dress and went on to dawn a yellow hooded
cape like of the 1930s fashion. She even chose to wear a real cat mask, which
looked horrible and furry.
Selina Kyle finally makes it to a real Catwoman costume as she chose a purple dress and short boots and got the traditional mask with the long flowing hair along with her whip. However, she then returned with her old costume but now modified for the silver age; a full length skirt, knee length boots and shapely legs.
When Selina died and resurrected, her next costume appearance became darker and more gothic, a real cat suit with whiskers, tail and claws. It was the first modern Catwoman look. Then after a new retcon under Frank Miller’s Year One, Catwoman wore a dark purple spandex costume with her tall pair of boots. It was perfect for slinking around at night.
Until another costume was made for her, a crop top, leather bottoms and domino mask. She did not use a whip anymore, just a gun. She also lost the claws.
Superskills, abilities and other resources
A master thief with an
almost encyclopedic knowledge of security systems and their flaws, Selena Kyle
rules the night with confidence. A formidable fighter with expertise in boxing
and various martial arts disciplines and an incredible athlete, she has no super
powers so must rely that much more on pure skill, which she has in spades.
Catwoman’s skintight cat costume features retractable razor-sharp claws in gloves and spring-action steel climbing pitons in boots; wields a variety of bullwhips and cat-o’-nine tails as offensive weapons and gymnastic accoutrements. A consummate professional, she may spend days observing the target for weaknesses before moving in.
With Holly Robinson as the new Catwoman, she has no meta-abilities, however, she has been training to be Catwoman for at least the length of Selina's pregnancy. She received training from both Selina and Ted Grant.
Catwoman in other media
Television Animation
Catwoman has been a major character in almost all of Batman's animated series like of the following:
· Superman/Aquaman Hour, 1960s
· The New Adventures of Batman cartoon, 1970s
· Batman: The Animated Series
· Gotham Girls
· The Batman
Television Batman series, 1966
Catwoman was at various times played by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt in the live-action Batman television series of the 1960s, her first other-media portrayal.
Movies
· Batman Returns, 1992 : Catwoman was played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the movie Batman Returns, as recreated by Daniel Waters and Tim Burton.
· Catwoman, 2004 : Catwoman, a movie starring Halle Berry, was released. This film's Catwoman bore nearly no resemblance to the comic version, other than sharing the name.
Comic Appearance
Photoshoot Appearance
SuperHeroines
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