Batwoman Named in New York Times (New DC Comics Heroine "a Buxom Lipstick Lesbian")

Newsarama ^ | 05/28/2006 | Matt Brady

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Hinted and teased about for months, Sunday’s New York Times (already being delivered in the New York area) confirms that DC is brining back a staple of its Silver Age: Batwoman.

The article, entitled "Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it," is a full- page feature on page 25 of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section on Marvel and DC’s emphasis on increasing the diversity of their respective character libraries over the past months to year-plus. NYT writer George Gene Gustines covers, among others, the attention being placed on the upcoming Black Panther/Storm wedding at Marvel and Luke Cage's key role in New Avengers, and the new Blue Beetle - a Hispanic teen - as well as Batwoman, Kathy Kane, who, according to the article: “…is a wealthy (socialite), buxom lipstick lesbian who has a history with Renee Montoya, an ex-police detective who has a starring role in 52."

According to the article, Batwoman will "appear in costume for the first time in a July issue of 52"

Eagle-eyed DC fans caught a first look at Batwoman in Infinite Crisis #7’s splash page showing a swath of new characters – wearing a costume apparently inspired by the original, Silver Age Batwoman, as well as a nod to the color scheme of Batman Beyond. According to the NYT, the costume was designed by Alex Ross. Of course, her name, an obvious homage to the Silver Age “Kathy Kane”.

Also mentioned is “the Great Ten”, a Chinese-government controlled/sponsored superhero team making their debut next month in 52. According to the article, the team includes, "the Celestial Archer, with ties to Chinese mythology; Mother of Champions, who can give birth to a litter of 25 super-soldiers about every three days; and Seven Deadly Brothers, a martial arts expert who can divide into many."

The Times piece recaps the sometimes bumpy roads comic books have taken towards diversity - including DC's 1998 series The New Guardians, the mid-90's Milestone imprint, and 2000's "Planet DC" initiative - but according to Gustines, this new emphasis/push is intended to be a "sustained one,” taking place in an alternate world that nevertheless reflects American society in general and comics readers in particular, in much the same way that they multicultural casts of televisions shows like ABC's Lost and Grey's Anatomy mirror their audiences."

"I'm glad we're at the point when they're being rolled out without flourish - not 'Minority Heroes Attack!,' " DC writer Judd Winick tells Gustines. "It's important to see them as characters and not a story line about race."

The piece is also not without some examination of the online comic book community and their reaction to change. Citing the death of the Ted Kord Blue Beetle, which paved the way for the new Mexican-American Jaime Reyes version, Gustine writes, "Fans of the old Blue Beetle posted online messages decrying his death and griping about DC's new, generally more somber direction. But comics devotees are notorious for buying titles out of loyalty, whether from completist compulsion or from a need to be able to complain about what they don't like, and DC knows it".

"It's hard to introduce any new hero," DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio tells Gustines, adding that using familiar names like (like Blue Beetle and Batwoman), "gives us a leg up so they're more readily accepted, I think that's the way to go."

Look for a link to the Times piece when it appears online, and an interview with DiDio on the new Batwoman and DC's drive to diversity Sunday, here at Newsarama.com.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Ping

[Mikey_1962]

Bummer, I had several prepubescent fantacies about her...

[mewzilla]

Shouldn't that be Batperson?

[dynachrome]

Sounds more like "Moonbatwoman"

[martin_fierro]

This thread is ghey.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

[Vision Thing]

Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it

And if a Muslim was also included, just imagine the big o that the NYT's gayboy writer would've had.

[who knows what evil?]

The man behind many of the recent DC character 'overhauls' came to the company from a Hollywood background. Explains everything. I used to wonder why so many southern comic collectors shunned today's comics in favor of the Silver Age books. No wonder. The secular humanist agenda has now taken ahold of comics. Geez...

[who knows what evil?]

At least BATGIRL (Barbara Gordon) still likes guys...

[new cruelty]

Batwoman Named in New York Times (New DC Comics Heroine "a Buxom Lipstick Lesbian")... "Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it,"...

Sheesh.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"It's okay, Batgirl... sometimes, Robin and I both like to accessorize, too..." :)

[LongElegantLegs]

Is it just me, or does she look almost scarily like Vince Vaughn?

[SIDENET]

I'm probably going to have nightmares about that.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

"That's a man, man!"

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Ping! :)

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

:)

[mewzilla]

ROTF!! Sigh. They don't make 'em like they used to.

[mikrofon]

THIS is Moonbatwoman...

[Jack Deth]

a history with Renee Montoya, an ex-police detective who has a starring role in 52."


I miss Detctive Renee Montoya being teamed up with Harvey Bullock.


I also think the New Batgirl, Cassandra Cain; can kick Batwoman's butt into the next Time Zone without breaking a sweat!


Jack.

[SampleMan]

Want to make a fortune? Publish underground comics for boys. They will include manly violence, patriotism, and guidelines for how to "flush your Ritalin" and hide the comics from liberal school teachers.

Talk about an underground, anti-establishment hit!

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

You've seen this one, right...? :)

[Starter]

"The Times piece recaps the sometimes bumpy roads comic books have taken towards diversity - including DC's 1998 series The New Guardians, "

(snip)

Hey New York Times? Let me let you in on a little secret. "The New Guardians" (which was from 1988, BTW) was a horrible trainwreck of a series that most comic book fans consider to be slightly less noteworthy than stuff like "NFL Superpro." If you're going to cite something with homosexual superheroes in it, cite "Watchmen" or "Astro City", rather than a series that had 3 out of eight members of the team infected with the AIDS virus before the end of the first issue. (shakes head)

[DBeers]

Homosexual Agenda Ping!

If you oppose the homosexualization of society
-add yourself to the ping list!

To be included in or removed from the
HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA PING LIST,
please FReepMail either DBeers or DirtyHarryY2k.

Free Republic homosexual agenda keyword search [ Add keyword = homosexualagenda to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

The article, entitled "Straight (and Not) Out of the Comics: At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic. Get used to it," is a full- page feature on page 25 of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section on Marvel and DC’s emphasis on increasing the diversity of their respective character libraries over the past months to year-plus

Well, if they want to increase diversity then get some new super gender questioning characters created than can change gender and orientation with a wink or click of ruby red slippers RATHER than attempting to change established normally "oriented" and normally "gendered" characters...

P.S. Where is the "Ex-Gay" super hero -arch nemesis of the GLSEN disordered underage sex advocacy ring?

[DBeers]

;-)

[dynachrome]

"THIS is Moonbatwoman..."

Geez, now I wll have nightmares

[Rodney King]

P.S. Where is the "Ex-Gay" super hero

I always thought Aquaman was kinda gay. Maybe we can bring him back around. Or that little guy Adam, really little guys are often gay, like Gary Coleman.

[Das Outsider]

[gidget7]

Awesome idea!!

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Who cares about Batwoman? Especially when Batman has Wonder Woman? :P

And let's not forget Linda Carter...

Just for those who like to drool.

[little jeremiah]

Want to make a fortune? Publish underground comics for boys. They will include manly violence, patriotism, and guidelines for how to "flush your Ritalin" and hide the comics from liberal school teachers.

Needs repeating!

[Slings and Arrows]

---

[BlessedBeGod]

..."Batwoman, Kathy Kane, who, according to the article: “…is a wealthy (socialite), buxom lipstick lesbian who has a history with Renee Montoya, an ex-police detective who has a starring role in 52."

Gee, that's going to do wonders for sales. Who's going to want to buy that?

[L.N. Smithee]

Want to make a fortune? Publish underground comics for boys. They will include manly violence, patriotism, and guidelines for how to "flush your Ritalin" and hide the comics from liberal school teachers.

John Kerry would be against that. Remember what he said about "fighting man" comic books.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

DC killed Ted Kord? Just damn! And the New Guardians was from 1988, not 1998. What a crappy series!

Glad I'm sticking to Silver Age, Bronze Age and Dan DeCarlo these days.

[L.N. Smithee]

"The New Guardians" (which was from 1988, BTW) was a horrible trainwreck of a series that most comic book fans consider to be slightly less noteworthy than stuff like "NFL Superpro."

Whoa. That almost sounds like as bad an idea as Super Globetrotters.

If you're going to cite something with homosexual superheroes in it, cite "Watchmen" or "Astro City", rather than a series that had 3 out of eight members of the team infected with the AIDS virus before the end of the first issue. (shakes head)

That actually happened? Holy cow. I know it's make-believe, but how could you possibly be a superhero while maintaining that pill regimen?

[Rastus]

Batgirldickery

[Rastus]

I read the first issue of 52, and I think there was a Muslim. I know little about the DC Universe, so I don't know who the superpowered guy was--I think he was a Middle Easterner--but he saw a Muslim suicide bomber in a crowd of people, so he pulled him up into the air by one arm (which ripped his arm off) and threw him high enough to explode away from the crowd. That was kind of cool.

[Lindykim]

This depiction of Batwoman actually looks like a fantasized version of a young, muscular male wearing lipstick and big hair. It's truly a polymorphous transgender creature.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

I read the first issue of 52, and I think there was a Muslim. I know little about the DC Universe, so I don't know who the superpowered guy was--I think he was a Middle Easterner--but he saw a Muslim suicide bomber in a crowd of people, so he pulled him up into the air by one arm (which ripped his arm off) and threw him high enough to explode away from the crowd. That was kind of cool.

I think maybe you're referring to this guy, directly below... yes?

If so: that's Black Adam, a sort of muddled hero/villain-type character; Egyptian, not Muslim. :)

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Good Lord, I actually remember that cartoon. oo

[DBeers]

I always thought Aquaman was kinda gay. Maybe we can bring him back around. Or that little guy Adam, really little guys are often gay, like Gary Coleman.

How about Rectal Microbicide Man -a member of the Powder Puff Boys...

[DBeers]

This depiction of Batwoman actually looks like a fantasized version of a young, muscular male wearing lipstick and big hair. It's truly a polymorphous transgender creature.

Now that I look closely -it would appear to be so...

[YourAdHere]

And let's not forget BatBoy, mascot of the Weekly World News.

[grey_whiskers]

If I want titillation in cartoons, I prefer Tex Avery...

Cheers!

[Rastus]

That's the one! I wasn't familiar with him.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

At DC and Marvel Comics, new heroes are gay, black, Asian and Hispanic.

And presumably Muslim;

Intifada Man: Suppressor of Truth, Justice and the American way!

[after dark]

This is a lame incarnation of cat woman ,and it will not last long.