Catwoman

:For the movie, see Catwoman (movie)

Comic Book History

There have been many versions of Catwoman's origins and backstory seen in the comic books over the decades.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Golden and Silver Age versions

In Batman #62, it was revealed that Catwoman (after a blow to the head jogged her memory) was an amnesiac flight attendant who had turned to crime after suffering a prior blow to the head during a plane crash she survived. She wound up reforming and stayed on the straight and narrow for several years, helping out Batman in Batman #65 and #69, until Selina decided to return to a life of crime in Detective Comics #203. Selina appeared again as a criminal in Batman #84 and Detective Comics #211, her final appearance for many years (until 1966).

Related Topics:
Amnesiac - Flight attendant - Detective Comics - 1966

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the 1970s comics, a series of stories taking place on Earth-Two (the parallel Earth that was retroactively declared as the home of DC's Golden Age characters) revealed that on that world, Selina reformed in the 1950s (presumably after the events of Batman #69) and had married Bruce Wayne; soon afterwards, the couple gave birth to their only child, Helena Wayne (the Huntress). In Brave and the Bold #197, the Golden Age origin of Catwoman given in Batman #62 was elaborated on, after Selina revealed she never had amnesia to begin with. It was revealed that Selina Kyle had been the wife of an abusive man, and eventually decided to leave her husband. However, her husband had kept her jewelry in his private vault, and she had to break into it to retrieve the jewelry. Selina enjoyed this experience so much she decided to become a professional costumed cat burglar, and thus began a career that would repeatedly lead to her encountering the Batman.

Related Topics:
1970s - Earth-Two - Golden Age - 1950s - Huntress - Brave and the Bold - Cat burglar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Earth-Two/Golden Age Selena Kyle eventually died in the late 1970s after being blackmailed by a criminal into going into action again as Catwoman (as shown in DC Super-Stars #17).

Related Topics:
1970s - DC Super-Stars

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catwoman's first Silver Age appearance was in Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #70 (November 1966); afterwards, she continued to make appearances across the various Batman comics.

Related Topics:
Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane - November - 1966

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Modern Age version

A revision in Catwoman's origin, and the introduction of the modern version of her, came in 1986 when writer Frank Miller and artist David Mazzucchelli produced ', a revising of Batman?s origin. In the course of the story, the origin of Catwoman was also re-envisioned, as Selina Kyle was reintroduced as a cat-loving prostitute/dominatrix who is inspired to become a costumed cat burglar when she sees Batman in action.

Related Topics:
1986 - Frank Miller - David Mazzucchelli - Prostitute - Dominatrix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This origin was expanded on in the 1989 Catwoman limited series (collected in trade paperback form as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper) by writer Mindy Newell and artist JJ Birch. This series showed how Catwoman?s early career was tinged with tragedy as her former pimp Stan abducts Selina's sister Maggie and violently abuses her. This led Selina to kill Stan, leaving Selina in an unbalanced mental state.

Related Topics:
1989 - Mindy Newell - JJ Birch - Pimp

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Further, Batman:Dark Victory, the sequel to The Long Halloween, implied that Catwoman suspected she was the long lost, illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone, although she says that she found no definitive proof of this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is currently unclear how much of these stories remain canonical to Catwoman?s current origin, as various stories and editor?s statements over the years since then have stated that Selina was never a prostitute and that other events depicted in those stories never happened. However, characters introduced in these stories (such as Selina?s young friend Hollie from Batman:Year One and her sister Maggie from the 1989 miniseries) continue to appear regularly in the Catwoman series, and aspects of those plots are occasionally referenced, including recent issues that show Hollie remembering her days as a prostitute with Catwoman.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1993, following the success of Batman Returns and Selina Kyle?s prominent role in that film, Catwoman was given her first ongoing series. This series, written by an assortment of writers but primarily penciled by Jim Balent, generally depicted the character as an international thief with an ambiguous moral code.

Related Topics:
1993 - Batman Returns - Jim Balent

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Storylines included her adoption of a teenage runaway named Arizona, whom she briefly took on as a sidekick; aiding the criminal Bane, followed by helping Azrael to defeat him; and Selina Kyle as a reluctant government operative. The series also fleshed out more of her origin, revealing her beginnings as an underage thief, her difficult period in juvenile incarceration, and the training she received from superhero Ted (Wildcat) Grant).

Related Topics:
Runaway - Bane - Azrael - Ted (Wildcat) Grant

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the series neared its end, Selina moved to New York and through blackmail, became corporate vice president, then CEO of Randolf Industries, a mafia-influenced company. She intended to use this position to run for mayor. However, her plans were ruined when the supervillain the Trickster inadvertently connected Kyle to her Catwoman alter ego.

Related Topics:
New York - CEO - Mafia - Mayor - The Trickster

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Selina then returned to Gotham, which at this time was in the midst of the No Man's Land storyline. As Catwoman, Kyle assisted Batman against Lex Luthor in the reconstruction of the city. However immediately following that, she was arrested by Commissioner Gordon and put on trial, followed by being sentenced to imprisonment. While in prison she escaped, and under the influence of Dr. Harleen Quinzel (the supervillain Harley Quinn), became mentally unbalanced. It was at this point that the first Catwoman series finished, with issue #92 (May 2001).

Related Topics:
No Man's Land - Lex Luthor - Commissioner Gordon - Harley Quinn - May - 2001

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When later that year during the Officer Down storyline in the Batman titles, Catwoman was initially the chief suspect. Although later cleared, she displayed increasingly erratic behaviour throughout the story. Soon afterwards she disappeared and was thought killed by the assassin Deathstroke the Terminator.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catwoman then appeared in a series of backup stories in Detective Comics #759 to #762. In a backup storyline Trail of the Catwoman by writer Ed Brubaker and artist Darwyn Cooke, the reader followed private detective Slam Bradley's attempts to find out what really happened to Selina Kyle.

Related Topics:
Ed Brubaker - Darwyn Cooke - Slam Bradley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This storyline led in to the newest Catwoman series in late 2001 (written by Brubaker initially with Cooke, later joined by artist Cameron Stewart). In this series, Selina Kyle, joined by new supporting cast members Holly and Slam Bradley (a character from the early Golden Age DC Comics), became protector of the residents of Gotham?s East End, while still carrying out an ambitious career as a cat burglar. This series met with critical and fan acclaim, especially for its first 25 issues.

Related Topics:
Cameron Stewart - Slam Bradley

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the Hush storyline in Batman #608 to #619, Batman and Catwoman briefly worked together and had a short affair, during the course of which Batman revealed his true identity to Selina Kyle, maybe hoping that Selina's love could be something more than a product of the many manipulations in the story-arc.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In susseguent stories, as the story-arc of Justice League Crisis of Conscience, Selina has given some signals that her passion for Batman was all but temporary. She took side with his lover against the Secret Society, serving as an one-time ally for the Justice League of America. Wounded, she was taken in the Batcave, where shared a little talk with his lover about the ongoing events, until Despero came to brainwash Batman and put one side of the League against the other. Catwoman called the help of Batman teammates from the League, then she went away.

Related Topics:
Justice League - Batman - Justice League of America - Despero

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Catwoman so seemed to be completely reformed, and her love for Batman profound and true (although her brash and witty "catlike" personality made her unpredictable even in her sentimental life) but is now unclear if her change of manners was dictated by her vigilantes experiences and her newfound love for Batman, or her passion and reformation was only a collateral effect of the brainwashing that many reformed villains had suffered in the past from Zatanna.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Selina doesn't seem to know anything about it, and declared herself surprised when she knew about the events shown of Identity Crisis, but Batman, when she left the Batcave, considered again, as in the Hush times, the idea that Selina hadn't reformed by her choice (JLA #119).

Related Topics:
Identity Crisis - Batman - JLA

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whenether Selina will become a force for good, and a partner both for Batman and Bruce Wayne, or will return to her previous villainous way, only time would tell... but actually the increasing difficulties in her short-lived heroic carreer, the crescent number of supervillains fighting for the East End, and her inability to copy with the situation, led Selina to rethink again her life. Thus, she returned to consider herself a villain, and even expressed herself about joining the newly restored Secret Society of Super Villains, following the old motto If you can't beat them, join them.

Related Topics:
Batman - Supervillains - Secret Society of Super Villains - Motto

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Only the Batman stands between Selina and her falling from grace (Catwoman, #47).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Earth-B Catwoman

Little is known about Earth-B's Catwoman except that this version commited murder that the Earth-1 and Earth-2 versions would never do.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~