Back in my day, (gads, I sound like a grandfather!) the top five major BATMAN villains were 1. Joker, 2. Penguin, 3. Two-Face, 4. The Riddler, and 5. Catwoman.
While the origins and personalities of the first four villains have remained consistent for DECADES, the CATWOMAN of today had almost no similarity to the Catwoman I grew up with and loved.
I’m talking, of course, about the ORIGINAL Catwoman, that is, Ms. Selina Kyle, she of feline tendencies, and on-and-off again lover of Bruce Wayne himself!
It was this lovers/arch enemies twist that made those stories so interesting, and it was really cool to be aware that the HUNTRESS was the daughter of Earth Two’s Batman and Catwoman!
Back then, the art was usually handled by Dick Giordano or Irv Novick, and I have to say, their depictions of Selina are the ones that all others must be judged!-There was this one particular story I really had a fondness for, where somehow it ended up that Catwoman’s costume was so shredded in their battle with the Cat-Man, she ended up naked in the Batcave! What a treasured moment!
I’m not sure why Selina Kyle’s character was constantly reimagined and reworked, maybe her history of amnesia, her shifting back and forth between a heroine and a villainess was too confusing? Too Boring? I don’ know, but with each update, she seems less and less like the Catwoman from my comics.
But then again, that’s probably true for most of my beloved comic heroes, huh?
Catwoman
Selina Kyle
First appearance : Batman #1 (Spring 1940)
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane
