Comments on: Batwoman is Back — And She’s a Lesbian

By: dizzy spin

dizzy spin — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 06:41:07 +0000

>"The â��Beverly Hillbilliesâ�� and â��Dukes of Hazzardâ�� >movies turned the Clampetts and Dukes into >caricatures."

Right--because the original TV shows were so subtle and nuanced! JeezUS!

Besides, this character is hardly a redesign. Batwoman hasnt really existed for 40 years--and she was a VERY minor character at that. For all intents and purposes, this is a totally new character.

Not to mention the fact that the original Batwoman was just another man-hungry dame who got into the superhero biz to land Batman by hook or by crook. So is being a lesbian worse than being some misognyist punchline?

By: The Four Color Media Monitor

The Four Color Media Monitor — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 17:45:40 +0000

Deconstruction, not innovation...

Outside the Beltway's James Joyner comments on DC's turning Batwoman, Kathy Kane, into a lesbian protagonist, a step that all too obviously has shock value written all over it, and makes some good points that I have to agree with...

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 03 Jun 2006 16:27:05 +0000

Can you imagine the flannel that would be at the opening? Women dressed as lumberjacks and their lipstick feminist lovers. I'd pay good money just to watch the audience show up for the opening of the movie. Besides, I always thought that if we were going to have a gay super hero coming out of Batman, it would have been Robin. He's been a not so closeted, flaming boy toy for years. No wonder Batman makes him ride bi*** in the bat mobile.
I wonder if DC is going adult with this. Iâ??m so two faced. I canâ??t imagine a male gay â??thuper heroâ??, but Iâ??d line up to see bat woman and cat girl wrapped in a â??cat fightâ?? that led to unbridled lusty sex. I just hope the writers at DC are thinking about doing a XXX version!!!

By: Stormy Dragon

Stormy Dragon — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 04:59:13 +0000

I disagree with your complaint about the first Mission Impossible movie. One thing that made Mission Impossible Mission Impossible was that seemingly good guy secondary characters often turned out to be bad guys and vice versa, and that there was usally a big twist near the end. These made the show exciting because you could never be sure if you really knew what was going on until that very last momment.

Having Jim Phelps, literally that last person any fan would expect, turn out to be the bad guy was a brilliant idea.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 19:59:51 +0000

And most gays, even those closeted for decades, admit that they essentially always knew. Well, it's not like she's actually 60 years old. And I'm sure they can construct backstory to explain how she always had those feelings, just kept them to herself. Considering the typically egregious twistings of plot and character in the comics, to get one's Batsuit in a wad over this particular one seems mysterious.

By: Tony

Tony — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 19:49:28 +0000

I wonder who's going to play Batwoman when they eventually make the movie...

By: PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts

PoliBlog: A Rough Draft of my Thoughts — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:58:54 +0000

Batwoman: Out of the Cave Closet...

I saw this story this morning, and wasn’t going to comment on it, despite my long years (in the past) of comic collecting): Batwoman is back as a lesbian.
Mostly I didn’t really care, hence the lack of commenting, despite the fact that t...

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:14:06 +0000

Anderson: That Luke didn't know the guy under the mask was his dad doesn't change the fact that he was. Granting that comic book characters don't age, the idea that a character who's been around 60 years suddenly "discovers" that she's sexually attracted to other women strikes me unlikely. And most gays, even those closeted for decades, admit that they essentially always knew. Indeed, the concept that they "became" gay or "learned" to be gay is anathema to most.

By: Anderson

Anderson — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:10:00 +0000

Not so sure, JJ. One, she's not exactly a major character, so I mind their tampering with her less.

Two, being gay can be a latent quality. The claim could be that she was a lesbian all along & just didn't know/admit it.

In that sense, it's not any more of a change than Luke's finding out that Darth Vader was his father.

By: Richard Gardner

Richard Gardner — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:21:11 +0000

Maybe they were influenced by the 1995 drag queen movie, To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" one of the more strange movie titles. Julie Newmar was the original Catwoman in the Batman TV series. It stars Wesley Snipes and Patrick Swayze in drag. I hate to think where this train of thought is leading.

By: Moe Lane

Moe Lane — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 15:13:18 +0000

Gotta agree with Jon: their target audience is probably going to be just fine with this.

By: Hammer of Truth » Batwoman Comes Out of the Closet

Hammer of Truth » Batwoman Comes Out of the Closet — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 14:51:23 +0000

[...] James Joyner isn’t so happy about the redesign: Conversely, I hate radical redesigns of established characters. For example, I almost invariably dislike movie adaptations of television series because they tend to tarnish the originals. While it was a good action flick, “Mission Impossible’s” turning Jim Phelps into a villain for shock effect was an insult to fans of the series. They even do it with comedies. The “Beverly Hillbillies” and “Dukes of Hazzard” movies turned the Clampetts and Dukes into caricatures. [...]

By: Jon Henke

Jon Henke — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 14:43:29 +0000

I don't know, James. I think this could be the exception. Imagine the movie: "Batwoman: the Seduction of Catwoman", starring, say, Charlize Theron and Halle Berry. That's way better. And besides, whatever purist notions comic book fans may have, I'd guess the hot girl on girl action would overwhelm their objections.

By: yetanotherjohn

yetanotherjohn — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 14:37:57 +0000

And the batdog is really a cat.

By: When Fangirls Attack

When Fangirls Attack — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 18:00:00 +0000

‘Because capes aren’t just for boys’ Introduction A few words about Catwoman, One Year Later Girl-Wonder.org girl-wonder.org Girl Powah Linkage Batwoman Gail Simone's Batgirl PitchBatwoman is Back — And She’s a Lesbian Deconstruction, not innovation So, the new Batwoman is gay. "Of 'Lipstick Lesbian' Batwomen" Dear comicbook blogosphere Alison Bechdel Same old, same old Official Statement on "What A Girl Wants" Controversy