In more ways than was intended. My column in this month's print issue had some production problems, but that doesn't affect you guys, who benefit by being able to read it right away on-line!
And you'll want to do that, so you'll be able to impress your friends with all your useless Silver Age Catwoman trivia when the movie opens July 20th!
-- MSA
Replies
I wonder if they made her late 60s outfit green so it wouldn't resemble Batgirl's.
Catwoman made one appearance between Wonder Woman #202 (O'72) and Batman #266 (Au'75), which may have been the first time I saw her in a "new" comic. Not to mention some that weren't listed.
By the late 70s, Selina Kyle returned to Gotham City, reformed and dating Bruce Wayne, without knowing that he's Batman!
I saw what you did there.
It's hard to come up with an explanation for that green costume. It wasn't to tie her closer to the look people knew on TV, and there aren't a lot of green cats running around. Was it just to make her stand out from all the other dark costumes?
It's pretty bizarre, considering the previous outfit had connections to both her most famous suit and the TV version. I won't even bring up who thought the light-blue one was an improvement on the green. She's changed it a lot over the years, so changing it isn't that unusual, but It shouldn't have been that hard to give her a great looking costume.
That's one advantage to reading the column online: you get to see just what these colors look like. In b&w, that green one doesn't look so bad.
-- MSA
It may not be in the same continuity as the comic-books, but Catwoman was in the 1st story in the revived newspaper strip, which debuted in June 1966. Her costume was straight out of the TV series. (No cape!)
I always had the impression that Catwoman was more of a “dusted off Golden Age” villian, than an on-going Silver Age nemisis…that is, until Batman: Year One came about. Then everything chagned!
That's true. Catwoman as a threat was very hard to do because of the aftereffects of the TV show as was the Penguin, Mister Freeze and, to a lesser extent, the Riddler. The Joker had become a homicidal maniac again to not suffer the same fate. That's why Two-Face, who wasn't on the show and cartoons of the time, appeared much more in the Bronze Age.
The problem was that the Felonious Feline wasn't a killer, didn't want to take over Gotham, didn't want to destroy anything ans didn't even want to harm Batman. She was a thief and with the continuing "upping the ante" as far as menaces go, she wasn't a priority. In fact in Batman #266, given the choice of capturing her or a known killer, he lets her escape.
In the late 70s up to the Crisis, Catwoman is given a new role in Batman's life as ally, partner and lover.
Fun article, as always, Mr. SA.
Please, please, please tell me she named her Kitty Car "Lyle."
Then I could die happy.
I think I just heard the geezer alarm go off.
Andy
Bringing a geezer alarm to the Mr. Silver Age forum would be a waste of batteries.
I don't think the TV show made those villains ineffectual, though, I think they always were and the show just pointed it out. They were big on wacko gimmicks but low on real danger. Especially guys like Penguin, Mad Hatter and Riddler. Much like Flash's rogues, their goal was to rob a bank or two and outwit Batman. When you get right down to it, that's not that threatening to the community.
Batman needed a female criminal, one who he was conflicted about and who made him go all clammy inside. So I liked Catwoman better in that role than as his ally--that's what Batgirl was for. They've done that with her today pretty much, although it's gotten a big more graphic than I'd hope for in Batman and Detective on the spinner rack.
I think I hear the geezer alarm again!
-- MSA
I always thought the batgirl was introduced to balance the Batman-Catwoman, Robin-Batgirl pairings... or am I wrong.
PS: For a GREAT take on the grown up Robin mythos, see the fan made tease video "Grayson" which has been bootlegged around comic cons for years. I scored one the first time is showed up, and I am constantly amazed to see how far, how well, this amatuer production carries off a fictional movie. The costumes are great! The motivations are spot on, the special effects...well, there aren't any, but the camera angles, set-ups and mood lighting are spot on. Go find it!
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