New Batwoman is a lesbian
 

New Batwoman is a lesbian
Editor: 'We decided to give her a different point of view'

Thursday, June 1, 2006; Posted: 10:25 p.m. EDT (02:25 GMT)

The new Batwoman is "a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family," says a DC Comics editor.
Batwoman comes out of the cave (2:17)

NEW YORK (AP) -- Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet.

DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. The 5-foot-10 superhero comes with flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a form-fitting black outfit.

"We decided to give her a different point of view," explained Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. "We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction." (Watch people on the streets react -- 2:17)

(DC Comics, like CNN, is a division of Time Warner.)

The original Batwoman was started in 1956, and killed off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original alter ego, Kathy Kane. And the new Batwoman arrives with ties to others in the Gotham City world.

"She's a socialite from Gotham high society," DiDio said. "She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya."

Montoya, in the "52" comic book series, is a former police detective. Wayne, of course, is Batman's true identity -- but he has disappeared, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, leaving Gotham a more dangerous place.

The "52" series is a collaboration of four acclaimed writers, with one episode per week for one year. The comics will introduce other diverse characters as the story plays out.

"This is not just about having a gay character," DiDio said. "We're trying for overall diversity in the DC universe. We have strong African-American, Hispanic and Asian characters. We're trying to get a better cross-section of our readership and the world."

The outing of Batwoman created a furor of opinions on Web sites devoted to DC Comics. Opinions ranged from outrage to approval. Others took a more tongue-in-cheek approach to the announcement.

"Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?" asked one poster. "You know, 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss pattern, people with cold sores, etc.?"

DiDio asked that people wait until the new Batwoman's appearance in the series before they pass judgment.

"You know what? Judge us by the story and character we create," he said. "We are confident that we are telling a great story with a strong, complex character."

DiDio spent most of the morning fielding phone calls from media intrigued by the Batwoman reinvention.

"It's kind of weird," he said. "We had a feeling it would attract some attention, but we're a little surprised it did this much."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The new Batwoman is "a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family," says a DC Comics editor.

Could it be that you are obsessed by lesbians?

Why, yes. I think so.

Please, for your sake, stop this pettiness. It only makes you look bad and does nothing to me but amuse. This is the first post I have made with anything to do with lesbianism.
The article was interesting to me because I felt it was a small step in entertainment.

Just when I am over my michelle pfeiffer catwoman crush you tell me that the new batwoman is a lesbian?

Did I miss the PC skew to Batwoman from Batgirl? Man, I miss the 60's.

Not to sound too much un-PC, but it seems to me that having a beautiful and sexy woman who dresses up in tight leather and chooses to beat up guys turn out to be a lesbian isn't too surprising.

Disappointing, yes, but surprising, no.

Different people. Batgirl is Commisioner Gordon's daughter. Batwoman is someone else.

i just cant believe that people would make a fuss over it. its a normal part of society these days. if they made batman gay id be pissed off because it doesnt suit his character. but batwoman as a lesbian is different.
and who knows, maybe w can see batwoman and catwoman have sexual tension

that, and everyone would call him Butman. well, i would

As if she wasn't hot enough already.

I prefer lesbians to look like someone I can say no to.

I know *I* am.

Thank you, my point exactly!

It has always been a normal part of society.
I don't see why it would be out of character for Batman to be gay.

because hes a big tough womaniser