Batwoman Comes Out!

Gotham Citys sexiest socialite knows more than how to throw a party. Kathy Kane also knows a bit about throwing punchesand she introduces herself to comic book readers by striking her ex-girlfriend right across the jaw. In various incarnations, Batwomen have had a long history in Batman comics, starting in 1956 when Kathy Kane first appeared. But this new version of Kane shares only a name with her predecessors. The campy heroine who once carried a utility purse while clad in a full-body yellow one-piece now sports a new, dark costume, and shes got an attitude to match. Batwoman will be the highest profile gay superhero to ever grace the pages of DC Comics. Batwoman reemerges from obscurity in the pages of 52, the real-time weekly limited series chronicling a year in which the big threeBatman, Superman, and Wonder Womanhave all mysteriously vanished from Gotham City. In Batmans absence, a major crime organization called Intergang moves into town only to find a new Bat already roosting. After weeks of teasing and taunting appearances, Kane will have her first full appearance as the costumed Batwoman in the upcoming 52 issue #11. She wont be fighting crime alone: Kane and her ex, Renee Montoya, a former policewoman, will regularly cross paths fighting Intergang. This doesnt stop Kane from pushing Montoyas buttons, even showing off her new doctor girlfriend in an upcoming issue. [Kathy Kane is] a very successful woman, very self-assured, says Dan DiDio, the senior vice president and executive editor of DC Comics. What we wanted to do was build from that core and create a new character that was much more attuned with todays society. The fact that Batwoman is gay is not a key factorits [just] who she is. DC introduces Batwoman amid an assortment of new characters aimed at diversifying the once homogenous DC universe, including several updated Hispanic, African-American, and Asian characters. As to this Batwomans past, Kane keeps her secrets well, leaving us to imagine what would inspire a wealthy lesbian to become a spandex-wearing crimefighter. In the hopes of revealing the unknown, DC promises Batwoman will be punching out exs and enemies alike for a long time to come.