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| Will the Real Nick Fury Please Stand UP !!! |
Best Wishes and ENJOY !
Tuesday 31 December 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014
Wishing all our visitors the best of times in the coming new year
Best Wishes and ENJOY !
Best Wishes and ENJOY !
Wednesday 11 December 2013
The tale of two Bat-women.... Part One
As I previously have written BAT-WOMAN was originally introduced in the 1950's in part to help build on the soap opera - family life and their issues that DC comic reads seemed to enjoy. Also An Older Man and a Young Boy running around in tights was starting to look too GAY for some at DC Comics. Therefore, Bruce Wayne and Batman needed a Girlfriend.
The Original BAT-WOMAN was a wealthy Heiress Kathy Kane, who had once owned a circus. She was designed to be a feminine counterpart for Bruce Wayne and BAT-MAN of that age. They were both wealthy crime fighters, who knew each other in their normal identity, but only Bat-man would discover Bat-Woman was his friend and socialite Kathy Kane. Kathy would romance Bat-man as Bat woman, and also would flirt with Bruce as herself.... never knowing they were the same man.
With the addition of Kathy's niece Betty Kane, who became the first BAT-GIRL, young Robin also ended up with a love interest.
However, in the mid 1960's DC publications revamped Bat-man, and BAT-WOMAN and BAT-GIRL disappeared never to be mentioned again. This is how it stayed until the 1970's when Bat-girl resurfaced as part of the Teen Titans West, and later Bat-woman popped up in a few stories through out DC publications.
However, to make things even more complicated, the early stories of BAT-MAN along with his Bat-man Family that took place prior to the mid sixties shake up became tales of another Bat-man from Earth 2.
The idea that on Earth 2 Bat-man originally started his career in the early 1930's fitting well with the old stories. Many of the characters still existed but had been allowed to age. This gave the DC comic people to have the best of both worlds. The new styled heroes from Earth 1 could continue and the old versions could also continue to exist.
This worked well for a time, but as much as fans loved the new stories, and up dated versions of their heroes, many still loved the old style heroes, who had come from a much gentler time.
The original Bat-woman was now forgotten about, BUT in the 1970's she was reintroduced again into the Earth 1 modern day, were she shared many adventures with the "New" Bat-Girl Barbara Gordon. However her character was finally killed off for real when the league of assassins killed Kathy to get back at BATMAN.
However, the legend of the Bat-woman continued on Earth 2, were an old wiser Kathy Kane had retired from crime fighting and was content to live out her life as a normal citizen. BUT in a story that brought the Modern Batman from Earth 1 to Earth 2 where he encountered the Adult Robin, Kath was tempted to put on her costume for one last time just so that she could meet the younger version of the now deceased Batman of her world.
After Earth two was destroyed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, along with all of the other Earths, All memory of ANY Bat-Woman was erased. However, the Character Katherine Kane would be talked about, she would never ever have become BAT-WOMAN.
However in the 2000's DC was ready for a revamp yet again, this revamp originally called for Bat-Girl Barbara Gordon to return as a caped crusader, in a revamped costume with a new name..... BAT-WOMAN. As her character had been crippled many years before by the Joker in the Classic Tale...The Killing Joke, writers devised various ways she could now walk. Rumours of Barbara Gordon walking again did not go down very well with soon fans and some of the writers.
For many years Barbara had become a successful Wheel chaired crime fighter called Oracle, and as DC felt that loosing their only disabled character would not be the correct thing to do.
So Barbara was left alone, but the idea of a NEW Bat-woman was continued with, this would be a brand new character, who had an old established name...... Katherine Kane, or Kate to her friends.
Next time the many changes that lay ahead for the new BAT-WOMAN.
Until then ENJOY !
The Original BAT-WOMAN was a wealthy Heiress Kathy Kane, who had once owned a circus. She was designed to be a feminine counterpart for Bruce Wayne and BAT-MAN of that age. They were both wealthy crime fighters, who knew each other in their normal identity, but only Bat-man would discover Bat-Woman was his friend and socialite Kathy Kane. Kathy would romance Bat-man as Bat woman, and also would flirt with Bruce as herself.... never knowing they were the same man.
With the addition of Kathy's niece Betty Kane, who became the first BAT-GIRL, young Robin also ended up with a love interest.
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| THE ORIGINAL BAT-MAN FAMILY MEMBERS |
However, in the mid 1960's DC publications revamped Bat-man, and BAT-WOMAN and BAT-GIRL disappeared never to be mentioned again. This is how it stayed until the 1970's when Bat-girl resurfaced as part of the Teen Titans West, and later Bat-woman popped up in a few stories through out DC publications.
 |
| The Original BAT-WOMAN |
However, to make things even more complicated, the early stories of BAT-MAN along with his Bat-man Family that took place prior to the mid sixties shake up became tales of another Bat-man from Earth 2.
The idea that on Earth 2 Bat-man originally started his career in the early 1930's fitting well with the old stories. Many of the characters still existed but had been allowed to age. This gave the DC comic people to have the best of both worlds. The new styled heroes from Earth 1 could continue and the old versions could also continue to exist.
This worked well for a time, but as much as fans loved the new stories, and up dated versions of their heroes, many still loved the old style heroes, who had come from a much gentler time.
The original Bat-woman was now forgotten about, BUT in the 1970's she was reintroduced again into the Earth 1 modern day, were she shared many adventures with the "New" Bat-Girl Barbara Gordon. However her character was finally killed off for real when the league of assassins killed Kathy to get back at BATMAN.
However, the legend of the Bat-woman continued on Earth 2, were an old wiser Kathy Kane had retired from crime fighting and was content to live out her life as a normal citizen. BUT in a story that brought the Modern Batman from Earth 1 to Earth 2 where he encountered the Adult Robin, Kath was tempted to put on her costume for one last time just so that she could meet the younger version of the now deceased Batman of her world.
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| Together again for the First and Last Time |
After Earth two was destroyed in the Crisis on Infinite Earths, along with all of the other Earths, All memory of ANY Bat-Woman was erased. However, the Character Katherine Kane would be talked about, she would never ever have become BAT-WOMAN.
However in the 2000's DC was ready for a revamp yet again, this revamp originally called for Bat-Girl Barbara Gordon to return as a caped crusader, in a revamped costume with a new name..... BAT-WOMAN. As her character had been crippled many years before by the Joker in the Classic Tale...The Killing Joke, writers devised various ways she could now walk. Rumours of Barbara Gordon walking again did not go down very well with soon fans and some of the writers.
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| BARBARA GORDON BAT-GIRL NO MORE |
For many years Barbara had become a successful Wheel chaired crime fighter called Oracle, and as DC felt that loosing their only disabled character would not be the correct thing to do.
 |
| BARBARA GORDON SHOWS THAT AS ORACLE SHE CAN STILL HELP FIGHT CRIME. |
So Barbara was left alone, but the idea of a NEW Bat-woman was continued with, this would be a brand new character, who had an old established name...... Katherine Kane, or Kate to her friends.
Next time the many changes that lay ahead for the new BAT-WOMAN.
Until then ENJOY !
Monday 2 December 2013
ROBIN no More ! Enter NIGHTWING Much More than a BOY WONDER.
In 1984 Dick Grayson relationship with his mentor and partner Bat-Man was starting to breakdown. As Robin, Dick had shown that he was more than the young sidekick of Bat-man. He had lead the Teen Titans for many years, and had teamed up with many of the Adult super heroes on his own. However, Bruce Wayne, aka BAT-MAN tended to always take the lead in their relationship, and at times this left Robin feeling under valued. It had always been Bat-Man & Robin, with the "& ROBIN" part was starting to take its toll on Dick.
Bruce was proud of his "son" Dick, but like a lot of parents found it hard to give the praise and encouragement he should have.
Although the dynamic duo had been around for years (decades), in comic terms and years Robin was still a 18 year old kid in Bat-man's eyes, and still was not ready to go it alone. After many arguments Bruce finally told Dick that if he was not happy with the set up he should leave the Bat Cave and the partnership. Which he did.
Robin announced to his Teen Titan Team mates that he was no longer going to be Robin, and whilst he decided where his next direction was to take him, he continued aided the Titans as himself. He told them he thought he had outgrown Robin, and The Bat-man ! He took of his Robin costume for the last time, much to the delight of many of the female Titans !
However, when the Titans battled with Deathstoke the Terminator Dick aided the Teen Titans not as Robin but at NIGHTWING.
Over the years Dick had become close to Superman via his various team ups with Bat-man. During one of this team ups Superman had told Robin about two Kryptonian heroes of legend Nightwing & Flame Bird, who had been Krypton's own version of BAT-MAN & ROBIN. Taking this idea on board help Dick create his new identity.
Dick's first Nightwing costume was very 1980's in design. Very fussy and so on.
By the 1990's the costume had changed.
and entering the 2000's the Nightwing suit and look was finally sorted.
Bruce and Dick's relationship did heal in time, and finally Bat-man allowed Nightwing more freedom when they acted and fought together.
Although Dick Grayson was the original Robin, he was not the last to put on the costume or adopt the name. But tales of the other "Robin's" will have to wait for another time.
This is not the end of the Dick Grayson tale, he would go on to replace Bruce as Bat-man, but that tale is for another time, as is the person who would became HIS Robin.
After Bruce Wayne came back from the dead, Dick took up his old identity as Nightwing yet again. This is how Nightwing remained up until the Big Changes that came with 52 !!!
Next time the final person of MY Bat-man Family ....
Until then ENJOY !
Bruce was proud of his "son" Dick, but like a lot of parents found it hard to give the praise and encouragement he should have.
Although the dynamic duo had been around for years (decades), in comic terms and years Robin was still a 18 year old kid in Bat-man's eyes, and still was not ready to go it alone. After many arguments Bruce finally told Dick that if he was not happy with the set up he should leave the Bat Cave and the partnership. Which he did.
Robin announced to his Teen Titan Team mates that he was no longer going to be Robin, and whilst he decided where his next direction was to take him, he continued aided the Titans as himself. He told them he thought he had outgrown Robin, and The Bat-man ! He took of his Robin costume for the last time, much to the delight of many of the female Titans !
 |
| ROBIN NO MORE ! |
However, when the Titans battled with Deathstoke the Terminator Dick aided the Teen Titans not as Robin but at NIGHTWING.
Over the years Dick had become close to Superman via his various team ups with Bat-man. During one of this team ups Superman had told Robin about two Kryptonian heroes of legend Nightwing & Flame Bird, who had been Krypton's own version of BAT-MAN & ROBIN. Taking this idea on board help Dick create his new identity.
Dick's first Nightwing costume was very 1980's in design. Very fussy and so on.
 |
| NIGHTWING |
By the 1990's the costume had changed.
 |
| NIGHTWING Mark II |
and entering the 2000's the Nightwing suit and look was finally sorted.
 |
| NIGHTWING Mark III |
Bruce and Dick's relationship did heal in time, and finally Bat-man allowed Nightwing more freedom when they acted and fought together.
Although Dick Grayson was the original Robin, he was not the last to put on the costume or adopt the name. But tales of the other "Robin's" will have to wait for another time.
This is not the end of the Dick Grayson tale, he would go on to replace Bruce as Bat-man, but that tale is for another time, as is the person who would became HIS Robin.
 |
| Dick Grayson is BAT-MAN |
After Bruce Wayne came back from the dead, Dick took up his old identity as Nightwing yet again. This is how Nightwing remained up until the Big Changes that came with 52 !!!
 |
| NIGHTWING Mark IV |
Next time the final person of MY Bat-man Family ....
Until then ENJOY !
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