BATMAN GETS A GIRLFRIEND.... ENTER BATWOMAN

During the 1940's both Batman & Robin enjoyed many adventures. Their relationship was seen as a mixture something more than  father - son friendship, more like brothers. However, due to their age differences Bruce was in his early 30's and Dick was aged around a young teen ager, and this was beginning of the 1950's , questions were being asked about WHAT WAS THEIR REAL RELATIONSHIP ?

The Dynamic Duo

The world had changed much  from since the end of the  2nd world war, and the idea of a grown man running around with a teen aged boy at night in tights was raising a few eye brows.

The solution was to give BATMAN a Girl Friend.  In the past Batman had had a kinda girlfriend with reporter Vicky Vale, but due to the secret identify of BATMAN it was difficult to take the relationship any further. As far as the World was concerned BATMAN was a mystery man, whilst Bruce Wayne was a playboy businessman. Both were extreme characters from different worlds.   Bruce had girlfriends, but used this as part of his cover story. None meant anything, and also the Batman  and crime fighting was his passion.  Superman on the other had had Lois Lane, his official Girl Friend. She worked along side   his alter ego Clark Kent, who she also had a friendship with. She considered Clark her best friend and big brother, whilst Kal-el aka Superman was her Boyfriend. Clark - Kal- el had the best of both worlds. he had his family, a girl friend,  a job.... what more could he want.

All Batman had was a lot of money, a job that meant he worked most nights, a teen aged boy as his best friend and Alfred.  (more about Alfred soon)

The  Post war people in general were moving away from unhappy memories of conflict and war.  Films, books and TV had started to move into telling more lighter tales. About family life, Love and Romance.... ie the Soap Opera were big business. Family Life was the where it was at.

So to help cater for this, and to hopefully get Girls to start reading comics a  Girl Friend was conceived for the Dark Knight. A Girl Friend who could interact with Both Bruce and his Batty alter ego. A strong Woman, who did not have to be the victim, but the Victor.

ENTER...... Kathy Kane.


Katherine "Kathy" Kane  had spent her youth as a circus acrobat and daredevil. She would later inherit a lot of money  and became the heiress of a wealthy family fortune.  Retiring from her life in the Circus, she Now resided in Gotham City, and here she did the same circuit as Playboy Bruce Wayne. From their very first meeting  they shared an interest in one another, but Kathy had another man on her mind... The Man of Mystery The BATMAN.   Enamoured with Batman, Kathy Kane decided to become the Bat woman so she could combat crime like he did...... and also she hoped  to entice the Batman at the same time.

THE BAT-WOMAN

Donning  her BAT WOMAN Costume complete with her Shoulder Bag of crime fighting tools.... (All designed to mirror those items carried by Batman in his famous utility belt. However, Bat woman's had a feminine  twist to them,  her charm bracelet converted into handcuffs, her lipstick was explosive, and her powder compact contained sneezing powder )

On first meeting the new BAT-WOMAN , Batman was concerned for her safety and  tried to discourage her so she would give up the cowl and cape. Bat-Woman refused, but  After Batman discovered Kathy was Bat-woman, he finally convinced her that if he could discover her secret identity, so could criminals. Thus risking the lives of her friends and relatives in the process. Reluctantly  Kathy Kane retired for a short time as Bat-woman, diving into her role as a Gotham City socialite, but she missed the thrill of being Bat-woman. She got in costume once again to save Batman, Robin, and Superman during a mission, but this time continued and would not be  dissuaded from continuing  as Bat-woman . However, Kathy grew defiant and proved her skills as a crime fighter and a detective, this eventually started impressing Batman, who reluctantly agreed that she was an asset to him and his war against crime.

Soon Bat Woman got her own teen aged side kick and partner BAT-GIRL ( More about her next time )

Bat woman became the unofficial 3rd member of the team. However this was not always fine with Robin as he tended to feel left out...... and worried that he would be replaced.

Batman and Robin along with Alfred knew Bat-woman was Kathy Kane, but Kathy Kane did not know the identities of the Dynamic  Duo. However, due to the then nature of the Batman comics, imagination stories started to be told. Many written by Bruce Wayne's man servant Alfred, These stories were written as fun, and these usually themed around that Batman & Bat woman had married and started a family. Batman was now part of his own Bat Themed Soap Opera, More about that later soon.

Mr & Mrs BATMAN

Bat woman costume and look remained constant during the 50's and early 1960's . During the 1960's She like a lot of  characters eventually disappeared. However Kathy Kane the originally Bat woman would again step into the spot light again in the 1970's when she shared many more adventures with the then members of the Batman Family.

Her costume was slightly up dated, and with different   artists would change..... but she remained the same as a strong female character up until when she was finally  "Killed Off" after criminals discovered her identify and murdered her to get back at Batman.

Although a new BAT-WOMAN has emerged in recent years, Katherine " Kathy" Kane was the original. More about the NEW BAT-WOMAN soon


Next time Batman goes to the dogs !


ENJOY !