Why Catwoman Embodies More Than A Comic Character
My Top Three Picks for Catwoman
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The alter ego of Selina Kyle keeps reinventing herself and for good reason, the sultry feline is both a villain and a superhero whose iconic feminist persona continues to mystify fans that question whether she exemplifies good or evil.
Maybe the Cat Lady has a way of doing things that often get misconstrued during her quest to do good, whatever the case may be, the fans love her in all her bad-kitty galore — including her love/hate fiesta with the cape crusader, Batman.
While Catwoman’s complex relationship with the Bat continues to be dramatic, keep in mind cats revel in doing their own thing. And while Selina Kyle briefly toyed with the concept of settling down with Bruce Wayne, the thought of being captive to the idioms of a traditional relationship force her to choose a lifestyle of unpredictable leisure rather than love.
Since her 1940 comic appearance in Batman #1 many women have depicted the infamous lady in black — starting with Julie Newmar, the first Catwoman depicted in the 1966 Batman series.
Miss Newmar’s introduction to the Catwalk spiked interest in the DC Comic character and from there the role has been slayed by many including Eartha Kitt, the first Black Catwoman.
Miss Kitt joined the television series in its 3rd and final season — lending her unique style, and Queen of Cat Burglar attitude, for a memorable performance raising the bar and breaking glass ceilings for women of color.
Miss Kitt for obvious reasons makes rank as my top three Catwomen of all times.
But it wasn’t until the rebirth of Selina Kyle’s 1992 Batman Returns character by Michelle Pfeiffer that surpassed expectations of the cat herself. The strange but thought-provoking transition of Selina Kyle to Catwoman was jaw dropping.
The rebirth of Catwoman starts with Selina being pushed from a window by her boss, Max Shreck (Christopher Walken), who punishes her for stumbling across illicit company affairs from his business. As Selina lay…
