Black Orchid

Black Orchid is the name of three superheroines published by DC Comics. The first version of the character first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 (July 1973).

Although she has a number of superpowers —she can fly and is super-strong and bulletproof- her main ability is a mastery of disguise. She often spends an entire investigation impersonating an insignificant background female, such as a maid, a secretary, someone's girlfriend, and the other characters only discover her involvement at the end of the story upon finding the abandoned disguise with her calling card, a black orchid.

After appearing in Adventure Comics #'s 428–430, she next appeared as a backup feature in The Phantom Stranger #'s 31–41 (1974–1976), after which the character appeared only sporadically, such as an occasional cameo in comic books as diverse as the Crisis on Infinite Earths 12-issue limited series and Blue Devil Annual #1 (both 1985). She also appeared in Suicide Squad as a member of the team in issues #4, 7, 11, 12, 19, and 22 (1987–1988).

In 1988, the character was relaunched in a three-part limited series called Black Orchid which was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean. The miniseries fleshed out the character considerably, providing an origin story which explained how and why she became known as Black Orchid. It also gave the character a civilian name in her origin sequence, Susan Linden-Thorne. She was given ties to the characters Swamp Thing, Floronic Man, and Poison Ivy.

The original Black Orchid is killed in this miniseries, and a new one which is a "sister" of sorts to the original is introduced. She goes under the alias of Flora Black to meet with Sherilyn Sommers, her closest friend.

An ongoing Black Orchid series, published under the Vertigo imprint, featuring the new Black Orchid, ran from 1993 to 1995. The second version of the character used pheromone manipulation as mind control to became a femme fatale, breaking and marrying millionaire Elliot Weems to claim his fortune and company business as her own. She then became the series' major villain in the closing story arc. She perished in the final issue. Her companion, a child version of Black Orchid heretofore nicknamed "Suzy", had matured over the course of the series, taking up the mantle of the Black Orchid as a young adult.

The grown-up Suzy is identical to her "sister" and carries on the tradition in both the DC Universe and related Vertigo titles. She has appeared in four event titles: 1999's Totems graphic novel, 2001's Justice Leagues miniseries, 2005's Day of Vengeance miniseries, and 2006's Infinite Crisis miniseries. She is at present an ally of the Shadowpact.

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Black Canary

Black Canary is a fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Carmine Infantino, the character first appeared in Flash Comics #86 (August 1947).

Black Canary is noted for her "Canary Cry" – a high powered, ultrasonic scream with the ability to shatter objects and incapacitate villains. However, depending on the era, the Canary obtained the talent in a different manner. Black Canary's regular occupation is that of a self-employed florist, and is best known for her trademark fishnet stockings.

Black Canary is among the first generation of superheroes and a founding member of its all-star group the Justice Society of America.

The 1986 maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths reset the history of the DC Universe and split the character into two entities: Dinah Drake Lance, who took part in Golden Age adventures and married Gotham City detective Larry Lance, and their daughter Dinah Laurel Lance, who appeared in the modern stories.

Dinah Laurel Lance grew up idolizing her mother's superhero friends and (initially against mother's wishes) took up her mother’s crime-fighting mantle at age 19. She joins the Justice League soon after its formation. Dinah Laurel conducts espionage, counter-terrorism, and rescue missions with a group of female vigilantes, and is also a longtime partner/romantic interest of Green Arrow Oliver Queen.

Dinah Lance appears briefly in the television adaptations of Birds of Prey, and the Black Canary appears in a number of episodes of Justice League.

The combination of the Black Canary's courage, fearlessness, and fighting prowess, with her sex appeal (accentuated by the fishnet stockings), has resulted in her also being referred to as "The Blonde Bombshell".

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Black Alice

Black Alice is a DC Comics character introduced in Birds of Prey #76 (January 2005). She is a magically powered anti-hero who uses her powers to prey on drug dealers in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio.

Lori Zechlin was a goth teen who lived with her father and her mother, a drug addict. Neither Lori nor her father (identified as John) suspected Mrs. Zechlin's addiction because she abused stolen prescription pharmaceuticals supplied by local drug dealers.

One day, overwhelmed by shame, Mrs. Zechlin put on her best dress, took an overdose of drugs, and drowned herself in the pool. Lori discovered the body when she came home from school. Lori discovered later that same night that she had a metahuman ability – she could "borrow" the magical powers of other superheroes or supervillains. Although she could not use the powers as well as their owners, and had little control over when she could take them or how long she could use them, Lori (taking the name Black Alice) formulated a plan to avenge her mother's death and punish the prescription drug traffickers whom she saw as above the law.

Lori's father, shattered and slipping into depression, became a recluse. He tried to pretend for Lori's sake that nothing was wrong. Her mother's death also distressed Lori, but she was aware of the change in her father and assigned herself the role of caregiver. Her grades started to slip, and she became alienated from her peers. Her primary social group, a Wiccan circle, expelled her because she was emitting "black energy" after her mother's death (in actuality, the circle's leader – her best friend, Dawn – was jealous of Lori's real and growing powers).

Having recently left Gotham City following the destruction of their clock tower headquarters, the Birds of Prey were traveling the country by jet in order to identify and help previously unknown metahumans. Oracle had become aware of Lori's power, but not her specific abilities. She sent Huntress, disguised as a school teacher, to keep an eye on Lori and offer counseling, while Black Canary was tasked with keeping surveillance on all of Lori's activities. The goal was to determine the specific nature and strength of Lori's powers.

While Black Canary watched, Lori abruptly left her boyfriend, Kyle, when Doctor Fate's power manifested. She decided to use it before its subsidence, and sought out a trio of suspected drug dealers. When Lori seemed intent to use lethal force, Black Canary intervened to save the lives of the three men. Doctor Fate's power faded, and Lori fled the scene, tailed by Black Canary. Suddenly manifesting Zatanna's powers, Lori waylaid Canary and escaped.

Black Canary and Huntress united to tail Kyle in the hopes of rediscovering Lori, and instead found that Kyle was two-timing Lori with Dawn. Lori discovered the same thing shortly afterwards and prepared to destroy a shopping mall (having now manifested the powers of Black Adam) in her efforts to avenge herself on Kyle. Black Canary was able to bring her down in an all-out brawl, but it was Huntress who brought a stop to Lori's rampage by presenting a contrite Dawn.

Oracle turned Lori over to the care of the real Doctor Fate, where she would receive guidance in the use of her powers.

But soon after, Dr.Fate died........

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Big Barda

Big Barda is a fictional DC Comics superheroine created by Jack Kirby, originally for The Fourth World series of titles.

She is the wife of superhero Mister Miracle. The two escaped from the planet Apokolips to Earth in order to find a peaceful life together.

In a reversal of the stereotyped female character then common at that time of her creation, Barda is physically more powerful than her husband and is more than willing to use that power in battle. For instance, Barda was originally the leader of a ferocious pack of female warriors called the Female Furies. As such, she possesses the great strength and endurance befitting a warrior for Darkseid. Although she came to share her husband's values of peace and justice, fighting is still her preferred response in the face of evil. She is very protective of Scott Free.

Big Barda is one of the tallest heroines in the DC comics universe, towering over the power house Wonder Woman and other heroes, both male and female, at 7-feet tall (among female DC heroes, she is equalled in height only by Grace Choi of the Outsiders, and surpassed in height only by heroines such as Elasti-Girl who are capable of changing their size).

A similar-looking character named Little Barda appears in the 21st issue of the 52 series as a member of the Teen Titans, although she leaves the group in that same issue; a picture of her with former members of the Titans has also been seen in the One Year Later storyline. Any relationship with Big Barda is unknown at this time. She is also rumoured to be joining the Birds of Prey in the coming months; she makes an appearance along with Manhunter in Birds of Prey #100.

Jack Kirby reportedly based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan as she appeared in an issue of Playboy.

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comic books

The Huntress

The Huntress by Ed Benes

The Huntress is a character in the DC Universe. There are several versions of the Huntress, this is about Helena Rosa Bertinelli, who was for a time one of the versions of Batgirl and currently is a member of the Birds of Prey.

In the 1989 Huntress limited series, Helena Rosa Bertinelli, who was born into one of Gotham City's most prominent Mafia families, is a withdrawn girl. At the age of six, she was kidnapped and raped by an agent of another Gotham crime family. Her parents, Guido and Carmela, send her to boarding school and assigned a bodyguard for her protection. Helena hides her fear and shame until the age of 19. After she witnesses the mob-ordered murder of her entire family at a wedding, she crusades to put an end to the crime families. She travels, accompanied and trained by her bodyguard Sal, before returning to Gotham to make her debut as the Huntress. This origin story is heavily revised in the 2000 limited series Huntress: Cry for Blood.

Batman rarely accepts the Huntress, believing her to be too unpredictable and violent. Others in the Batman family feel differently; for instance, Tim Drake has a good relationship with her. Early in his career, he worked with the female vigilante, and later clears her name in a murder case. Batman sponsors Huntress' membership in the Justice League, and for some time, Huntress is a respected member of the League. Under the guidance of heroes such as Superman, Helena grows in confidence but is forced to resign after Batman stops her from killing the villain Prometheus.

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D.C. Comics: Bernadeth

Bernadeth is a New God of Apokolips in the DC Comics universe. Leader of Granny Goodness' personal warriors,the Female Furies,Bernadeth is a treacherous hag, wielding her "fahren-knife" that burns her victims from the inside.She is often regarded as Granny's right-hand, and is the most intelligent of the Furies

As the sister of Darkseid's servant, Desaad, Bernadeth is both notorious and feared by the masses of Apokolips. One of the first Furies to be recruited, Bernadeth hated being led by others. So when Big Barda left for Earth to be with Mister Miracle, Bernadeth saw this as a way to gain leadership herself.Darkseid however,rewarded Lashina with leadership of the Furies. During the mission to retrieve Glorious Godfrey, Bernadeth betrayed Lashina and left her on Earth. Because of this, Bernadeth was able to achieve leadership over the Furies. When Lashina returned to Apokolips with Suicide Squad, she snapped Bernadeth's neck after a long and fierce battle. Darkseid was appalled by the fact that Lashina brought outsiders to Apokolips, so he killed her and resurrected Bernadeth.

After Lashina was brought back to life, Bernadeth agreed to share the leadership. Bernadeth often avoids physical battles, but if necessary, she can go all out and fight with the best. In the past, she has battled Superman, Sovereign Seven, Supergirl, and Young Justice, to name a few. She was most recently seen as a warped prostitute in Granny Goodness' brothel.

dc comics

Elaine Belloc

Elaine Belloc is a principal character in the DC/Vertigo Comics series Lucifer created by Mike Carey, based on characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg in the comic The Sandman.
Elaine was created by Carey specifically for the Lucifer series, and her character is that of a young girl with special powers who encounters Lucifer and takes part in the adventures and battles surrounding him.

comic books

Captain Colbert. Stephen Colbert to Replace Steve Rogers as Captain America. funny satire story

TheSpoof.com : Captain Colbert. Stephen Colbert to Replace Steve Rogers as Captain America. funny satire story:

"Cap has fallen. Hard. Who better to pick up the shield, the mantle, the passion, the AMERICA... than Steven Colbert.

Stephen Colbert has been presented with Captain America's shield, and with it, the hopes of a nation. Will we see Colbert fighting the Red Skull? Yes, according to the man himself.

'I am so ready to kick ass for America.' Said Colbert 'While I have often hidden behind the shield of comedy, I can now proudly, subversively, fight injustice from behind a shield of solid Vibranium.'

When asked if he will wear the costume and the mask, Colbert replied, 'Why? When I can fight so much injustice with my beauty. This is the face that could sink a thousand enemy ships.' "

BTW, Tom Taylor wrote the above article and was kind enough to let me know. I though that would go through when I posted the Hyperlink in the title, but evidently it didn't.
Anyway, the above article is by Tom Taylor and I loved it!
Please Tom, feel free to comment anytime!

captain america

Captain America's death is a post-9/11 metaphor

Captain America's death is a post-9/11 metaphor
3/13/2007 9:00:41 AM
LEONARD PITTS JR.
When your time comes to die, pray the Maker grants you a Marvel Comics death. Because death in the comic book universe, unlike death in the real world, has a way of being only temporary.

Spider-Man's Aunt May died, but it turned out she was being held hostage and the dead woman was an imposter.

The Vision died, but his operating system was downloaded into a new body.

The Thing died, but his partners in the Fantastic Four stormed heaven to retrieve his soul.

In comic books, casket lids have handles on the inside. So I was initially amused last week at the outpouring of attention generated by Marvel's latest death, the assassination of Captain America on the steps of the federal courthouse in New York City. It made "CNN," for goodness sake! And Fox News. It also made international headlines, covered in newspapers from New York to Los Angeles to Ottawa to London to Sydney.

On reflection, I suspect there are two reasons the world took notice. The first: the graphic nature of the murder. Captain America -- Steve Rogers -- is shot by a sniper. Then a sometime girlfriend, acting under post-hypnotic suggestion, finishes the job by pumping three bullets into his stomach at close range. Even in comic books, there's a certain finality to three in the gut, point blank.

The second reason Captain America's death resonates has more to do with what's going on in our world than his. Meaning terrorism, war and this creeping sense some of us have that our country is being stolen.

Captain America's shooting culminates an allegorical post 9/11 storyline that has seen him leading the resistance against an edict requiring people with super powers to register with, and be regulated by, the federal government. Those who refuse are designated "unlawful combatants" and disappeared without trial into secret prisons. "Am I even in America?" gasps one young hero as he is being led away.

That's something many of us have asked in these last years of government sanctioned torture, secret surveillance and Patriot actions.

Captain America has, since his creation in 1941, served as a mirror of American moods, fears and aspirations. In the '40s, he reflected American determination to defeat the Axis powers, in the '50s, American preoccupation with communism, in the '70s, American disillusionment.

It is a stark sign of our times, then, to see him led to court for defying the federal government. For 66 years, Captain America has been the conscience and moral center of the universe he inhabits, the good soldier, the decent American, the one who did the right thing. Now he lies bleeding out on courthouse steps, having tried and failed to stop the federal government from betraying core American values. The symbol of freedom lies dying with handcuffs on.

In the real world, meantime, American troops continue to die in a conflict predicated on bad readings of worse intelligence. And the National Security Agency eavesdrops on American phone calls and e-mails. And the Transportation Security Administration might put your name on its "no-fly" list and you can neither find out why nor appeal. And prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are in their fifth year of indefinite detention, no charges filed.

And if all that's just fine with some of us -- "We're at war!" they like to shout -- others of us watch with trepidation. We marvel -- no pun intended -- at how blithely the nation has mortgaged its moral authority, international prestige and sense of national mission. We wonder where America went. We wonder if we will ever get her back.

By my count, this is the fourth time Captain America has died -- though never this emphatically. Still, I'm sure he will eventually return.

I am less sanguine about the nation whose name he bears.

http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=12&a=287413

Super realism-Comic book heroes aren't as invincible as they once were

Super realism
Comic book heroes aren't as invincible as they once were
By Don Aucoin, Globe Staff March 10, 2007

When Superman died in 1993, it was at the hands of a massive, spiky supervillain named Doomsday, and only after a cataclysmic battle that demolished whole sections of Metropolis.

When Captain America met his apparent end this week, it was at the hands of a sniper who left the venerable superhero ingloriously sprawled on the steps of a courthouse.

Quite a difference -- and one that illustrates a downsizing of the idea of the superhero and a broader change in the world of comic books. While there are still plenty of apocalyptic showdowns between superheroes and superbaddies, there are also more realistic depictions of violence grounded in the fears (or expectations) of readers perhaps accustomed to "CSI"-style gore.

Comic books have always been adept at keeping their finger on the public pulse. The message that superheroes -- and superpowers? -- are not invincible could find a receptive audience in an era framed by 9/11 and the Iraq war. "The world has changed," said Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada . "There's a new Congress in. The war is still on. As a character, he embodies the American ideal and not always the American way."

In death, though, Captain America shrank to life-size. The hit-and-run way he died is especially worth noting, because the portentously named character has often served as a kind of Rorschach test of the national psyche, from World War II through the Cold War to the "War on Terror."

"He's not being killed in some masterful death trap being set up by Dr. Doom and the Red Skull," pointed out Bradford Wright, author of "Comic Book Nation," a cultural history of comic books. "It makes the violence seem a lot scarier." After all, he added, "superheroes get shot at all the time. They just fly around them, or they stop them with their shields. Why was he not able to stop them? It makes a superhero seem much more vulnerable. It speaks to our own heightened sense of insecurity these days. To have the most symbolic of American superheroes killed with such a routine weapon makes a point. It's not a fantasy kind of death. It's the kind of death that could happen to anybody." (To be sure, "death" in the world of comic books is a relative term. Superman was eventually revived, and suspicion remains that Captain America will likewise re-emerge.)

The trend toward verisimilitude in comic books likewise seems hard to kill. It may be driven in part by the industry's desire to match the intensity of contemporary video games and horror movies, as well as graphic novels and TV shows such as the popular NBC drama "Heroes" in which the battles between people with superpowers often result in gory violence.

The impact can be jolting. The March issue of Batman shows a flashback of a young brother and sister being menaced by their father, who was about to be arrested. "Can't protect you anymore, boy!" the father says, pointing a gun at his son and preparing to shoot. "Only way I can save you is this! You and your sister!" Shouting "No!", the boy lunges at his father and pushes his hand away. The gun goes off, shooting the father in the head. As he lies in a pool of blood, the boy says to his sister: "Listen up, Amina! We gotta say daddy killed himself, okay? I could go to jail otherwise."

In a 2006 issue of The Incredible Hulk, a tipsy woman emerges from a bar and is soon the victim of an attempted rape , before being saved by the Hulk.

The January issue of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man depicts a trio of masked, gun-wielding bad guys preparing to storm a school. The new issue of Night-wing shows a woman on an autopsy table, her stomach cut open, and on the next page, the aftermath of a massacre, with victims in body bags and walls caked with blood.

Not everyone is enamored of such gritty scenes in what are, after all, comic books. "Parents have to be very careful today when their child picks up a Batman or a Superman or a Wonder Woman," said Fred Grandinetti, a comic-book historian who lives in Watertown. "It's not pow!-zip!-zam! anymore, and if there is a pow!-zip!-zam!, there's usually a stream of blood that follows."

However, in the view of American University communication professor Leonard Steinhorn: "Kids today see more, hear more, know more, so why shouldn't comics reflect that?"

A certain level of violence, of course, has always been central to the allure of comic books. The Senate convened hearings in the 1950s to address fears comic books were having a corrosive effect on the nation's youth, efforts that seem amusing in retrospect, considering how tame they appear today. But through the 1980s and 1990s, mainstream comics with traditional superheroes began striving for greater visceral impact, a trend that has continued in the new century. "They've been a few steps behind the trend toward more violence in other media," Wright says. "When you compare it to movies like 'Saw' and 'Hostel' that are basically just torture sessions, what comic books do is pretty tame. But they do feel some pressure to keep up with that."

What is the impact of this neo-realism on young readers? According to Dina Borzekowski of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the attitudes and behavior of children 8 to 12 are more affected by "media they perceive to be realistic" than by "media they see as fantastical." However, Wright says that nowadays the average comic-book reader is more likely to be 18 or 19. That might encourage comic book creators to use more violence.

As for Quesada, the Marvel Comics editor says he expects flak for the death of Captain America. What he clings to, he says, is this belief: "At the end of the day, my job is to tell entertaining stories."

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/03/10/super_realism/

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E! News - Captain America: Dead, Shmead

E! News - Captain America: Dead, Shmead:

"Disco is dead. Captain America is only dead-ish.
Despite being gunned down in the latest issue of his own comic book title, the red-white-and-blue-clad hero's planned big-screen adventure lives, a Marvel Studios spokesman said Wednesday.
'The movie is still going,' the rep said.
Screenwriter David Self (Road to Perdition) is on script duty. No other names have been announced. Ditto for a release date.
In comic book stores, meanwhile, Captain America's prospects looked bleak with Marvel's Captain America #25, on sale Wednesday, featuring the bloody demise of its iconic namesake.
Steve Rogers, the crimefighter's everyday alter ego, was felled by an unidentified sniper on his way into a courthouse and pronounced dead at a hospital of 'multiple gunshot wounds to the shoulder, chest and stomach,' according to 'assassination' coverage on Marvel Comics' Website.
Still, as is the way in a comic universe that saw the 1993 'death' of Superman, all is not lost for the hero, first introduced in 1941."

Living Legend no more

Brownsville Herald : Living Legend no more:

"NATION MOURNS LOSS OF CAPTAIN AMERICA

Captain America is dead.

Marvel Comics super-hero Captain America, published each decade since first appearing in 1941, was killed in Wednesday’s Captain America No. 25 and fans are in shock.

“I’m just reminiscing about the guy,” said 29-year-old fan Enrique Duran Jr. “I remember collecting some of these characters back in the 90’s and when 9/11 happened he was on the cover, saluting. Now that I find out he’s dead. Wow.”

Although Captain America, also known as Steve Rogers, has been declared dead before, Marvel representatives say this time they mean it. "

O Captain! My Captain! You're dead

O Captain! My Captain! You're dead:

"So long, Steve Rogers, we hardly knew ye.
Steve Rogers, of course, is the civilian identity of Captain America, the flag-wearing, shield-throwing superhero who, in the latest issue of his monthly comic, was seemingly killed by a sniper's bullet.
Captain America first appeared in comic books in 1941 when then-scrawny Rogers was injected with the 'super-soldier serum' to help fight the Nazis. Stan Lee brought him back in the 1960s, explaining his longevity by saying he had been cryogenically frozen in ice. The Captain has been a mainstay of the Marvel Comics universe since he thawed. "

Oh, no! Captain America dead?

Inside Bay Area - Oh, no! Captain America dead?:

"Holy homicide, Batman!
Captain America is dead!
Assassinated, in fact, as he walks into a federal courthouse in New York, under arrest and in handcuffs, headed to his arraignment for refusing to sign the government's Superhero Registration Act and forcibly revealing his true identity.
It all happens in the latest edition of Marvel Comics, Captain America No. 25, which hit newsstands Wednesday and immediately flew off the shelves of Bay Area comic book dealers.
'It caught me completely off-guard,' said Lennie Chancey, owner of Comic Ink in Dublin. 'I didn't know about it until the news popped up on my computer in the morning and I read about it.'
Typically, comic book store owners are told in advance that a major issue like this is coming so they can order extra copies. This time, they found out the same time most everyone else did.
Chancey immediately called his distributor to get more copies, but the distributor didn't have any more.
Comic Ink had 40 copies of the $3.99 book at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday and had sold them all by 1:30 p.m., Chancey said.from Business 1
Similarly, Lee's Comics in San Mateo sold 65 issues in a few hours, a store employee said.
Captain America first appeared in March 1941 as a World War II super soldier and became the
most popular of the purely patriotic comic characters drawn up for wartime duty and by far the most enduring of them. "

This is not a Captain America moment

This is not a Captain America moment:

"Even as an eight-year-old boy under the covers and reading by flashlight, I could see Captain America for what he was: the least-subtle and least interesting of the comic book heroes.
My cousin collected them all, and the nice thing about summer weeks spent at his suburban, cape-style house near the beach was that I could pick up a whole series of comics at once. Rarely was I left hanging until the next installment.
I had my favorites, Fantastic Four, Spiderman and Batman. But I was not above a Green Lantern or Superman or even, once in a while, the Captain.
But I always knew that Captain America was a little flat as a character. What can I say? He lacked that brooding, dark persona, that inner conflict that drives a person to be genuinely passionate . He was the original Captain Obvious.
So now, with his death in 'Captain America #25,' it appears this icon of patriotism and moral certitude has no place in a time when society is struggling to make sense of its demons. This is Ghost Rider's moment, not Captain America's.
Now, I'm sure like Superman before him, the Captain will experience a resurrection after seemingly being killed off for good. The comic book universe has squishy physical and metaphysical laws. Anything is possible."

Catwoman on AMC Tonight?

Tonight at 9:00 est AMC is goning to show " Catwoman" with Halle Berry.
AMC?
That's American Movie Classics right?
And they are showing Catwoman?

" In 2004, Catwoman, a movie starring Halle Berry, was released. This film's Catwoman bore nearly no resemblance to the comic version, other than sharing the name. In the film, Berry played Patience Phillips, a woman who eventually became Catwoman, a hero with supernatural cat-like powers, after a near-death experience. Patience had gained the powers from the goddess Bastet through a gathering of cats led by an Egyptian Mau. The movie alludes to other women in the past who have been granted such cat-like abilities. Though Phillips has the same skills as the villain version of Catwoman, the film's story has nothing to do with Batman, or Gotham City (neither of which are mentioned in the film). The film was heavily criticized by both film critics and fans of the comic book character and was a failure at the box office, losing the producers far more money than it earned. One particularly bad review came in the New York Daily News, which carried the headline, "BAD KITTY!"

In the scene where Patience is told of the history of the Catwomen, she is pushed off the balcony and lands on the living room floor. Ophelia Powers then throws photos of previous catwomen down to her, and one can clearly see a picture of Pfeiffer's Batman Returns version of the character, which hints that either there is some link between Patience Phillips and Selina Kyle, or that it was done as a means of paying homage to the original character. (When that scene is described in the novelization, Selina Kyle is mentioned briefly, thus showing that there is a link.) In addition, the original "Catwoman" outfit that Patience wears when she robs a jewelry store is patterned after the "Catwoman" outfit worn by Eartha Kitt in the 1960s Batman TV series.

Berry won the 2005 Razzie award for worst actress in a film for her role as Catwoman, and accepted the prize in person. She was only the third Razzie winner (following director Paul Verhoeven, director of Showgirls; and Tom Green, star of Freddy Got Fingered) ever to do so. In her speech, she apologized to the fans of the character, calling the film a "God-awful movie." "

" The film was heavily criticized by fans of the Catwoman comic book character for departing from the basics of the character, with bad word of mouth starting to spread a full year before the film was released.

This debate subsided when it was learned that Berry would not be playing Selina Kyle, the "real" Catwoman, but a woman named Patience Phillips, who works at a cosmetics company in the beginning of the movie, therefore belonging to a 'parallel reality' and not belonging in the Batman universe. However there was still apprehension in that the plot created for the movie closely resembled the premise of another comic book title, The Crow, which was also adapted into a film. (This included paraphrasing some of The Crow 's most famous dialogue in the theatrical trailer, about crows bringing souls back from the dead to put the wrong things right. "Crow" was changed to "Cat".)

Catwoman was poorly received, both critically and at the box office. The film appeared on the list of Roger Ebert's most hated films and received seven Golden Raspberry nominations in 2005. It "won" in the categories of Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay. Halle Berry accepted the award for Worst Actress personally, apologizing for the film, and speaking frankly in interviews about her views regarding problems with the film.

Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks ran a series of comic strips in which Riley is punished by being forced to watch Catwoman. He subsequently campaigns to have being forced to watch Catwoman considered to be a form of child abuse.

MSN Movies ranks Catwoman as the third worst superhero movie to date, behind Batman & Robin and Daredevil.

Andrea Beaumont, The Phantasm

Andrea Beaumont, also known as The Phantasm, is a fictional DC Comics femme fatale. She first appeared in the 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm as the ex-fiancé of Bruce Wayne. Due to the popularity of her character, the Phantasm has made occasional cameo appearances in the DC animated universe (often as a freelance assassin). She was voiced by actress Dana Delany.

Andrea's role in Mask of the Phantasm corresponds with that of the femme fatale from hardboiled detective fiction. Like classic femme fatales such as Brigid O'Shaughnessy from The Maltese Falcon, Andrea is a beautiful, deceptive, and strong-willed love interest for the main character. The fact that Andrea is secretly the main villain is another convention of this stock character.

Andrea also serves as a foil for Batman. The characters are very similar; they both don an intimidating costume and speak to the gravestones of their parents (as if holding a conversation with the deceased). The paralleling of their characters - most importantly the death of their parents at the hand of criminals - highlights how different they are: After her father's death Andrea chose to become a vigilante and killer, following a warped code of "eye for an eye" justice. Bruce instead chose to capture criminals and hand them over to the authorities, refusing to play judge, jury, and executioner.

Batwoman ( Katherine "Kate" Kane)

After the Infinite Crisis series, a new Katherine "Kate" Kane is introduced. Kate is Renee Montoya's former lover and heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Gotham City . Renee refers to her as "Katherine the younger" and asks Kate to help find the connection between the Kanes and the address 520 Kane Street. While still upset from their breakup, Kate agrees to help Renee, but punches her and tells her to leave after Renee mentions they used to love each other. Not long after that, Batwoman is shown to be observing Montoya from the rooftops as Renee converses with the Question (in his guise as "Charlie") in an alley.

Kate meets with Renee and Charlie in Gotham Park and confirms that the warehouse was being leased by Ridge-Ferrick until six weeks ago. Renee refuses to tell Kate what's going on saying that she doesn't owe Kate anything, which shocks Kate and prompts her to tail them as Batwoman. When Renee and the Question break into Ridge-Ferrick's Gotham offices, they are attacked by Whisper A'Daire's shapeshifting minions, and Batwoman arrives to rescue them. Making quick work of two monsters, Batwoman stops Renee from shooting the third, instead kicking the monster out a window. Batwoman informs them the police are coming, asks that she not be mentioned, and leaves.

After Renee learns that the Book of Crime, a sacred text of Intergang, contains a prophecy foretelling the brutal murder of the "twice named daughter of Kane," she and the Question return to Gotham. They contact Kate by flashing a batsignal, and the three join forces to avert Intergang's plans. As Kate continues the case, she is joined by Nightwing, who has recently returned to Gotham and becomes infatuated with her. On Christmas Eve, he gives her an 'official' Batarang. She also celebrates Hanukkah with Renee, and the two kiss shortly before Christmas.

One year after the start of 52, Alfred Pennyworth mentions Kathy Kane to Bruce Wayne, when listing the various women Bruce dated in his playboy days and the Penguin suggests Batman bring a date to the opening of his club, asking, "Why don't you bring that new Batwoman? I hear she's kind of hot."

Batwoman later appears in a story written by Greg Rucka for the DC Infinite Holiday Special. This story fleshed out some of the current Batwoman's background, including the fact that she is Jewish.

As Batwoman, Kate lacks any superpowers, and instead relies on her martial artistry and Batman-inspired equipment when fighting crime. In the ten years since her breakup with Renee Montoya, she has learned to fight and is able to defeat three monsters, as well as spy on Renee and the Question with relative ease.

Being the heiress of a family whose fortune is comparable to the Waynes, Kate possesses the finances to produce an arsenal of equipment, similar to Batman. This includes a baton-like device which can extend from the center in length and has Bat-shaped attachments at each end. She also makes use of Batarangs and a Batman-like grappling hook.

Unlike the Silver Age Kathy Kane, who was written as being romantically attracted to Batman, the new version of Kane is portrayed as a "lipstick lesbian", while still hiding this fact from nearly everyone she knows. In her civilian identity as a socialite, she is acquainted with Bruce Wayne and is friends with a doctor named Mallory, who treats the Question's cancer. Her homosexuality was announced at the same time as the character was revealed in the spring of 2006. Kate is also Jewish, and celebrated Hanukkah with Renee during the events of 52.

Her homosexuality attracted substantial media coverage when the character was announced in the spring of 2006. Stories appeared on television news outlets such as CNN, general news magazines such as "USA Today", and gay culture magazines such as Out.

A Different Web Comic Model

A Different Web Comic Model:

"In February 2007, Gary Reed, the publisher of Caliber, the comic book publisher who spearheaded several innovative series by many talents from North America, England and Europe, announced that they would offer the publisher’s library of titles as Adobe Acrobat downloads for $1.99 Over the years several online companies have tried to offer comic books in other format than paper.

In the 1990s, some publishers tried to offer comic books as CD-ROM compilations which would be viewed on a screen. Meanwhile, online comic books began to flourish with the development of the Internet. Today, there are several vendors offering online comic books, which often is similar music downloads. "

Batwoman (Kathy Kane)

Batwoman is a fictional character, a female counterpart to DC Comics' popular superhero Batman.

Batwoman is primarily associated with the Silver Age of comic books. She first appeared in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956). She was a costumed crime-fighter like Batman, his counterpart in many ways. For example, while Batman wears a utility belt, Batwoman carried a utility purse.

Batman co-creator Bob Kane later claimed that he originally drew her to resemble his wife. The fact that he named her "Kathy Kane" supports this statement; however, Kane used "ghost pencillers" such as Sheldon Moldoff and Dick Sprang to draw most Batman comics in the 1950s, and the question of how much input Kane actually had to the Batman stories is disputed.

Batwoman guest-starred occasionally in Batman stories published from 1956 to 1964. Batman wished for Kathy to retire from crimefighting due to the danger. Nevertheless, she remained his ally (even when she temporarily became a new version of Catwoman).

In 1961, Batwoman was joined by her niece Betty Kane, the Bat-Girl, named after Bob Kane's wife. Kathy and Betty were romantically interested in Batman and Robin, respectively. Robin seemed to return Bat-Girl's affection, while Batman remained aloof.

In 1964, DC dropped Batwoman, as well as Bat-Girl, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite from the Batman titles, which were undergoing a revamp under Editor Julius Schwartz that eliminated elements considered too "silly". In stories published during the next few years, Batwoman makes several appearances in the Batman-Superman team-up book World's Finest, which was edited by Mort Weisinger.

In the 1970s, Batwoman only appeared a few times, often fighting crime alongside the second Batgirl Barbara Gordon. During her retirement, she becomes the owner of a circus, which she kept until she died. She is killed by the League of Assassins and the brainwashed Bronze Tiger in Detective Comics #485 (September 1979).

There was also a Batwoman on Earth-Two, who was very much like her deceased Earth-One counterpart. This Kathy Kane retired when the Batman of that world married Catwoman. She married and had children, but her husband was never revealed. She came out of retirement following Batman's death when Gotham City was threatened by the return of Hugo Strange

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