Catwoman's Lair - Page 1 
Catwoman



     If you're only familiar with the post-Crisis, TV or movie incarnation 
of Catwoman you're probably asking, "why is she wearing a dress?"  Well she's 
been dressing like this a lot longer than she's been into skintight catsuits.
This is pretty close to the outfit she wore when she first appeared back in
the Golden Age.  Over time the double slit in the skirt lengthened so by the
seventies and eighties she was regularly showing a generous amount of leg.
She didn't always stick to this ensemble, during the sixties and seventies 
she sometimes sported a miniskirted version.  Also while the original TV 
series was on the air she switched to a dark blue leotard with light blue  
leggings and a red mask.  But she always returned to this outfit, at least 
until Crisis on Infinite Earths rewrote history and Batman : Year 1
established that she'd been in a catsuit from day one.  A pity as this outfit
isn't without its charms.   Impractical you say?  Not at all, Batman never
steps on his cape so why should Catwoman get tangled in her skirt? 
     Before the pictures a little background.  Back in 1980 Selina Kyle 
decided to turn over a new life and give up both her life of crime and her 
Catwoman identity.  Released on parole from Gotham Prison she kept her vow 
and over the next few months became romantically linked to Bruce Wayne.  
     She returned to her costumed identity after contracting one of those
rare incurable fatal diseases where you still look great right until you die.  
Someone was committing cat orientated crimes and Selina didn't feel like 
spending her last few weeks in jail.  The real culprit turned out to be 
Catman.  Rather than a male carbon copy this guy had one big difference from 
Selina (two if you count no attraction to Batman), a magic cape that gave him
nine lives.  By this point a lot of miraculous escapes had used up eight of 
them and Selina figured she could use the ninth to save her life.   
     Briefly Catman was apparently boiled by a geyser but Selina ripped a 
piece off his cape first and after collapsing went into remission.  Having  
cleared her name Selina put her costume away again but that didn't last long.
     "The Lazarus Affair" ran in Batman 332-335, the picture at the page's top
is from the cover of part 3, Batman 334.  A minor milestone as the first solo
catwoman story ran in Batman 332 as part of the Lazurus storyline.  To simplify
a millionaire named Falstaff had just tried to ruin Bruce Wayne.  He'd failed and 
died mysteriously leaving a lot of weird high tech equipment behind.  Talia, 
the late Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, reappeared promising Batman she would lead
him to the answers.  Robin walked out figuring Talia was clouding Batman's
judgement and decided run his own investigation.  But he needed some help so 
he wound up asking Selina.  Since she was curious who had tried to ruin Bruce,
the origins of the weird creatures she had run into in her solo story and 
concerned on hearing Batman and Talia were working as partners (somewhere 
between the panels she had figured out that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one 
and the same) she agreed and found herself very comfortable to be back in 
costume.  Anyway the trail lead to an opium den in Hong Kong where Selina's 
contact betrayed her.  Though Robin really should have known better than to 
drink the drugged tea in Batman #333 (March 1981).  Script by Marv
Wolfman, art by Irv Novick & John Celardo.






     Doesn't look good for Catwoman and the disguised Dick Grayson/Robin does 
it?  Appearances deceive as we found out in Batman #334 (April 1981).  I really
love the fact that even though her identity is no secret and she's visiting
Chin as Selina Kyle she's wearing a mask of her face over her cat cowl.





 
     To make a long story short it turned out Ra's Al Ghul wasn't really dead
and that Talia was also centuries old and sustained by her father's power.
Batman, Catwoman and Robin met up on Infinity Island which exploded taking
Ra's with it (yeah, right).  Talia faded out of Batman's life, having lost her
immortality she wanted to learn to live again.  Which got rid of the other 
woman though Selina wasn't sure of her own feelings having seen Batman and 
Talia a bit too close for comfort.  A few months later (in a slightly
ridiculous story concerning an Egyptologist who believed he was a reincarnated
Pharaoh and Selina was his queen) they got back together to try and resolve
their relationship.  Unfortunately all too soon things fell apart as in the 
next issue, Detective Comics 509, Selina had an uninvited visitor.
     Script by Gerry Conway, Art by Don Newton & Dan Adkins





 
     The intruder was Catman who had survived being boiled.  Unfortunately as
his cape had been torn he hadn't escaped unscarred.  Kidnapping Selina he
forced her to tell him where the cape fragment was being examined.  Running
into Batman enroute and thinking he'd killed him Catman returned to his marine
hideout and tried to heal his scars.  Too bad for him whatever power it held 
had been exhausted curing Selina.





 



 
     Batman took out Catman easily enough and freed Selina but the incident
had rattled her.  Afraid that more enemies she had made might come after her
and, ironically, trying to protect Bruce she left Gotham looking to find some
sort of peace.  But she hadn't got too far before fate intervined and she
decided Catwoman was back.


     This way for The Further Adventures of Catwoman










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