Though nobody called her that…
—
NOTE: The original Bat-Girl turns 65! For Bill Morrison’s groovy MORRISON MONDAYS tribute, click here. PLUS: Check out Peter’s inspired BATMANIA ’61: What if the 1960s BATMAN Show Began Five Years Earlier. — Dan
—
By PETER BOSCH
DC called her “the teenage terror of the underworld”… as well as the less-than-peachy nickname of the “bobby-sox crimebuster.” Of course, we are talking about the original Bat-Girl, aka Betty Kane, niece of Kathy Kane, aka Batwoman. Well, guess what, that teenage niece turns 65 today.
Batman #139 (Apr. 1961, DC). Cover art by Sheldon Moldoff
Batman #139 (Apr. 1961), the issue in which she came swinging in to save the day, appeared on the newsstands on February 23, 1961. And within just a few months of its release, the character (co-created by writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff) would become a semi-regular member of the Batman family. She would even pose with the rest of Batman’s cast in a portrait for the back cover of Batman Annual #2 (Winter 1961).
Back cover for Batman Annual #2 (Winter 1961). Art by Moldoff.
What no one saw coming was that in about three years, nearly two-thirds of that group would be eliminated from Batman and Detective Comics. When Julius Schwartz took over the Bat-titles in 1964 and gave them a much-needed refresh, the first to go were Batwoman, Ace the Bat Hound, Bat-Mite… and Bat-Girl. And a few months later, Alfred, too (temporarily).
But today we pay tribute to the lovely young lady who showed up on the doorstep of her aunt Kathy for a short stay — and became a costumed heroine who would often save the lives of her friends, as well as try to win the heart of Robin, the Boy Wonder.
(Just a quick interjection: I know that there are those who have postulated that the introduction of Batwoman – and even Bat-Girl – was to quell Dr. Frederic Wertham’s suggestion that there was something more to Bruce and Dick’s live-in relationship other than that of guardian and ward. I can’t speak to why Batwoman was added as a romantic interest for Batman, but I think the reason for adding Bat-Girl had a much simpler explanation. Superman had Lois Lane, Mr. Mxyzptlk, and Krypto (well, actually, Superboy had him first), so Batman got Vicki Vale, Bat-Mite, and Ace the Bat Hound. And Superman had blonde Supergirl, so Batman got blonde Bat-Girl.)
Anyway, back to Betty Kane. And Bat-Girl, whose entrance into the comics world was similar to that of Batwoman herself.
Left: Detective Comics #233 (July 1956), written by Edmond Hamilton, with art by Sheldon Moldoff (pencils) and Stan Kaye (inks). Right: Batman #139 (Apr. 1961) written by Bill Finger, with art by Moldoff (pencils) and Charles Paris (inks).
Batman #139
Batman #139
And it turned out that Betty was as stubborn as Kathy had been when Batman said Batwoman should not be fighting crime.
Batman #139
In the end, Bat-Girl is instrumental in capturing the villain of the piece. And in the last panel, the way is open to a romance with Robin.
Batman #139
Bat-Girl was back two issues later (Batman #141, Aug. 1961) in order to pursue Robin. Oh, and to capture and then recapture a costumed villain who dressed like a moth. (I guess you have to work up to the Joker.)
Batman #141 (Aug. 1961). Cover art by Moldoff.
Unfortunately, now that DC had her, they didn’t seem to know what to do with her, and the stories soon started becoming rehashes. For example, just a year earlier, Bat-Mite fell in love with Batwoman (Batman #133, Aug. 1960) and even enlisted the aid of Ace, the Bat Hound to help him. And now in Batman #144 (Dec. 1961), the magical imp was back, this time to help Bat-Girl win Robin’s heart.
Batman #144 (Dec. 1961). Art by Moldoff.
Another sign that things were not quite working out for the teen was that it would be a year and a half from Issue #144 before Betty Kane returned in #153 (Feb. 1963). However, #153 did turn out to be what may be consider her greatest hour.
Batman #153 (Feb. 1963). Cover art by Moldoff.
In the full-issue story, Batman and Batwoman, as well as Robin and Bat-Girl, are in pursuit of a thief from another planet. When the alien turns a transporter ray upon them all, they suffer different effects.
Batman and Batwoman feel their life energy ripped away from them, and it gets sent all the way to another planet, while their human bodies remain on Earth and weaken with each passing moment. Meanwhile, Robin and Bat-Girl are fully transported to the alien thief’s world where they must not only brave the elements of its wilderness but also stop the machinations of a tyrant looking to take over that planet.
Batman #153. Script by Finger. Art by Moldoff (pencils) and Paris (inks).
In my opinion, the story written by Bill Finger and drawn by Moldoff (with Paris inking) ranks second only to “Robin Dies at Dawn” (also by the same team) in #156 (June 1963) for that period of Batman comics. A true standout.
A few months later, Batman #159 (Nov. 1963) finally gave Bat-Girl the chance to take on the Joker — and also Clayface!
Batman #159 (Nov. 1963). Cover art by Moldoff.
Betty’s adventures up until then remained within the Batman title, but Detective Comics #322 (Dec. 1963) had her helping Robin when Batman is turned into a giant genie in the employ of criminals. (Trust me, this was a cover-your-face story that was so poorly done – written by Dave Wood and edited by Jack Schiff – that if you knew Schwartz was coming, you would have cheered loudly.)
Detective Comics #322 (Dec. 1963). Cover art by Moldoff.
Bat-Girl’s final Silver Age appearance was in Batman #163 (May 1964), the last issue of the title before Schwartz took over the franchise.
This one, however, took an interesting turn (as many Bill Finger scripts did). It was actually one of Alfred’s imaginary stories in which he wrote about Bruce Wayne and Kathy Kane being married and retired, while Dick was the new Batman. In this tale, Betty returns as a beautiful woman, ends up putting on the Batwoman costume, discovers Bruce had been Batman, Dick was Robin and is Batman, and gets a storybook ending.
Batman #163 (May 1964). Script by Finger. Pencils by Chic Stone, inks by Paris.
Less than three years after she was shelved, Bat-Girl would be replaced by Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl, and it would take 13 years before we got to see Betty Kane again — this time as a member of Teen Titans West:
Cover to Teen Titans #50 (Oct. 1977). Art by Rich Buckler (pencils) and Jack Abel (inks).
Teen Titans #50. Script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Don Heck, inks by Joe Giella.
And then came 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths. While we never saw Betty or Bat-Girl get killed, she ceased to exist when the various Earths became just one.
But then, a new “Bette” emerged.
Secret Origins Annual #3 (1989). George Perez art. Writer unknown.
That new heroine ended up having a notable career — but that is a history for another day.
—
MORE
— BATMANIA ’61: What if the 1960s BATMAN Show Began Five Years Earlier. Click here.
— MORRISON MONDAYS — BAT-GIRL vs. BATGIRL: The 1960s DETECTIVE COMICS Issue That Should Have Been. Click here.
—
13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is out now. (Buy it here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
