BAT-GIRL AT 65: An Anniversary Celebration of the Original Dominoed Daredoll
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), 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). 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,...
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