Is DC making a mistake with Catwoman?(Spoilers)

[DLH1970]

Thinking about long term ramifications, is DC making a mistake with having Catwoman becoming pregnant? Marvel spent years trying to fix (unsuccessfully) what they felt was mistake with Sider-Man and MJ getting married and having a baby. Will Catwoman having a baby be seen as a huge writers problem a few years down the road. And let's not forget the problems that may come about when we discover who the father might be. That's a whole different discussion right there.

[Exo]

It could go both ways (depends on the writer). But I'm all for change.

[AllisterH]

There are two big differences.

a) As evidenced by her portrayal in other media, Catwoman does not have to be Selina Kyle. (There were 3 catwoman on the old Batman tv show). Kind of like how "The Flash" does not mean Barry Allen. Unlike the MJ situation where Peter Parker _IS_ Spiderman. Thus, DC can put another woman int he cat suit.

b) There is no chance of Batman being the father IMO as evidenced by how they have retconned his son with Talia. In regular continuity, I don't see Bruce having any kids. Elseworlds, sure, but regular continuity? Nope.

[Mister Intensity]

It all depends on how it's handled. Personally, I don't think Spider Man getting married and having a kid was the mistake, it was not really handling it that was the mistake since having Peter really dealing with fatherhood without nannies and magically aging the kid would have added to the "everyman" aspect of the character (maybe the mistake was making MJ a supermodel and successful actress, instead of a struggling model/actress, which if you think about it NYC have a lot of those).

Sorry to digess but it's the handling of it that matters, although, honestly, I have no faith in DC in this Infinite Crisis/OYL environment.

Mister Intensity

[Amethyst Rose]

And as far as the TV series, she was never given any kind of backstory as to who she really was, so it was just assumed she was Selina Kyle.

[bannermanonemillion]

As long as DC handles it with smart, mature writing it should be pretty interesting.

IOW, prepare for pain. :mad:

[ThatTalkingGuy1]

There are two big differences.

a) As evidenced by her portrayal in other media, Catwoman does not have to be Selina Kyle. (There were 3 catwoman on the old Batman tv show). Kind of like how "The Flash" does not mean Barry Allen. Unlike the MJ situation where Peter Parker _IS_ Spiderman. Thus, DC can put another woman int he cat suit.


All of those characters were Selina Kyle. And if we're going to other media, Patience Phillips really worked out.

Wally has basically been turned into Barry over the last couple years. Hal is back. Oliver Queen is back. The legacy concept doesn't really work because most of the time, fans don't really want it.

[ThatTalkingGuy1]

This is a terrible idea. Completely changes the character with no hope of ever going back to ground zero. The writers/editors/whoever responsible need to realize that short-term benefits (Catwoman with a baby! Neat!) will only end up with long term consequences. Does anybody really think Catwoman with a baby will be interesting in five years? Ten years? Or do you start aging the kid and therefore aging Catwoman until she is a grandmother skulking around the East End, swapping spit with a Batman that magically never ages.

The fact that they are going through with this astonishes me.

[ThatTalkingGuy1]

It all depends on how it's handled. Personally, I don't think Spider Man getting married and having a kid was the mistake, it was not really handling it that was the mistake since having Peter really dealing with fatherhood without nannies and magically aging the kid would have added to the "everyman" aspect of the character (maybe the mistake was making MJ a supermodel and successful actress, instead of a struggling model/actress, which if you think about it NYC have a lot of those).

"I have to get some diapers after I get done fighting the Lizard." Maybe fun for a bit.

"I have to get some diapers after I get done fighting Kraven the Hunter" five years later is tedious. Unless the kid does age. Then Spider-Man gets older and older and less and less cool until he's whining about the music kids are listening to nowadays. Hell, he does that NOW after being married for so long. Can you imagine some kid telling another kid about Spider-Man comics on the playground?

"OK, then his little girl came home with a tongue ring and Spider-Man went berzerk and said you're grounded for a week!"

"Oh, that is awesome. I can't wait until next issue!"

[AlistairCrane]

I think it's a good idea as long as Bruce is the father.

[DLH1970]

I think it's a good idea as long as Bruce is the father.

I think most fans want Bruce to be the father. Bruce and Selina having a baby would be very interesting and sell like hotcakes. In the beginning. The problem is five years down the road. Let's face it, there are a lot of writers that are either too lazy or not talented enough to continue telling good stories without feeling they have been trapped by this. that's how you get stories like the "Clone Saga". I think Peter/MJ getting married was a great idea. I still do, but there have been plenty of bad stories written because the writer didn't want to have to deal with the situation.

I think Marv Wolfman once said something to the affect that writers were trapped be the worst stories ever written not the best ones. I just hope that if DC is going to do this, they do it right.

[ThatTalkingGuy1]

I think most fans want Bruce to be the father. Bruce and Selina having a baby would be very interesting and sell like hotcakes. In the beginning. The problem is five years down the road. Let's face it, there are a lot of writers that are either too lazy or not talented enough to continue telling good stories without feeling they have been trapped by this. that's how you get stories like the "Clone Saga". I think Peter/MJ getting married was a great idea. I still do, but there have been plenty of bad stories written because the writer didn't want to have to deal with the situation.

I think Marv Wolfman once said something to the affect that writers were trapped be the worst stories ever written not the best ones. I just hope that if DC is going to do this, they do it right.

It IS a trap. If Spider-Man gets married it drastically cuts down the number of Spider-Man stories you can do. For example, any married Spider-Man story you could do with a live-in girlfriend except for divorce, which would never happen, and arguably a kid...and that should never happen. You can't do single Spider-Man stories with married Spider-Man. So, you're trapped within the confines of a single relationship. Notice how even shows like Friends don't put Ross and Rachel together for good until the END of the series. It's bad for business.

And it's impossible to do this baby right. Either you have baby stories forever (boring) or you age the kid, and age Selina along with it. Since I doubt people are really clamoring for a fifty-year old Catwoman with empty-nest syndrome, it's a bad idea.

[Guts/Batman]

"Commander...you may fire when ready." :D

[cmndob]

If you think about this in terms of the Marvel/DC battle, wouldn't Bruce and Selina be DC's Luke Cage and Jessica Jones? And if we are getting multiple earths or whatnot, wouldn't that be awesome?

[Buried Alien]

I think most fans want Bruce to be the father. Bruce and Selina having a baby would be very interesting and sell like hotcakes. In the beginning. The problem is five years down the road. Let's face it, there are a lot of writers that are either too lazy or not talented enough to continue telling good stories without feeling they have been trapped by this.

That's a legitimate concern. At first, it certainly will be different and refreshing, but once it's run its course, the final outcome is almost predictable: Bruce and Selina's child will be sacrificed to darken Batman's tragedy even further. What can top killing Bruce's parents and his adopted child (Jason Todd)? Killing his biological offspring.



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[cactusmaac]

This is a terrible idea. Completely changes the character with no hope of ever going back to ground zero. The writers/editors/whoever responsible need to realize that short-term benefits (Catwoman with a baby! Neat!) will only end up with long term consequences. Does anybody really think Catwoman with a baby will be interesting in five years? Ten years? Or do you start aging the kid and therefore aging Catwoman until she is a grandmother skulking around the East End, swapping spit with a Batman that magically never ages.

The fact that they are going through with this astonishes me.

That's what reboots are for.

[outlander78]

I think it's a good idea as long as Bruce is the father.

Me too. If Bruce is the father, and he and Selina a couple then I can live with it. Anyone else, and they've just ruined one of my favourite characters.

[Mia]

I think it's a good idea as long as Bruce is the father.

Why would that be a good idea? Selina has slept (and probably sleeps) with other men. That could lead to any possibilities. Also Pheiffer stated that there will be a plot twist. Having Bruce as the father is not exactly a plot twist or a big surprise.

Don't take this as gospel on my part but from what I've read Batman will be away from Gotham for a year and Selina will be pregnant. So if this is true he could not have done the honors.

As this device sounds strangely like something out of an American Soap opera , I'm guessing Selina had a one night stand or a brief fling with some guy (ie. Slam Bradley Jr.) and will end up pregnant. We can then watch the tension as father and son fight over her.

[stealthwise]

I don't like the idea at all. Traditionally, pregnancy and children storylines in most comics are about as meaningful and successful as they are in professional wrestling. They often serve as short-term shock value plots that are quickly brushed aside when they are no longer convenient. I don't see anything valuable or original coming out of this new storyline.

[AlistairCrane]

Me too. If Bruce is the father, and he and Selina a couple then I can live with it. Anyone else, and they've just ruined one of my favourite characters.

I agree. I absolutely hate the Slam Bradley character, and I'll be pissed if he is the father. It's gotta be Bruce or no one. If not, then Catwoman is a stinking pile of cow manure and not worth reading. I'd rather the book be cancelled than have a Catwoman baby without Bruce as the father.

[stealthwise]

I agree. I absolutely hate the Slam Bradley character, and I'll be pissed if he is the father. It's gotta be Bruce or no one. If not, then Catwoman is a stinking pile of cow manure and not worth reading. I'd rather the book be cancelled than have a Catwoman baby without Bruce as the father.

Really? Slam Bradley was one of my favourites when I was reading the title. In some ways he makes a lot more sense as the father.

[The Xenos]

OH geez. I just got a weird idea. What if all this One Year Later stuff is on another Earth. If fans aren't pleased, they might just revert back to things the way they were. Maybe this OYL is just a new Earth 2 created out of Infinate Crisis.

_Xenos

[outlander78]

OH geez. I just got a weird idea. What if all this One Year Later stuff is on another Earth. If fans aren't pleased, they might just revert back to things the way they were. Maybe this OYL is just a new Earth 2 created out of Infinate Crisis.

_Xenos

We can always hope!

[Captain Jim]

I don't think we have enough information as of yet to make a fair judgement. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this, though. I think publishers are of the opinion that there's nothing that's done in comics that can't be undone if need arises.

[Guts/Batman]

I think publishers are of the opinion that there's nothing that's done in comics that can't be undone if need arises.

Especially now...

Everything is a quick fix away from "You were just imagining it" or "some evil force was manipulating it."

[Magneto_X]

I heard she was pregnant.

Who is the father?

Someone I doubt Bruce will be in the running. He had a kid with Talia years ago but it got retconned *real quick*.

[The Shadow]

Especially now...

Everything is a quick fix away from "You were just imagining it" or "some evil force was manipulating it."
Yep.

She coould also just as easily give it up for adoption.

Personally I don't like the idea... but it depends on how it's handled long term!

[Sabrinaset]

As long as DC handles it with smart, mature writing it should be pretty interesting.

IOW, prepare for pain.

I came so close to sigging this!

Perhaps the poll should just be "Is DC making a mistake?" :)

[Guts/Batman]

As long as it doesn't come out like the ending of "Revelations" in Spider-Man, things should work out.

That said, I very skeptical.

[Guts/Batman]

She isn't pregnant yet.

She will be OYL.

[pennywisdom]

I hope it's Batman and I hope it sticks (no retcon). The Bat-titles need some real change/progress, and just killing off peripheral characters doesn't count.

Is anyone else really pumped for OYL? I haven't been this interested in mainstream DCU in over a year. I sort of tuned out of the whole "Countdown/Crisis" thing, but I'm picking up what I missed in TPB format. In 2006, however, I'm going to be completely interested in DCU, just because everything has changed so drastically.

[Cayman]

Jason Todd :eek:

Cay

[pennywisdom]

Jason Todd :eek:
It's definitely Jason Todd. Jason Todd is everywhere these days. He's the answer to every comic book riddle. I still think it would have thrown everybody for a loop if it turned out he was the Winter Soldier.

[Cayman]

It's definitely Jason Todd. Jason Todd is everywhere these days. He's the answer to every comic book riddle. I still think it would have thrown everybody for a loop if it turned out he was the Winter Soldier.

They do look a bit alike, and I've yet to see them in the same room together. Hmmm.

Cay

[DubipR]

I'm think its Slam Bradley. or Ted Grant.
Selina likes the older men. I'm banking on of the two.

[OverMaster]

As long as DC handles it with smart, mature writing it should be pretty interesting.

IOW, prepare for pain. :mad:

*Thumbs up* This goes for the signature.

[Immaterial_Girl]

That's a legitimate concern. At first, it certainly will be different and refreshing, but once it's run its course, the final outcome is almost predictable: Bruce and Selina's child will be sacrificed to darken Batman's tragedy even further. What can top killing Bruce's parents and his adopted child (Jason Todd)? Killing his biological offspring.



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I agree. It's too bad because I would much rather see characters grow and change rather than exist in this eternal "29-to-35" twilight that Catwoman and Batman are stuck in.

IMO, pregnancy and marriage open the door for a whole world of new stories, rather than the endless rehash of the old ones. The reason why marriage has not been portrayed well in either Superman or Spider-man is the fault of the writers and editors, who suffer from too limited an imagination or life experience to explore the possibilities to their fullest extent.

[Captain Jim]

I heard she was pregnant.

Who is the father?

That information hasn't been revealed. Hence all the speculation.

[mohammedali]

I've got an original idea. Instead of having the baby as Batmans child only to be killed later on - why not have Earth 1 destroyed so that Batman and Catwoman can send their child to another world where he will have superpowers due to the 'dickness' in his dna?

[Apathy Boy]

No mistake. I think the situation has tons of possibilities for interesting stories. Worst case scenario, the kid gets written out in a couple of years and we return to the status quo. (And I would hope "written out" does not mean "killed.")

Batman better not be the father. I always hated the thought of Batman being in a relationship with someone in the "business." We hardly see Bruce Wayne as it is; the last thing I want is to see Batman taking over a domain that belongs to Bruce (namely, scoring with the ladies).

Having a superhero lover does suit Catwoman well, though, both because Selina Kyle is less important to the character and because of her "adventurer" persona. I'm hoping for Catman or Wildcat to be the father (though poor Ted has had bad luck with children).