The Original Huntress: Ah, Helena Wayne, We Hardly Knew Ye

[WorstThingUS]

The irony about the original Huntress---who had the fan fantasy origin of being the daughter of Batman and Catwoman---is that she was created in 1977 and was killed off in 1986 after just nine years, while Helena Bertinelli was created in 1989 and so is now enjoying her 20th year of publication. Not that it's saying much at all, but her backup stories were the best thing about Wonder Woman's book at the time (complete appearances by Robin, Power Girl, Alfred and yes, The Joker) and they've been collected into a trade:



Given that the current Huntress was based on the original, it's no surprise their origins are similar, born into wealth, but tragedy sends them out into the night in search of justice. Only Helena Wayne was an adult when it happened and essentially had a charmed life beforehand:



Until her mother, Selina Kyle was blackmailed into one last job which resulted in her death due partially to Batman's attempt to stop it:



This sent Helena off into the family business, but apparently the cancer that would eventually drive Bruce Wayne insane (could the E2 World's Finest have more miserable endings? Kal-L beaten to death by Superboy Prime and Bruce Wayne being driven nuts by cancer until he's killed by a nobody) because apparently she was able to keep it a secret from him which was confirmed in Superman/Batman #27:



E2 and Helena Wayne were brought back after Infinite Crisis, but it wasn't the Huntress we remember as she was more than a little troubled and they kept the horrible romance with Dick Grayson plot, which aside from its already pseudo-incestuous nature is made more icky if you remember lines from her original series where he mentions changing her diapers, or that he was already in college before Bruce and Selina even married or that or thanks to various age retarding devices he's actually in his 80's.

Maybe now that her co-creator, Paul Levitz, is back to writing we'll see new stories with the original Huntress and dare I say it: a meeting between the two?

[Redem]

Originally Posted by WorstThingUS

E2 and Helena Wayne were brought back after Infinite Crisis, but it wasn't the Huntress we remember as she was more than a little troubled and they kept the horrible romance with Dick Grayson plot, which aside from its already pseudo-incestuous nature is made more icky if you remember lines from her original series where he mentions changing her diapers, or that he was already in college before Bruce and Selina even married or that or thanks to various age retarding devices he's actually in his 80's.

This somehow remind me apparently in the kingdom Come Timeline Starfire and Grayson daugther is in a relationship with Ibn al Xu'ffasch which Grayson disaprove, they are not even trying to have normal relationship anymore are they

[Jack]

Originally Posted by Redem

This somehow remind me apparently in the kingdom Come Timeline Starfire and Grayson daugther is in a relationship with Ibn al Xu'ffasch which Grayson disaprove, they are not even trying to have normal relationship anymore are they

Yeah, but at least in that Dick found it super creepy.

[carabas]

Originally Posted by WorstThingUS

Maybe now that her co-creator, Paul Levitz, is back to writing we'll see new stories with the original Huntress and dare I say it: a meeting between the two?

Good god, let's hope not. Huntress gets little enough attention without her archaic twin hogging the spotlights.

Could we have at least one post-Crisis character remain untainted by nostalgia, please?

[Utility Belt]

The original Huntress was a cool character, but only in the context of Earth 2, where Batman was considered old enough to have an adult daughter.
And let's not forget that the Huntress as Batman's daughter concept was revived for the Birds of Prey TV series. Well, on the other hand let's DO forget that.

[jamesfreeman]

Earth-2 is back, so anything's possble. But I really don't have any interest in her beyond an occasional multiverse tale.

[chipsnopotatoes]

so was helena wayne in helena b's body? i would love to see helena wayne return as well

[WorstThingUS]

Originally Posted by carabas

Good god, let's hope not. Huntress gets little enough attention without her archaic twin hogging the spotlights.

Could we have at least one post-Crisis character remain untainted by nostalgia, please?

The irony of that statement is that without nostalgia she wouldn't exist to begin with.

[thor25]

E2 and Helena Wayne were brought back after Infinite Crisis, but it wasn't the Huntress we remember as she was more than a little troubled and they kept the horrible romance with Dick Grayson plot, which aside from its already pseudo-incestuous nature is made more icky if you remember lines from her original series where he mentions changing her diapers, or that he was already in college before Bruce and Selina even married or that or thanks to various age retarding devices he's actually in his 80's.

actually I think is actually Jef jhons intrepretation of the character, he tried to make her morelike his father, even the cover with her beating power girl remind me the famous scene of dark knight returns, when his daddy beat superman, and for the dick thing inmediately remind me the Selina/sam bradley thing , so IT looks that jhons was trying of portray her with elements of the moderns versions of batman and catwoman, but in this case didn't work that well. any way she is back and maybe sooner or later a writer is going to do something with her (Ivory Masion keep away from her).

[carabas]

Originally Posted by WorstThingUS

The irony of that statement is that without nostalgia she wouldn't exist to begin with.

I realise that. But by now Helena Wayne and Helena Bertinelly have pretty much nothing in common except basic costume design and dead parents. I think it'd be a shame if more nostalgia would start to muddy the waters.

[WorstThingUS]

Originally Posted by carabas

I realise that. But by now Helena Wayne and Helena Bertinelly have pretty much nothing in common except basic costume design and dead parents. I think it'd be a shame if more nostalgia would start to muddy the waters.

I'm not sure what you mean by nostalgia damaging things. In my mind that would mean E1 Huntress suddenly taking up a law career. That's nostalgia causing problems. I think it would make a pretty interesting one off finding out where the differences and similarities are on the two worlds. Maybe on E2, the assassin understood his orders and killed Helena but not her mother and now she's living with Cassamento not knowing he had her family murdered to get her, which would drive Helena B. crazy. And of course, on E1 Selina Kyle is alive and well---and has given up her daughter Helena (which is the saddest admission of writer limitations I've seen since, well Dinah had to give up her child).

[Jack]

Is it me, or does that costume in the first picture have the worst mask of all time? It hides absolutely none of her features.

[Ben Reilly#6]

Originally Posted by thor25

any way she is back and maybe sooner or later a writer is going to do something with her (Ivory Masion keep away from her).

It's always a possibility. Even though the stories were 2-3 years ago, you just know she and Earth-2 in general are going to randomly show up again. Hopefully in Brave and the Bold, so we can get some double Huntress action.
But really, more Huntress appearances in general would be great, no matter what version.

And what's wrong with Ivory Madison? I thought she did a good job on the Year One mini. Well, except for the romance sub-plot. And Batman's characterization. And the Catwoman/Huntress interaction. And the small continuity screw ups. Alright, pretty much half the series. But it's not like Madison's getting anymore Huntress projects, is she?

Originally Posted by Jack

Is it me, or does that costume in the first picture have the worst mask of all time? It hides absolutely none of her features.

Well the eyeholes usually aren't that wide, but that is really bad. It's kind of weird, knowing that's one of Bolland's, but well.

[Lunal]

Originally Posted by WorstThingUS

The irony of that statement is that without nostalgia she wouldn't exist to begin with.

Which imho is why Helena B sucks. She literally only exists due to nostalgia. At least the original one had something vaguely interesting about her origin.

[thor25]

And what's wrong with Ivory Madison? I thought she did a good job on the Year One mini. Well, except for the romance sub-plot. And Batman's characterization. And the Catwoman/Huntress interaction. And the small continuity screw ups. Alright, pretty much half the series. But it's not like Madison's getting anymore Huntress projects, is she?

well she manifiest interes in the original huntress in one interview. Besides she made the current huntress like a helena wayne wanabe.. just check the last panel of the mini.
seriously, i wonder why is so hard created a direct off spring of bruce and selina.