#brucestalia

superhero media, whether it be marvel or dc has been a huge part of me & who i am. i’ve been seeing superhero mount rushmore discourse a lot lately, i figured i’d give my two cents !!

the reason i’m so into characters like talia al ghul (as you all might know 😭) & lois lane (i seldom talk about her on this blog but i do love her) is because of the unfortunate lack of female representation among “popular” superheroes. i believe wonder woman belongs on that mountain, yes, but i was never quite able to connect with her. as a young girl. batman and superman seemed much cooler in comparison, and slowly it grew harder for me to see myself as a totally-awesome-amazonian-warrior-princess.

characters like lois lane were much more relatable to me. i mean, who doesn’t want to be an amazing journalist that changes the world? that was something i realistically (silly, i know) resigned myself to achieving. characters like talia appealed to me because of her heritage, and characters like selina kyle showed me a whole new way of being. in a world where i could be anything, i wanted nothing more than to be them.

but in a way, that meant i could never see myself as a superhero.

diana prince is not any lesser. i feel like people too often gloss over her character due to her being “too perfect” or the cliche “girl on the team”. it is undeniable that she paved the way for female superheroes before the MCU or anything. put some respect on her name. she deserves a spot in the same ways that batman, superman or spider-man do. its great that there are more female superheroes now, more role models for people to look up to! however, WW was where it started. it is high time we pay more attention to her character :) she deserves it.

as far as i know, there are no widely known or publicly documented instances of morrison engaging in outward/direct racism or sexism outside of their comics. i am, by no means, an expert on the topic, because i have not interacted with anything primarily morrison-related in a loooong time.

most discussions of such issues tend to focus on problematic themes, depictions, or tropes in their writing (of which morrison does have a lot 😭) rather than their personal actions or statements in real life.

[ trigger warning for rape going forward ]

Kibbles ‘n’ Bits 12/15/14: What Grant Morrison has to say about diversity is like a unicorn

Q: I love that the first issue of “The Multiversity” is full of people of color, from black superheroes and politicians to aboriginal gods and gay geeks. Why did you do this, and does it have anything to do with the super-white superheroes who have made the jump from comics to film and TV?

A: To be honest, it happened quite naturally and wasn’t something I did consciously. A couple of characters were ones I’d created for “Final Crisis” and others were new, but all of them were introduced to play specific roles in the story and it wasn’t until I’d finished writing the first issue that I realized my team of superpowerful, multiversal justice champions didn’t include a single straight white man.

I live in a world defined by a diversity of skin color, sexual orientation and opinion. I think it’s important to reflect the influence of that world in my “art.” An accident of birth has made me what I am — a middle-aged and obviously decaying white dude from the west of Scotland — so I’d never presume to elect myself a spokesperson for any minority or group. I’m not trying to make political points here but I do feel it’s important to reflect a world in the comic books that more closely approximates the world in which I find myself living. And basically, I identify with everyone who ever felt like an outsider.

22/08/11 Grant Morrison Talks Straight about Superhero Sexism and the ‘Death Spiral’ of Comic Books

Comics sales are so low, people are willing to try anything these days. It's just plummeting... There's a real feeling of things just going off the rails, to be honest. Superhero comics. The concept is quite a ruthless concept, and it's moved on, and it's kind of abandoned, the first-stage rocket... and moving on to movies, where it can be more powerful, more effective.

It's hard to tell because most men try to avoid misogyny, really they do, in this world we live in today. It's hard for me to believe that a shy bespectacled college graduate like Brad Meltzer who's a novelist and a father is a really setting out to be weirdly misogynistic. But unfortunately when you're looking at this beloved character who's obviously been a**-r*ped on the Justice League satellite, even saying it kind of takes you to that dot dot dot where you don't know what else to say.

I pick [an issue of Marvelman] up and there are fucking two rapes in it and I suddenly think how many times has somebody been raped in an Alan Moore story? And I couldn't find a single one where someone wasn't raped except for Tom Strong, which I believe was a pastiche. We know Alan Moore isn't a misogynist but fuck, he's obsessed with rape. I managed to do thirty years in comics without any rape!

in fact, in morrison's public statements, they are very eager to express their commitment to diversity and inclusivity in their work. whether or not that has been applied to their writing...? that is the question.

contrasting grant's views against, for instance, wonder woman: earth one (a graphic novel aimed to revisit wonder woman's feminist origins, with an all-male creative team...) which was criticised for its less-than-progressive depiction of women throughout. it also involved steve trevor, a black man in this version, washing up on the shores of themyscira, clad in chains, which was deemed as controversial in its reception.

there's also their take on judge dredd built on just incredibly orientalist tropes about egyptian culture and hindu practices, which was absolutely offensive and lacked any authenticity. very exoticised.

in inferno, morrison introduces us to an indian character named judge bhaji, which roughly translates to.....judge curry.

bhaji (😭) is a shamanic figure of psychic/spiritual wisdom spouting off random tidbits of hindu myth references.

It’s shallow caricature and stereotyping that is tiresome in its lack of any real truth. It all feels deeply…white, and perhaps if one were being impossibly generous- tokenistic at best, but really in all honestly…downright insulting or fetishistic.

morrison has also made it clear that they don't like the al ghuls. their characterisation of ra's and talia has been nothing short of racist and orientalist.

while it is often argued that the drastic changes to talia's character were made in continuance with death and the maidens, it was never mentioned by morrison. it wasn't done to make characters like selina look better either, because his works weren't very well-received by catwoman's fanbase, too. there were only two reasons: namely, misogyny and racism.

this personal bias is made somewhat worse by the fact that they drew upon their parents' divorce for inspiration in writing talia's story with bruce and damian.

"I wanted Batman to be a lot more withheld and a lot more repressed. I don't like the idea of Batman weeping because I think he's the sort of man who turns tragedy into action," Morrison admits.

there is also this, which has been my biggest quip with their characterisation of batman. it contributes to the one-dimensional perspective of his character. strong or weak, a father or a son, a man should be allowed to feel. he should be allowed to grieve. especially when grant has previously referred to batman as a two-dimensional character themselves.

what causes this apparent disconnect between the writer's views and work? is the art separated from the artist? is the artist separated from the art?

as always, if there are any corrections to be made, or anything of note that should be added, please let me know.

Thanks! ❤️

no worries at all! thank you for the ask <3

selina was one of the first dc characters i was introduced to! i was really young at the time and immediately felt a connection to her—to me, she was everything a girl could ever hope to be 😭 it was incredibly empowering, in a sense. she was confident, independent, and had this effortless charm that made her stand out from everyone else. i think that really stuck with me.

i was never an avid batcat shipper, but i never hated the ship either—i guess i just couldn’t get into it 💀 like, i’m not opposed to batcat content, but i’d rather see something else, something that really interests me. i feel like that’s just how everyone is with ships, right? 😭 sometimes, you just want to see a different dynamic, even if you appreciate the original.

then dc bombshells came along in 2015. it had such a great setting and featured so many of my favourite female characters. growing up as an only child in a religious household, i had a very sheltered upbringing and little to no understanding of queerness or same-sex relationships. mari and shiera really changed that for me. i started to understand that what kate kane (& numerous other characters, of course - especially the amazons) shared with renee and maggie was also love. it wasn’t just subtext or a side story—it was real, and it mattered.

and that’s when i started seeing kate and selina in a different light.

katelina became my first fanon/semi-canon ship! maybe it was just because i wanted a fresh pairing, or maybe there’s a deeper reason i still don’t fully understand. but something about them just clicked for me. the idea of these two powerful, confident women—both so different yet strangely complementary—felt like it had so much potential.

ultimately, i’m much more involved in brutalia/talia, but selina/katelina will always be something close to my heart. it’s one of those ships that just stuck with me, even if my main focus has shifted.

selina is one of bruce’s most constant love interests, and nothing will change that. it’s the direction dc has taken for decades. everyone is free to like what they like. if my take on batcat sounds a bit biased, it’s because i have a personal reason for it 😭 i’m not here to argue about what’s “right” or “canon”—it’s just my perspective.

bruce wayne ship wars are pointless. he’s a dynamic character. writers change, things change. what doesn’t change is that all of his partners occupy an important place in his life.

selina is important to him, whether they are together or not, as a friend and an ally. talia is important to him in the same ways, and she will always be the mother of his son. that’s something that deserves respect, no matter how people feel about the ship.

anyways, i’ll get to the point. i’m fairly new to being active in fandom spaces on the internet, so i just wanted to make sure nothing gets lost in translation 😭

catwoman 2002-2008 (ed brubaker)

Brubaker was offered to write Catwoman by editor Matt Idelson after Idelson asked him for his opinion on the series at the time, which Brubaker thought was "kind of insulting to women readers" after having read advance copies of the comic which featured Catwoman in "naked shower fights", mentioning that he preferred Catwoman in the 1960s and 1970s comics as well as in Batman: Year One, and suggested to Idelson to take the character back to her "East End roots" while incorporating the "classiness of the high-society thief".

In writing Catwoman, Brubaker considered the character's background and motivations of having been an orphaned child "raised in the system in the worst conditions" and "ended up on the streets", and thought of her compassion for "other people like her", "people who the system doesn't care about, the cops don't care about and who, really, Batman doesn't care about", establishing it as the foundation for the character's stories. In the book's first issue, Catwoman, having seen the police's disregard for the series of murders of prostitutes, declares, "I will speak for them. Because no one else will."

catwoman 2011-2016 (new 52) (judd winnick) - especially issues #35-46. the earlier issues do contain batcat, but it shifts focus to exploring selina as a leader and strategist.

catwoman: when in rome (2004-2005) (jeph loeb) - a noir-inspired story set in italy, following selina as she investigates her origins and connections to the falcone family. batman is absent, except in her thoughts/dreams.

selina's big score (2002) (darwyn cooke) - this is the prequel to cooke and brubaker’s catwoman relaunch. it takes place before catwoman vol 3 #1, after selina getting declared dead in the end of catwoman vol 2 #94. it is entirely about selina, catwoman scarcely shows up, only for a few panels, and in the form of a flashback.

That said the story itself if about Selina getting back on her feet and finding the funds to restart her life.

Cooke creates a vivid enough underground world to see where Selina learned her skills and has friends. That said the book is very classic noir with as many of the recycled clichés that comes with it. The thief brought back in, the person with an inside hook up, the friendly and tired fence just looking out for old friends, the suave hired gun, mob money, and of course the PI just looking to save the girl. The story focuses on building a team for the heist and then its execution. It is just a marvelous tale about the criminals that the DC superheroes seem to miss as they are out saving the planet and people trying to do what ever they can for a better life.

catwoman: lonely city (2021-2022) (cliff chiang) - a miniseries set in the future where an older selina returns to gotham after years in prison. batman is dead, and the story focuses entirely on selina’s journey.

Ten years ago, the massacre known as Fools’ Night claimed the lives of Batman, The Joker, Nightwing, and Commissioner Gordon…and sent Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, to prison. A decade later, Gotham has grown up—it’s put away costumed heroism and villainy as childish things. The new Gotham is cleaner, safer…and a lot less free, under the watchful eye of Mayor Harvey Dent and his Batcops. It’s into this new city that Selina Kyle returns, a changed woman…with her mind on that one last big score: the secrets hidden inside the Batcave! She doesn’t need the money—she just needs to know…who is “Orpheus?”

catwoman: guardian of gotham (1999) (doug moenech) - an elseworlds story where selina is gotham’s main vigilante, and protects the city from the psychotic batman.

batman/catwoman special (2022) (tom king) - while this is tied to king's batcat run, reading it is entirely avoidable. it shows readers the romance between bruce and selina as it changed over the years, offering a glance into her earliest days, to her entry into the criminal underworld.

catwoman (1989) (mindy newell) - this four-issue miniseries marks catwoman's first solo title, delving into her origin story and establishing her as a standalone character.

Catwoman Vol 1 is a four-issue mini-series published in 1989, written by Mindy Newell and illustrated by Joe Brozowski. It established a new origin for Catwoman, based upon the earlier work by Frank Miller in Batman: Year One. As such, it is a departure from the classic Catwoman and introduces a new version of the character for the Post-Crisis continuity. The series has been collected under the title Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper.

Elements from this series have been referenced in other runs, such as the introduction of Selina Kyle's sister in Joëlle Jones's Catwoman run.

catwoman: election night (2017) (meredith finch) - a one-shot issue where selina kyle becomes involved in the political scene of gotham city

It's mayoral election time in Gotham City, and while the city is up in arms, Catwoman couldn't care less! But when the candidates get personal, the Feline Fatale decides to get involved-much to the detriment of...well, everyone!

catwoman: soulstealer (2018) (sarah j maas) - a young adult graphic novel that reimagines selina kyle's story. it is the third novel in the dc icons series. the dc icons novels retell the stories of renowned dc heroes in their adolescence before they become a superhero.

catwoman (2018–present) (joëlle jones and others) - an ongoing series starring catwoman. it began in 2018, following the canceled wedding of catwoman and batman in batman vol 3 #50.

catwoman 80th anniversary 100-page super spectacular (2020) - an anthology celebrating catwoman's legacy. a must-read for fans of the character.