#win mortimer

Batman #45, February-March 1948. Win Mortimer cover pencils & inks, Ira Schnapp letters.

From Adventure Comics #381 (1969) by Cary Bates & Win Mortimer

DETECTIVE COMICS (vol. 1) #211 (September, 1954). Cover by Win Mortimer and Ira Schnapp.

This was the final appearance of Catwoman in the Golden Age. There has been a lot of discussion that this was because of the Comics Code Authority. But DC was already complying with most of what the Comics Code required already.

However, Dr. Fredric Wertham (BOO!) with his infamous book, Seduction of the Innocent, got the attention of the U.S. Senate. And Wertham had a mad-on for Catwoman because she rarely was punished for her crimes, "is vicious and uses a whip," and contributed to the homosexual undertones of Batman comics.

Now, the last thing DC wanted was the government getting involved and dictating what they could put in their books. So Catwoman was shuffled off to limbo , only appearing once in a single reprinted story in 1965.

Then 1966 and the live-action Batman television series took the world by storm, featuring Julie Newmar as Catwoman. DC figured they had no choice but to bring her back in the comics, which they did.

In Lois Lane's comic book, of all places:

SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE (vol. 1) #70 (November, 1966). Cover by Kurt Schaffenberger.

That's right: Catwoman didn't make her return in BATMAN or DETECTIVE COMICS - where, one could logically argue, she belonged - until later.

You can get the book HERE!