@ Paula G: Really? You think that Selina is intelligent? As compared to the last 10 years of her characterization? I’d love to hear you flesh out this opinion, as quite honestly, I don’t understand it at all.

Dear Judd: I’m sorry we’re all dumping on you. It’s, well, it’s not just you, as much as this is a bigger problem that you happen to have drank the kool-aid of. Maybe it’s time to relook at some of your go-to characterizations when it comes to women? I felt like you got it right in the recent JLI; to be honest, I wish you were still writing JLI now. I loved what you did with all of them, and I kinda miss your spin of them after reading the new #1.

DC, can we get Judd back on JLI? He was really rocking that. Seriously.

Why would I buy a comic for it’s sexy scenes when I can get any, ANY flavor of porn off the internet FOR FREE?

Also, watch your backs, DC; that flamboyant gay male character you are getting ready to launch in Teen Titans is going to majorly backfire.
You may want to rethink what you have coming out of his mouth before GLADD nails you for perpetuating homosexual stereotypes. By the way, People have noticed the way you crapped all over Creote in Suicide Squad #1. I hope it was a ruse and that you’re planning on bringing him back as a strong character for the team. Otherwise, you’ve just gotten rid of another well-rounded male gay character in your stable. Aren’t reboots supposed to correct the crap but leave the good stuff standing?

Speaking of Creote, why does it always seem that anything amazing that Gail Simone has taken the time to build is always kicked over like a sand castle at a beach? Sooner or later, everything she creates is devalued.

I’d love it if Gail would branch out on her own and start a new line of comics that do what she does so well, for all characters. Cheesecake with fleshed-out depth of character is where it’s at.

Kate Beaton also drew a nice satire on the same theme:
http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=311

I quote Shana Mlawski: I think the major problem here is that women were clamoring for “strong female characters,” and male writers misunderstood. They thought the feminists meant [Strong Female] Characters. The feminists meant [Strong Characters], Female.

You seem to be under the same misapprehension, as your defense of them being strong characters is that they “will kick ass”, when what I hoped for was a complex, believable character with depth. Ans Catwoman #1 is less about Catwoman as a person than about the shape of her breasts.

Also: it’s never the male characters who wear next to nothing, and stand around in contorted poses to display their “playful sexuality”. The constant sexual objectification of women in comics gets really tiresome and embarrassing.

RE: Starfire, she’s still kicks ass and I would think that she, too, is being set up for further development.

If both writers drop the ball then maybe some of these complaints will make more sense but, until then, I think these comments reflect people’s lack of comfort with their (or others’) sexuality. I’m dismissing most men’s comments outright; I don’t think they’re in a position to determine if women choosing to have sex with whomever they want is sexist or not. However, I’d be interested in learning WHY some women think only men want to see women having sex with whomever they choose (btw, I’ve never fantasized about a woman I’m sleeping with having sex with another man; that’s more like a nightmare to me). I’m wondering if these judgments are based on assumptions about where the writers are coming from (based on their experience with men), rather than on the actual content.

In fact, Marvel took it a step further–they gave the Spider-Man/ Black Cat physical relationship a strange kinky twist where Felicia Hardy wasn’t sexually attracted to Peter…but when he put the mask back on…she got hot.

Now, I’m sorry, but, is this depiction degrading? I would have said “yes” 20 years ago–but, in this day and age, where women are capable of being assertive in our culture…Batman and Catwoman…are equals and they can do what they want to…if you don’t like the book or you don’t agree with the depiction–speak with your wallet and find something new to read.

And yes, this needs to be linked to again and again:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine

AS A WOMAN, I will certainly be buying again now that this comic is no longer an insult to women or to Selina. Well done, Mr. Winnick. Selina is intelligent and sexy as she should be. Those that have been brainwashed by the last 10 years of hackery can probably never be reclaimed but now the rest of the world can see who Catwoman is supposed to be. Bravo sir.

However, he’s really pandering here and took a strong female character that a lot of women admired and turned her into a blow-up doll fantasy-version for geeky guys. Sure a couple women here and there are going to think this new version of Selina is great, but the vast majority of women do not like being objectified and treated like a pair of tits and a vagina.

Jan, you’re dead on with your comment and it’s so frustrating to me that people think the folks upset are only upset at that last scene. I couldn’t care less if Batman and Catwoman have sex. Actually it makes sense that they do. What I *do* care about is that they turned Catwoman into a character that is only there to show her boobs and screw Batman.

No, it isn’t. It’s a Catwoman for 1993, and the slobs who loved the bubblebabes of CrossGen Comics. It’s a Victoria’s Secret ad for fratboys during The Game: slick, slinky, stupid.

The real Catwoman of 2011 would be the CATWOMAN comics of 2001 by Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke. That Selina actually did what you think you’re doing. She was street-smart, mature, complex, bad-ass, and in control of her sensuality. Her hardboiled stories were sharp, insightful, and based on her mind and skills instead of her curves. She also had kinky sex often with Batman. But those night moves actually expressed her maturity and sexual freedom in all the ways that your juvenile fantasy doesn’t.*

(*Readers: check out the graphic novel, SELINA’S BIG SCORE, and the first two years of CATWOMAN (2001).)

You’re getting CATWOMAN as completely wrong as you are getting BATWING right. You have it in you to do better.

BATWOMAN is the real hero for 2011. Smart fans, buy that book instead…and send DC the message where they really understand it.

In my experience some women like porn (I had a couple of girlfriends who did) and many (like my wife) do not. I’ve known women who enjoy being exhibitionists … sometimes (like my wife). Some have fantasies that absolutely would horrify if written by a man and published as a comic (I’m referring to one of the GFs who liked porn). Just because these comics aren’t to your (not just yours, Jill, anyone’s) taste doesn’t mean they don’t resonate with somebody else as fun escapism (COMIC BOOKS!!!!), and the sexual proclivities in both comics fall well within my realm of experience (which is to say I don’t think they’ve very unusual, even if they’re not, strictly speaking, the norm).

If more people were complaining about Catwoman’s constant state of undress I’d have less to say about it, although the dramatic impact of facing down trouble while in your skivvies really does resonate with me (I often worry about how I’m gonna dress in time to defend my family if anyone ever breaks in) and, y’know, I wouldn’t expect Selina to wear an ex’s boxers and tee shirt.

The problem with this title as most of you people seem to be MISSING is that Catwoman ISN’T IN IT! She’s nothing more than a BLOW UP DOLL for Batman. She’s not fleshed out, she’s not given realistic motivations, hell.. she’s not even remotely upset that her apartment was just firebombed AGAIN. Nope, all she cares about is showing of her TITS AND BUTT and screwing Batman. That’s what we’ve told NEW READERS to Catwoman. Because as far as MOST people are concerned, there wasn’t a Catwoman before now (and DC is portraying it like that as well). There has never been a Catwoman until now.. so forget Hush forget any past stories you want to bring up because they don’t appear to have HAPPENED. Instead, all that’s appeared is a woman that is created to SATISFY the male readers and not a REAL human being. That is sad and it’s pathetic. It’s horrible that DC allowed such garbage to be published. Look, if they want to write to make the new TAROT, that’s FINE.. but DON’T CALL IT CATWOMAN and have enough decency to WARN us that it’s going to be nothing more than a soft-core porn mag.