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INTRODUCTION
I've always been fascinated by the relationship between
Batman and Catwoman in Batman Returns. Here we have the strangest
of couples. As the Bat and Cat they fight viciously, all the while
feeling an “animal attraction” to one another. As Bruce Wayne and Selina
Kyle, they also find themselves with undeniable romantic feelings.
Everything comes together near the end of the movie when they reveal their
identities to each other. By then, though, Selina has descended into
madness, and she electrocutes the man who tried to kill her before
disappearing altogether. We are left with her last words to Bruce that
she'd love to come live with him, but she couldn't live with herself and
the film’s final image of a reintegrated Catwoman watching the Bat-signal
shine in the Gotham night sky.
Catwoman never resurfaced in any subsequent Batman film, so we have a
lack of closure for this very intriguing couple. Given some time
apart to think things over, what would two people with dual
identities and attractions do next? I think they would each realize at
some point that the attraction will not go away and maybe, just maybe,
they can find a way to make such a crazy relationship work since they are
so alike. At the very least, it would probably occur to them to give it a
try after the dust settles.
I
imagine myself as the creator of a weekly dramatic Batman series
subsequent to Returns, and these stories are my episodes. I
incorporate many concepts and themes from Batman comics, other movies, and
animated series, but the world of Burton’s films is my starting point, for
better or worse. I seek to retain the dark, serious feel of those films
while discarding their more bizarre elements and applying my own spin.
My first story, Catwoman Returns (the title seems
logical, if not original), takes place 1 1/2 years after Batman Returns.
It brings their relationship to a less abrupt, more natural point.
They’re still not together (that’s what sequels are for), but the
conclusion flows and seems more satisfying than the movie’s ending.
Catwoman’s origin in the comics and graphic novels has
changed many times, often in contradictory ways, so it’s like a jump ball
for a storyteller. Because Tim Burton’s depiction of Selina as a mousy
secretary who becomes the brazen feline after her boss tries to murder her
is not popular with fans, I try to focus on what she did after
becoming Catwoman. Although my stories are based in the Burton universe,
her origins are not as important to my interpretation. Suffice it to say,
she’s got a murky past.
Batman source material is not my only inspiration. From
Mission: Impossible and Wild Wild West to James Bond and
Miami Vice, my stories contain many nods to the TV shows and movies
which influenced me over the years.
All in all, it’s really a kick to get inside these
characters’ heads. My “personal canon” is not to everyone’s taste, of
course, but for those who catch the vision, I do hope you enjoy the
journey with me.
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