Where Do I Start With... Catwoman

Who?

A Batman villain almost as old as the Joker, Selina Kyle first caught the Dark Knight's eye as Catwoman in 1940 (initially known as simply "The Cat"), and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane.

Over the years, she eventually evolved into an on-again/off-again love interest and femme fatale type for the Batman, and is now something of an anti-villain, occasionally starring in her own spin-off series.

She remains one of the most famous Bat-villains and has appeared in various media adaptations, played by many different actresses, including: Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather, Eartha Kitt, Michelle Pfeiffer, Adrienne Barbeau, Halle Berry, Gina Gershon, and (soon) Anne Hathaway.

Okay, so where do I start?

Catwoman can be found in quite a few Batman stories, such as Year One, The Bat and the Cat, Cataclysm, War Games, and Life After Death. But I think that her best portrayals in the Bat-world come at the hands of writer Jeph Loeb.

In The Long Halloween and Dark Victory, he gives us the schoolyard flirting between Batman and Catwoman, as well as between Bruce and Selina, very much in the vein of old black-and-white noir romances. Then in Hush we are treated to a noticeably more mature example of their relationship.

Loeb also wrote Catwoman: When in Rome as something of a side-bar to Dark Victory, which should be read first.

If you're looking to see Selina as something more than just a bit player, however, then there's her much-praised spin-off series, starting with The Dark End of the Street.

I'm sure that, with the recent film announcement, DC will very probably be reprinting many of these stories, as well as treating us to a "best of" collection at some point.

What next?

Catwoman is currently one of the main characters in Gotham City Sirens, written by Paul Dini, in which she shares a house with fellow Bat-villainesses Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

Although it's technically not comics, if you haven't seen any of the immortal Batman: The Animated Series, you should definitely check that out. They portray Catwoman, and the other characters, perfectly.

Hope this has helped. Suggestions always welcome. This article has claws.