Years after she first emerged from the Batcave, Batwoman is coming out of the closet. DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year.
The 5-foot-10 superhero comes with flowing red hair, knee-high red boots with spiked heels, and a form-fitting black outfit.
''We decided to give her a different point of view,'' explained Dan DiDio, vice president and executive editor at DC. ''We wanted to make her a more unique personality than others in the Bat-family. That's one of the reasons we went in this direction.''
The original Batwoman was started in 1956, and killed off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original alter ego, Kathy Kane. And the new Batwoman arrives with ties to others in the Gotham City world.
''She's a socialite from Gotham high society,'' DiDio said. ''She has some past connection with Bruce Wayne. And she's also had a past love affair with one of our lead characters, Renee Montoya.''
Montoya, in the ''52'' comic book series, is a former police detective. Wayne, of course, is Batman's true identity -- but he has disappeared, along with Superman and Wonder Woman, leaving Gotham a more dangerous place.