With Bruce Wayne getting set soon to walk down the aisle with Selina Kyle in comics after years of the two being an on/off couple , this thread will look at the many short term loves of Batman. With over 80 years of history its almost like every decade writers would introduce a love interest in the comics and they'd fade from view. So decade by decade , gonna run down the MANY LOVES OF BATMAN.




Vicky Vale : 1st appearance : Batman #49

Perhaps the 1st romantic interest of Bruce Wayne , the character was a newspaper reporter who debuted way back in 1948. The idea of the character was basically another Lois Lane type. Who for a number of years was out to prove that Bruce Wayne was Batman. And each story would end with Bruce fooling her. Anyhow for the next decade she'd keep that status.

However by 1964 Julius Schwartz became editor of Batman titles and decided to drop a bunch of golden age characters like Vale , Batwoman and others. Of course by 1964 Vale had been eclipsed by the character below this as Batman's potential love interest for awhile.

Vale of course wouldn't disappear for good as she'd return to the Batman books for good by 1980's (they ignored a story where she had married in 1970's). New editors decided to reinstate that relationship with Bruce Wayne and then the Crisis on Infinite Earths arrived which changed some things. Then once the Batman film in 1989 was released DC seemed ready to maximize on that big screen couple by having the two back in a relationship. Of course by Batman #475 however they pulled the plug on it as they had Bruce refuse to reveal his secret identity and Vale would disappear again for a number of years til the 2000's. Since then she's been a minor supporting character and the 2 haven't had a relationship since.


MY TAKE : Vale was more or less a Lois Lane rip off and numerous attempts to change her character (she hosted a radio show , she hosted a TV show etc) hasn't really changed that. Also as a reader Vale always came across as demanding even by the 1980's standards and wanting more from Bruce Wayne than what he was capable of doing. Her being phased out off and on makes sense.





BATWOMAN (Kathy Kane) - 1st Apparance : Detective Comics #233

Kathy Kane was introduced in the wake of the 1950's hearings on comics and the editors ideas to create a Batman family of characters to appeal to a wider audience. Kane was nearly like Batman and compared to him as a fighter then. She also had her own version of the utility belt in her purse with female objects that she used (lipstick , mirror etc). Kane became a favorite for the writers at the time and even married Batman in a story above. Replacing the Vicky Vale relationship pretty much awhile.

But like above mentioned Schwartz decided to make her character disappear as he felt she didn't fit in the comics he wanted to do. Her character would be eclipsed soon enough by Batgirl in popularity and Batwoman for over a decade never appeared again until Batman Family. Then in Detective Comics #485 , editor Denny O'Neil allowed the character to be killed off. Saying that they had Batgirl and really didn't need a Batwoman in the comics.

For over 30+ years the character was gone from comics and it wasn't til Grant Morrison reintroduced Kathy Kane into the Post Crisis DCU. In fact Morrison revealed that Kathy and Bruce were a couple for a short while and she was his aunt by marriage (Ok , we really didn't need that) . But then in his last issue of Batman Inc. , he revealed she had faked her death and was working for a spy agency called Spyral. The character would appear in Grayson as a spy for awhile. But her relationship is written as having ended early in Batman's career.


MY TAKE : I don't really have that many issues of Batman where Batwoman appeared. So I can't judge this. But I can see where Schwartz wanted to do his Batman and why characters were dropped.




Talia al Ghul : 1st Appearance : Detective Comics #411

Talia would debut in May 1971 and reintroduce a more deadly threat as a love interest than Bruce Wayne ever had. As the great Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams run did they introduced a more serious darker Batman after so many years of the 1966 TV series plus a bigger new threat in Ra's al Ghul. The daughter of the demon was a skilled assassin who her father wanted her to have a skilled warrior and fighter as his heir to run the League of Assassin's.

While for years Talia and Bruce did have feelings for each other , Bruce would resist them since he did not believe in Ra's mission to wipe out half of humanity and become its ruler. Talia would appear on and off for years , with even Dick Grayson questioning why Bruce would continue to associate with her in one issue. Knowing the answer all too well.

By the late 1980's an imaginary story called "Son of the Demon" would have Talia and Bruce finally marry and her get pregnant with his child. Talia however is attacked by rival assassins and Bruce fights them off. She decides she can't rely on Bruce to protect her forever and fakes a miscarriage. This has the marriage end and Talia later gives the baby up for birth. In this continuity the baby would go onto being in The Kingdom and "Son of the Bat" one shot.

Talia would appear in cartoons , movies and video games as the relationship was played up there. In the 2000's , the character would get a big change as the "Son of the Demon" was placed in continuity as Grant Morrison revealed that Talia and Bruce did have a relationship and had a child (unknown to him). Using part of Son of the Demon , Morrison had Talia keep the child and made him a skilled warrior at a young age. Allowing Bruce to take him and let him have his destiny next to his father.

Since then Talia still has feelings (among the fighting she's done against Batman at times lol) for him and had Catwoman fight her to prove she deserved him. At the end she gave her blessing for it.


MY TAKE : I always enjoyed the Talia issues and how she'd make Batman really question what he really wanted and why he couldn't. Her character personally for me is better than Ra's as she has a more bigger connection to Bruce. As their child connects them and the fact they have clashed a couple times over what she has planned.



END OF PART #1 ..... PART #2 is coming . So hold off replies til then ok....I wanna do both parts and have it done ok.