What Catwoman Needs in her Arsenal and Costume

[Huntsman1117]

The world is a much dangerous place in these days. So here are a few things Catwoman should use (and a few things she should not use) as a comic hero or villain (or something in-between):

A: She needs something spikey & sharp on her knuckles and boot tips... As a cat living in a dog-eat-dog world, Catwoman would benefit from having something sharp to inflict more damage to her punches & kicks. Not necessarily something huge like Wolverine claws, but something small & spikey that would inflict a bit more damage, and benefit her while climbing & falling.

B: Something on the end of her whip other than a small string or "cracker" to make her whip crack sound louder. Her whip needs to do more damage and have better grappling ability. Having something like small knots, steel balls (stop what you're thinking), or star-like objects on the tip of the whip strands would help. (But not limited to those suggestions)

C: A small bit of armor. Even a little bit would help.

D: Some type of gas or spray. It's a thing that felines do. Have you ever experienced the bad sensations of cat spray, catnip, or cat litter? It can be atrocious. Even skunks are feline, and their spray is intolerable. I'm not saying make Catwoman disgusting. But some type of spray or gas would be beneficial. She actually used something like this in last month's issue of Catwoman. Even pepper spray would work for her.

E: Running shoes/foot covering that are light-weight and have cushioned, no-slip soles. A must for anyone climbing, running, fighting, and performing acrobatics quietly; aka, a must for any cat-burglar.

F: NO breakable goggles. The glass can impair vision. And when broken (as we've often seen in recent years) the shards of glass can cut into the wearer's eyes.

G: NO belt. It subtracts from Catwoman's feline silhouette appearance. Her outfit should be as accentuous and sleek as possible with very little obstructing her figure as possible. That's just the way it is. Felines are smooth, sleek creatures, and rely on being soft, sleek, lightweight, and flexible figures.

H: DO give her subtle, form-fitting, built-in pockets & attachments to use to carry & hide her accessories. For example: remember how Catwoman's whip easily attached to her thigh in Arkham City? And also think of the pockets Jean Grey had on her thighs in the 90"s. You dont have to have belts & straps in order to carry weapons and accessories. Catwoman would be more sleek without the belts & straps.She used to tuck her suppiles in her opera gloves & thigh-high boots in the 90's. That was okay. But in these modern times, I think Catwoman can use something both more modern, more form-fitting, and more practical than what's been used before.

[The_Greatest_Username]

I'd just go with this:



Just replace the gun with a whip and add some claws to her gloves. Part of what I like about Catwoman is that she doesn't rely on all the gadgets that Batman does, so I'd like to see it kept that way.

[BatGlamorous]

Yes to all of this. Hathoway's getup + a proper cowl would be ideal.

Rebirth could be an opportunity to finally ditch Cooke's design after so many years, but I don't think it's going to happen.

[DevilBat66]

If they had to change I'd rather have the purple leotard back. It was a cool costume. I really liked seeing it again during Convergence.

Joe_DeVito_05.jpg

[godisawesome]

I may have gone a little overboard on this challenge, but....

I like to think that Catwoman's suit should embrace utility and aesthetics the same way Batman's does; they want the gear to match their goals and MOs, but are willing to sacrifice some minor practicality, like urban camo, for a projection of an image they want others to see. However, there are three factors that I think should play a part in differentiating their suits:

1. Batman's a ninja commando, so he needs armor and a plethora of weaponry and gear. Catwoman's a thief; while gadgets and tools are still important, so is speed and lightness, so she'd have less arms and armament than Batman.

2. Batman's attempting to promote an image of terror and fear, a very inhuman monster like aesthetic comes into play. Thus his cowl has a sleekness to the ears to make them look a bit more grotesque, and the white lenses serve to make him demonic. Catwoman, however, wants a suit that would allow her to be a little flirtatious and glamorous, in part to allow her to use her wiles on targets (and Batman) and to walk the thin line between being able to hang with the freaks and weirdos while also being able to seem less dangerous to gun-toting cops and civilians.

3. Batman's got the resources to integrate all his tech and armor into a single suit; Catwoman, even when well off, doesn't have those resources. There should be a little bit more individuality to each component of her gear, as well as a bit of mundane appearance to at least a few pieces.

So...

Here's my two part Catwoman redesign, inspired in part by Injustice's designs.
image.jpgimage.jpg
I like the purple suit and dress look, so I wanted to make sure that was in the design, but I also liked the idea that she's added some of the ensemble to what was originally a very practical suit. So she's got a short, very much customized jacket she can put on and take off depending on the temperature; with it on she has more of the 90's look, while without she had one of her 60's designs being homaged. Both still show some elements of the biker look she's had for awhile, including the popped collar.

Tying into her look, I know that there seems to be a split between fans of short-haired Catwoman, pixie cut Catwoman, and long haired Catwoman. So, I figure she's actually got very short hair, and she likes to use wigs both in civilian disguise (she's part conwoman, remember) and to both increase her disguise as Catwoman and just for the fun of changing her look. I even figure that, if she really wants to mess with her victims, she might have different makeup on between disguises. She's a woman who enjoys being the Queen of Thieves in Gotham, and she has no problem with people talking about her looks.

Her belt is mostly fashionable; she's got two types of backpacks to haul loot and larger tools. However, the belt is a utility belt; the circles can form suction cups or listening cups for safe cracking.

Speaking of safe cracking: her claws don't retract here. Instead, they flip up, serving one delicate purpose (pickpocketing and safe cracking) and one brutal one (forming brass knuckles.) Basically, she should be able to switch between clawing someone or something to punching them down.

Finally, I've given her two trophies/loot that she's taken from Batman. On one wrist, she's got some bedazzled Bat-cuffs; this is mostly a psychological method of both tainting Batman and keeping herself encouraged, since they both have a constant reminder that she can escape him, and that he's human. I figure she would try and make him seem completely human to herself by mocking his tools; she's fought him enough to know his mostly inhuman will power and downright implausible capabilities and wants to keep him an equal in her eyesight. Plus, they are handy cuffs she can put on a cop or criminal (or Batman himself) if she needs too. And finally, she's got the 90's wrist mounted grappling claw, though I figure she either stole it from Batman or recieved it from him for a mission he sent her on.

[TsukiSentinel]

I thought her Injustice outfit was awful. It was so practical she looked ridiculous.

Personally, her outfit should be iconic. So I vote for the the classic purple:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Nightwing_Vol_2_52

[vitaminbee]

I don't want to see a purple outfit for her. Keep it dark so she can hide/not grab peoples attention. The suit should be sleek and not too heavy on equipment. Add what's necessary. She could possibly benefit from something like Black Widow's wrist cuffs. No heels, no whip hanging from a clip on her leg (like in Arkham, it creates an AWFUL silhouette).

[billee0918]

I'd just go with this:



Just replace the gun with a whip and add some claws to her gloves. Part of what I like about Catwoman is that she doesn't rely on all the gadgets that Batman does, so I'd like to see it kept that way.

Thisssss!!!

[Huntsman1117]

What about a color purple that is so dark, it's almost black?
Godisawesome, your designs are pretty good too.
I also hated her Injustice costume. So do my friends.
I'm somewhat neutral about Anne's costume. It works as a modern day Julie Newmar look. The goggles are cool, as are the metal stilettos, but they are way too unrealistic. I thought Nolan's Batman series was supposed to be more realistic.
I just think Catwoman should be sleek, lightweight, beautiful, but different from Black Widow's and Black Cat's.

[tbgo]

This is a comic book - fiction, not reality, not real life. Enough realism.