Selina Kyle bids farewell to her classic Catwoman costume with a symbolic send-off. Catwoman holds simultaneous roles as an inner-circle member of the Bat-Family and a classic fixture of Batman’s rogues gallery. Selina is also a Robin Hood-style protector of Gotham’s marginalized East End, an occasional defender of Blüdhaven’s criminal underbelly, and a sovereign thief who answers to no one. Catwoman’s complicated duality links directly to her status as Batman’s most enduring romantic love interest. Yet, despite her heroic actions and ties to the World’s Greatest Detective, Catwoman is an unrepentant cat burglar with a permanent spot on the GCPD’s most wanted list.
When she first debuted in 1940 as “The Cat,” Catwoman wore no costume at all, but rather a simple civilian dress she quickly upgraded to a theatrical yellow gown paired with a realistic furry cat head mask. The Silver Age gave Catwoman a long-sleeved purple dress with a green cape and a stylized cat-eared cowl. This feminine aesthetic vanished completely in the late 1980s when artist Jo Duffy introduced a skin-tight, long-sleeved purple unitard paired with black thigh-high boots. After multiple updates, Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke’s 2001 redesign introduced the sleekiest version of Catwoman’s black leather catsuit equipped with functional combat boots, a silver-buckled utility belt, and infrared domed goggles.
Absolute Catwoman presents one of Catwoman’s most dramatic redesigns in the form of a slightly armored jumpsuit, a spherical mirrored helmet, retractable claws, and a prehensile tail.
Absolute Catwoman Abandons Her Classic Costume, Beating Up Its New Owners
Absolute Catwoman #1; Written By Che Grayson & Scott Snyder; Art By Bengal & Giovanna Niro
DC unveils its first Absolute Batman spinoff, Absolute Catwoman, with a glimpse at Selina Kyle’s first on-screen solo adventure in this continuity. Absolute Catwoman #1 opens with DC’s traditional Catwoman opening a vault, only to be shot repeatedly in the chest. Turns out, the real Selina Kyle just shot an impostor, and she prepares to do the same to at least four more, all of whom are wearing her typical prime-universe costume. According to the real Selina, this costume belongs to her “old crew,” the Calicos.
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Catwoman’s thick Party Animals helmet replaces the classic cat-eared hood for a futuristic dome that offers actual ballistic protection and reinforces the dystopian reality of the Absolute Universe. Her articulated, prehensile mechanical tail is a brilliant tactical tool for balance, traversal, and close-quarters combat, and it perfectly matches the resourceful improvisation of fellow heroes like Batman. In this universe, Catwoman’s regular costume only suits low-level street thieves. If Selina Kyle wans to survive, she needs something much more advanced.
The Absolute Universe Rejects Traditional DC Comics Lore
Absolute Catwoman Epitomizes The Absolute Universe’s Dismissal Of Famous Origins And Costumes
Time and again, the Absolute Universe has replaced DC’s heroic nobility with a harsh reality that mocks the tropes of mainstream universes. Not only does Superman miss out on his formative years on Earth, but he also gets a sentient cape that provides him with invaluable knowledge and additional abilities. Diana is banished from Themyscira, and she loses her arm before she becomes Absolute Wonder Woman. Similarly, the Absolute Universe doesn’t limit itself to killing Barry Allen before he can mentor Wally West, and instead goes the extra mile to replace the otherwise all-pervasive Speed Force with the Still Point.
Some of the Absolute Universe’s biggest departures happen in Gotham. Batman doesn’t benefit from his parents’ wealth, he fails to protect his best friends from falling victim to Ark M’s experiments, and he witnesses James Gordon die right in front of his eyes. On top of that, Absolute Batman doesn’t raise any of the Boy Wonders, all of whom are discarded in favor of the Robin mecha pilots who serve the government. It’s next to impossible for any Absolute character to revert to their traditional selves, and Catwoman takes this idea to another level by literally beating up her traditional costumes.
Absolute Catwoman #1 is available June
Would you like Catwoman‘s Absolute redesign to be replace her classic look permanently?
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