In a comic book populated mainly by male superheroes, Catwoman is an intriguing character—both vampish and heroic. She made her debut in 1940 and has held her mystique for 85 years.

Catwoman was ranked 11th on Image Game Network’s list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time, and 51st on Wizard magazine's 100 Greatest Villains of All Time list; she was ranked 20th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time list. This not only marks her popularity but also indicates a complexity to her character, not usually granted to comic book females.

Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, The Cat appeared in the first Batman comic in 1940 and went on to become one of his rogues’ gallery of adversaries. Interestingly, she was also his love interest. Of course, there was sexism built into the comic book universe aimed at adolescent males. Catwoman, the alter ego of Selina Kyle, was drawn dressed in a skintight bodysuit and given a bullwhip as a weapon. In those modest times, the sexual connotations of her slinky, whip-wielding persona were not lost on anyone, and the character was forced by the Comics Code Authority to vanish from 1954 to 1966, in keeping with the rules........

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