Michelle Monday

Catwoman debuted in Batman #1, which went on sale April 25, 1940. That means our favorite feline fatale turns 85 this week. Amazingly, she still doesn’t look a day over 30 because, kids, comics! “I am Catwoman…hear me roar.” I love almost every incarnation of Selina Kyle as Catwoman, from comics to screen, over those … Continue reading Michelle Monday →

Bad Girls We Love: Sofia Falcone in The Penguin

I watched The Penguin for the plot. The plot: Hallelujah, our savior has arrived. It only took thirty-two years, but the spiritual successor to Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle has finally emerged. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Cristin Milioti, as Sofia Falcone. In the recent HBO series The Penguin, my new crush Cristin Milioti … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Sofia Falcone in The Penguin →

Bad Girls We Love: Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin

She has a mind for science and a bod for sin. Dr. Pamela Isley had been doing important scientific research (funded by Wayne Enterprises) in a South American lab working towards her ultimate goal of protecting plant life from “the thoughtless ravages of man.” If only the demented Dr. Jason Woodrue hadn’t stolen her toxins … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin →

35 Years On: Batmania 1989

Thirty-five years ago, I was a relatively newly-minted teenager when the pop culture event of my young lifetime happened: Tim Burton’s Batman opened in theaters in June of 1989. My world, and the world, were never quite the same again. To say, “You had to be there” sounds cliched and condescending, but it’s absolutely true. … Continue reading 35 Years On: Batmania 1989 →

Bad Girls We Love: Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises

“It’s an ‘Ooops’ dripping in sexiness and insincerity, coming as it does after Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne interrupts her in the middle of a heist and before she dons her leather or rubber catsuit. The ‘Ooops’ and its Jean Harlow naughty-girl reading come early in the film and the rest of Hathaway’s performance seems to … Continue reading Bad Girls We Love: Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises →

Batman Returns is a Christmas Miracle

Spending Christmas in Gotham City is an annual tradition for diehard fans of Batman Returns (1992). I have to watch the movie sometime in December—and often several times this month—and nothing brings me more Yuletide spirit than the most gloriously bizarre and unapologetically kinky superhero movie ever made. Tim Burton and screenwriters Daniel Waters and … Continue reading Batman Returns is a Christmas Miracle →

Happy 90th, Julie Newmar

One of these days I’m going to turn more of this blog’s attention to the 1960s Batman television show. Obviously, my pop culture loves range far and wide, so it’s hard to squeeze them all in here, but Batman was critical to my childhood, my love of comic books, and my development into a scholar … Continue reading Happy 90th, Julie Newmar →