Thirty years of purple!!! – Catfan's Feline Fatale Follies

August marks anniversary of the iconic Jim Balent version of the Feline Fatale

The 1990s turned out to be the time that Catwoman really made her way as a major character in the DC Comics world. In 1992, Michelle Pfeiffer would play the role in Batman Returns, marking the first time in a quarter century that someone gave a live performance. That fall, voiced by Adrienne Barbeau, she would make guest appearances in Batman: The Animated Series, which ran on Fox.

Though the character had a four-issue run of her own comic in 1989, she finally got her very comic book line in August 1993. Drawn by Jim Balent, the Catwoman comic would feature the iconic purple outfit that remains a beloved look even today. Jim Balent explained the look he created on his Facebook page on 1 August 2023:

30 years ago I drew the Cover to CATWOMAN #1 and started Drawing the First ongoing CATWOMAN Series for DC Comics which hit the Stores in August 1993! DC allowed me to create a NEW look for CATWOMAN and their only guideline was … stay away from the Michelle Pfeiffer CATWOMAN costume from BATMAN RETURNS. Which I agreed , because I had my own ideas.

In creating my NEW CATWOMAN costume Design … I looked at the costumes from her past because I wanted my Catty Costume to fit in … to look like it belong in an Evolution of what came before. I wanted to show her long hair because I knew it would add to the dynamic poses I would draw her in. I also gave her the long Black Gloves and Boots because it gave the illusion of elongating her limbs and made her more graceful. In thinking about her silhouette … I gave her a tight Bodysuit … combining that with her Cat ears on her Cowl … It gave her the PURRRRRFECT ICONIC CATWOMAN silhouette … thus showing her as a true CAT… WOMAN.

Although I was told that the CATWOMAN series would not last … that it would be a short run … because they believed that Comics about a Villain and it being a Female lead … did not sell well. I knew that this was wrong … I totally disagreed with this statement and said that the CATWOMAN series would do very well!!! AND IT DID!!! And 30 years later … I’m still signing my Catty books for Readers… and them telling me how much my CATWOMAN design and run on the books were so important to them.

SOOOOO to celebrate the 30th CATTY-VERSARY… I printed up this poster and I’m giving it out for FREE at all the Conventions I’m appearing at! AND… for those of you around the world who I could not meet at a Con… feel free to download this Image and share it with a friend! And thanks for making my Career as an ARTIST so CAT-TASTIC!

Jim Balent

This ongoing comic book series ran until 2001, when the comic was rebooted with Darwyn Cooke as the illustrator. However, the 1993-2001 series was a real game changer in that the character proved she could stand on her own feet. Proof of that is shown by the fact that a Catwoman ongoing comic book series is running in 2023, 83 years after she was first created. And it shows she has many, many lives.

In any case, we wish Jim Balent the best!!! Happy Anniversary indeed!!!