Batman to Be Replaced by Lesbian Counterpart

Crime-fighters come in many shapes and sizes, but until now they didn't come in the woman-seeking-woman variety.

DC Comics, however, is spotlighting a red-headed lesbian to take over for erstwhile Batman Bruce Wayne -- who suffered apparently fatal injuries in a recent issue of the Batman series.

Batwoman, whose daytime persona is Katherine "Kate" Kane, is described as "lesbian socialite by night and a crime-fighter by later in the night," and she's due to star in the series for at least twelve issues, beginning in June. The Batwoman character was first introduced in 1956 as a possible love interest for Batman. She didn't come out as a lesbian until 2006, after it was revealed that she was the ex-lover of a female police detective.

Given the predominantly male readership of comic books, we wonder what factors played into DC's decision to put Batwoman in the lead.

Questions Raised: Is the sexual orientation of comic book heroes relevant? Will this effort for diversification lead to different stories that straight-male Batman couldn't provide?

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