Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for The New Golden Age #1.For decades, it was Batman who tried to bring Catwoman to justice for her crimes, but turnabout became fair play in the reality of The New Golden Age, as the Feline Fatale held the Caped Crusader accountable for multiple counts of child endangerment. It has been jokingly observed by some comic readers that Batman’s war on crime has killed more innocent minors than Joker. For Catwoman, however, this observation was no joking matter, when she found out her husband was thinking of training their daughter to become the next in a long line of Robins.
The central story of The New Golden Age #1 focuses upon Helena Wayne, the daughter of Batman and Catwoman, as she tries to deal with a mysterious man that she dubs “The Stranger,” who has been stalking her for as long as she can remember. This leads Helena to ambush a shadowy figure she hears prowling around her house late one night. To her surprise, the figure she stabs with a kitchen knife turns out to be her father, Bruce Wayne, who is revealed to be the vigilante Batman.
Rather than being angry, Batman is impressed by his daughter’s cleverness in dealing with an unknown enemy. The New Golden Age #1 written by Geoff Johns with art by Scott Kolins, Jerry Ordway, Brandon Peterson, Gary Frank, Steve Lieber, Viktor Bogdanovic, Diego Olortegui, Todd Nauck, Scott Hanna, and J.P. Mayer, makes it clear that Helena is very much her parents’ daughter, showing considerable ability despite her lack of formal training. Catwoman, in contrast to her husband, is horrified when she learns what has happened and sorely vexed that Bruce started showing Helena the trophies in the Batcave to better explain why he became Batman. This leads to a loud and long argument, as Selina Kyle recalls every child soldier Bruce Wayne trained to help him fight his war on crime and went on to lose in battle.
The New Golden Age Batman Lost A LOT of Sidekicks.
The Batcave in The New Golden Age #1 contains seven display cases with the costumes of different Robins. While it is unknown how many of these Robins died violently, Catwoman makes mention of Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne, as well as the Joker’s Son. Catwoman accuses Batman of negligence in dealing with his young partners and threatens to leave him unless Bruce promises to give up being Batman. The threat works and Batman retires.
Sadly, Bruce Wayne’s efforts to give Helena a normal life ultimately fail. By the end of The New Golden Age #1, Helena Wayne has adopted the mantle of the Huntress in defiance of the wishes of Catwoman, so she can track down her father’s murderer. The issue ends with Helena proudly noting that she is the daughter of Batman, “whether my mother wants me to be or not.” Hopefully her hunt will lead her down a different path than all the young heroes her father apparently led to their deaths.
The New Golden Age #1 is available now from DC Comics.
