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Flamebird |
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| Alias: Bette Kane |
Titans Member
Joined: Teen Titans [first series] #50 [1977] |
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| Flamebird Quick Bio: An eager Robin fan, tennis pro Bette Kane adopted the Flamebird persona in hopes of meeting the Teen Wonder in person. A founding member of Titans West, it took some time for Flamebird to finally earn the respect of her Titans teammates. |
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FLAMEBIRD
from her fantastic debut to her revamped look |
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| From Bat-Girl to Flamebird |
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Super-Groupie
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| Bette Kane swoons for Robin (and appears as Flamebird for the first time) in SECRET ORIGINS ANNUAL #3 [1989]. |
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Even for the beauty-saturated environment of Southern California, Bette Kane was exceptionally attractive, so much so that she was winning beauty contests and absorbing adulation before she could walk on her own. Fiercely competitive, she sought out other challenges, ones where her hard work and talent, not just the beauty she was born with, would make her a winner. Tennis, gymnastics, and swimming became her favorite activities, sports where she could compete, excel, and enjoy the cheers of an adoring audience. That attention helped her to ignore the fact that her aggressive nature was leaving her with fewer and fewer friends; few of Bette's friends had the energy to withstand her constant competitiveness.
Finding herself without suitable peers and needing a new challenge, Bette chose her next goal: Robin (Dick Grayson). Years earlier, she'd traveled to Gotham City for a national beauty pageant. There she'd caught sight of Batman and Robin swinging across the skies and had been immediately struck by the image of someone just her age out risking his life with only his skills for protection. For years she nursed a secret crush on Robin, sending him fan letters, making herself a "Robin" suit, practicing swinging from a rope bed to the old oak tree in her backyard, but she never let anyone else in on her interest until she created and unveiled her own avian persona, Flamebird. She based her character's style on her own athletic skills, now at an Olympics level, and added her own natural flamboyance to top it off.
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| Titans West: Herald, Golden Eagle, Flamebird, Hawk & Dove, Lilith, Bumblebee and Beast Boy. |
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Flamebird appeared briefly around California, stopping small crimes, staying to pose for pictures and reap all the available publicity, but never managing to achieve her goal of attracting Robin to California. Frustrated, Bette threw herself back into her high school life, forsaking her now-professional athletic activities. Previously a poor student, she decided to approach school as another challenge, attacking her studies with the same spirit she'd previously shown for meets and matches, so she graduated near the top of her class.
Deciding she had no interest in college, she pursued her abandoned tennis career, making a stunning comeback at age eighteen. She was on top of the world, but she was bored. Nothing matched the excitement she'd experienced while playing Flamebird.
Titans West
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| Pathetic! An anxious Bette Kane waits to be asked for membership ... and waits... and waits... in TITANS SECRET FILES #1 [1999] |
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While on tour, she came up with the idea she felt would be sure to gain Robin's attention: forming a Titans club of her own. She zealously stalked and invited all youthful west-coast super-heroes to join her new "Titans West," but despite Bette's enthusiasm, personality conflicts and the long-distance commute made the club's tenure a short one. Although the Titans West did manage to meet the east-coast group, the Teen Titans, Flamebird's reception from Robin was a cool one and she was bitterly disappointed - yet not so much that she abandoned her pursuit. If anything, the short meetings with Robin (whom she now knew to be Dick Grayson) left her with a good excuse to keep in contact.
Flamebird aided the Titans again during the Technis Imperative conflict, which involved the Justice League as well as all Titans, past and present. Flamebird hoped to be invited for membership, but didn't make the cut.
Redefined
After a recent confrontation with Nightwing, Bette was forced to reexamine herself and her role as Flamebird. A fire ignited inside Bette that she hadn't felt before: the fire of a hero. She hopes to spread it to others in need of confidence and motivation. Along with a new outlook and costume, she helped Beast Boy defeat the shape-shifting Gemini along with bounty hunters Fear & Loathing. After aiding Beast Boy on the case, the two heroes became fast friends. Bette encouraged Gar to reform Titans West, but he was apprehensive.
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LEFT: Nightwing tries to talk
Bette out of the hero game in BEAST BOY #3 [2000]
BOTTOM: The revamped Flamebird makes her debut in BEAST BOY #4 [2000] |
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| Titans L.A. Together! [from left to right]; Matt Logan, Bumblebee, Flamebird, Captain Marvel Jr., Beast Boy, Hero Cruz, Terra and Herald |
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Later, Beast Boy's obnoxious cousin Matt took it upon himself to hold a membership drive party for an all-new Titans West. Gar reluctantly agreed to have the team re-form, and Titans West was re-dubbed Titans L.A. - with members that included Beast Boy, Flamebird, Herald, Bumblebee, Terra, Hero Cruz, Captain Marvel Jr. and Bushido. But Titans L.A. was over before it even began; No one had any real devotion to the team. Desperation was obvious when Beast Boy and Flamebird even tried to recruit the displaced DEO orphans into Titans L.A.
Although Bette is more focused on her role as a super-hero, she still puts a lot of energy into her schoolwork at UCLA, where she majors in sports medicine.
Flamebird is an exceptional athlete, trained for strength and endurance. She has also trained in several forms of martial arts, with kick boxing as her specialty. Like Robin, Flamebird has a utility belt containing the following: grappling hook with line, gas grenades, gas mask, flares, flashlight, radio/transmitter, handcuffs, throwing discs, and an emergency medical kit.
Flamebird has amped up her arsenal to include electrifying bolas and gloves, tracking devices and flare-emitting contact lenses.
DC Secret Files, supplemented by titanstower.com
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Batman #139 [1961]: "Bat-Girl" - Betty Kane becomes Bat-Girl.
Batman #141 [1961]: "Batwoman's Junior Partner"
Batman #144 [1961]: "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl" The extra dimensional elf plays Cupid on behalf of Bat-Girl but Robin resists, citing the example of Batman, who had renounced "romance" while he was a crime fighter.
Batman #153 [1963]: "Prisoners of Three Worlds"
Batman #159 [1963]: "Prisoners of Three Worlds"
Detective #322 [1963]: "The Bizarre Batman Genie"
Teen Titans #50-52 [1977]: Titans West, comprised of Golden Eagle, Flamebird, Hawk, Dove and Beast Boy, is formed by Lilith; Captain Calamity/Mr. Esper battles the two Titan groups. First appearance of Titans West in issue #50. First appearance of Beast Boy, Bat-Girl [Bette Kane] and Golden Eagle as Titans.
Tales of the Teen Titans #50 [1985]: Donna Troy and Terry Long wed this issue. Appearances by just about every Titan, past and present. Bette mentions reforming Titans West.
Secret Origins Annual #3 [1989]: Written by George Pérez with art by a series of artists (including Tom Grummett, Kevin Maguire& Karl Kesel, Colleen Doran & Romeo Tanghal, among others). Dick Grayson's dream are invaded by the Antithesis, who seeks to break Dick's spirit so that he will remain in Limbo; Dick survives with the help of old and new Titans alike. The Special gives a post-Crisis history of the Titans, including some revamps and revisions. Includes: First Appearance of Flame-Bird (Post-Crisis ret-con of Bat-Girl); Includes Who's Who entries for Flamebird, Golden Eagle, Bumblebee, The Herald, Antithesis, and Gargoyle.
Hawk & Dove Annual (second series) #1 [1990]: featured a brief reunion of Titans West. A mysterious note to Dawn Granger leads to Hawk and Dove teaming up with the old Titans West crew, with Hawk, Dove, Flamebird, Bumblebee, Mal, Golden Eagle and Chris "Dial H" King forming a rag-tag Titans West team. Flamebird suggested reforming the team, but no one was interested.
Beast Boy #1-4, January 2000 to April 2000: Flamebird re-invents herself.
Titans Annual #1 [2000]: Beast Boy and Flamebird encounter ancient evil in the Land of the Rising Sun, and meet Japan's new defender, the warrior called Bushido. Nightwing, Arsenal, Troia, Flash, and Tempest soon race off to help their former comrades against a supernatural foe, but will Bushido pose an even bigger threat?
The Titans Secret Files #2 [2000]: It's the debut of Titans LA in an astonishing all-new Special. Whether he wants it or not, Beast Boy finds himself saddled with a new West Coast branch of the Titans. But it may be the new team's final appearance as well if Fear and Loathing and the madcap Harlequin have their say. First Titans L.A. Titans LA members include Beast Boy, Flamebird, Herald, Bumblebee, Terra, Hero Cruz, and Captain Marvel Jr.
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Crisis Ripples in the Titansverse
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| THE TEEN TITANS: PRE-CRISIS |
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In BATMAN #139 (April 1961),
Bat-Girl arrived. |
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The Original Pre-Crisis Titans West: Bat-Girl, Beast Boy,
Golden Eagle, Hawk & Dove and Lilith. |
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The Crisis on Infinite Earths: It was the end of everything! Countless universes were erased from existence in a spreading tide of antimatter unleashed by the Anti-Monitor, a being of undiluted hate birthed at the moment of creation. Watching helpless as the otherworldly Spectre grappled with the Anti-Monitor, those heroes witnessed the rebirth of a single universe, with one Earth and one unified reality. In the final conflict, the Anti-Monitor sent this reborn Earth to the antimatter universe, where the greatest assemblage of super-humans ever known ended his threat for all time - though continuity in the DC Universe was forever altered in his wake.
Many TITANS characters' histories were altered by continuity-changing CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. Most notably, Donna Troy. Also affected were Dick Grayson, Lilith, Mal Duncan, Harlequin, Gnarrk, Bat-Girl/Flamebird, Golden Eagle, and Kole. Other characters have had elements of their back stories refined, but nothing has been severely altered or negated [such as additions like the Flash Year One arc or speed force revelations].
See Secret Origins Annual #3 [the post-Crisis origin of the team], New Titans #50-55 [Who Is Wonder Girl?] and New Titans #56 [a Titans flashback with Gnarrk] for the major post-Crisis revisions that effect the Titans-verse.
Bat-Girl is re-imaged as Flamebird. Pre-Crisis, she was Kathy (Batwoman) Kane's niece Bette who became Bat-Girl. Post-Crisis, she is Bette Kane - a tennis pro who became Flamebird as a way to impress Robin, the Boy Wonder. These changes are detailed in Secret Origins Annual #3. A revised Who's Who entry appears in that same issue.
Betty Kane as Bat-Girl: Pre-Crisis History
Essential Reading: Batman #139, 161; Teen Titans (first series) #50 -52
In her very early teens, while visiting her aunt Kathy in Gotham City, Betty Kane learned the heiress's secret identity as Batwoman, who was Batman's female counterpart at that point in his career. Betty promptly designed herself a costume of red and green (the primary colors of Robin's uniform), and became Batwoman's sometime "junior partner," Bat-Girl. As Bat-Girl, Betty used the acrobatics taught her by her aunt and criminology techniques learned on her own and from Batman and Robin, as well as an array of bat-weapons in imitation of Batman's. While Batman and Robin were aware of the true identities of Batwoman and Bat-Girl and their distaff aides were not entrusted with the secret civilian roles of the male heroes, this did not stop Bat-Girl from carrying on a childish "romance" of sorts with the then-shy and inexperienced Robin. Both Batwoman and Bat-Girl retired from professional crime-fighting a short time before the formation of the Teen Titans.
Bette Kane went on to become a famous professional tennis player and did not encounter Robin again for several years. After Kathy Kane briefly resumed her guise as Batwoman, Betty toyed with the idea of going into action once more as Bat-Girl. This she did for the first time when she and several other young heroes formed the Teen Titans' short-lived California auxiliary, "Titans West," to help the regular Titans on a case just before the second disbanding of the team. With the death of Batwoman, Bat-Girl apparently abandoned the idea of resuming her crime-fighting career. She attended the wedding of Donna Troy as Betty Kane.
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Bette Kane as Bat-Girl:
Chronology & Publishing History
[information from Batman: The Complete History by Les Daniels, 1999]
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| The Batman Family in the 1960's |
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In BATMAN #139 (April 1961),
Bat-Girl arrived. |
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In BATMAN #144 (April 1961),
Bat-Mite played match-maker,
leaving Bat-Girl to make her move. |
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Batman & Robin: Domestic Duo?
[Frederick] Wertham's general assertion was that readers would imitate the crimes committed in the comics, but in what remains the most notorious passage from his book Seduction of the Innocent, he leveled a special charge against Batman. Launching his longest attack on any comic book character, Wertham devoted four pages of his polemic to persuading his repressed 1950s audience that Batman and Robin were gay and that exposure to their adventures would send young readers down the same path to perdition. "They live in sumptuous quarters, with beautiful flowers in large vases, and have a butler," Wertham wrote. "It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together." What was more, Wertham asserted, "the Batman type of story may stimulate children to homosexual fantasies." His only evidence for these claims came from "overt homosexuals" treated at the sinister-sounding Readjustment Center (Wertham's clinic devoted to the psychotherapy of sexual difficulties), where some individuals occasionally imagined trading places with Batman. Despite the lack of any concrete cause-and-effect link between reading comics and "deviance," such suggestions were dynamite in an era intolerant of nonconformity, especially in sexual matters.
Of course it is inherently absurd to speculate on what Batman and Robin might have been doing behind closed doors for the simple fact that, unlike Wertham's patients, they had no lives off the printed page. Batman's creators were evidently heterosexuals, and it would never have occurred to them that homosexual undertones could have been read into the stories they created. It's highly probable that they were focused instead on the objections that would have been raised if Bruce Wayne were living with an adolescent girl, and that they were bending over backward to avoid even the suggestion of sex. In the process, they fell into the trap of depicting an all-male household that could be subject to Wertham's lurid interpretation.
Still, what did it matter? Some say homosexuality is genetic, and some say it's a matter of environment, but only Wertham would claim it was caused by comic books. Yet for most of the next decade, Batman's writers, artists, editors, and publishers would struggle to prove that their comics were not inspiring a generation to become gay or juvenile delinquents, and by overcompensating so strenuously they produced some of the strangest Batman stories ever seen. Their strategies included a proliferation of new Bat-characters designed to create a faux family atmosphere, the introduction of science-fiction villains whose cosmic crimes could not be imitated, and incessant distortions of the image of Batman himself, as if he were obliged to wear a disguise while appearing in his own adventures.
Enter Batwoman
This character made her debut in Detective Comics #233 (July 1956), written by Edmond Hamilton and illustrated by Sheldon Moldoff. It seems clear that her introduction was part of a publishing decision to alter the ambiance of the series. Memories are vague on this point, but the responsibility may have rested with DC publisher Harry Donenfeld's son Irwin. After Whitney Ellsworth moved to California to produce a Superman television series, Irwin Donenfeld was serving as de facto editor in chief. "He came in and he had a lot of things that he sort of threw at us," recalled Batman editor Jack Schiff. Then again, Schiff himself believed new characters would bump up sales, and everyone seemed eager to provide Batman with some female companionship.
Initially, Batwoman was presented as something of an interloper. She was Kathy Kane, a former circus acrobat who used an inheritance to fulfill her dream of imitating Batman, and began showing up in answer to the Bat-Signal, catching crooks and even rescuing the Dynamic Duo. Even while fighting crime, however, she displayed signs of conventional womanliness. She carried a purse rather than wearing a utility belt, and armed herself with such "flashing feminine tricks" as a lipstick filled with tear gas and a compact containing sneezing powder. Sheldon Moldoff dressed her in bright yellow tights with little buttons down the front; her oversize mask, extending beyond her face to create the impression of a bat's ears, was ingeniously designed but nonetheless suggested the matronly look of harlequin eyeglasses. Batman protested that by law no man in Gotham City but he could wear a bat costume, and she responded, "I'm a woman!" By the end of the story Batman had uncovered her identity and convinced her that battling bad guys was too dangerous.
Inevitably, however, Batwoman returned again and again over the next few years, even gaining superpowers on one occasion, until her appearances became a regular feature of the series. In another story, when Bruce Wayne was mistakenly jailed, she took over as Robin's boss, and it wasn t much later that Dick Grayson had a story-length nightmare, immortalized on the cover of Batman #122 (March 1959), concerning "The Marriage of Batman and Batwoman." The happy couple are depicted leaving the church arm in arm, while Robin stands on the sidelines and worries, "Gosh! What'll become of me now?" Whether or not the creators were attempting to reassure everyone that Batman was heterosexual, this story may have succeeded in creating anxieties in boys about females being the enemies of friendship and loyalty.
By Batman #153 (February 1963), Batwoman responded to an apparently impending doom by pledging her love to Batman, and he reciprocated, only to declare his comments a white lie once the danger was past. Readers looking for mystery and adventure were beginning to wonder why they should put up with such soap opera, and why Batman wasn't out at night wrestling with Catwoman instead.
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A 1991 commission of Flamebird by Adam Hughes,
courtesy of Rich Bernatovech. |
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| A 2004 commission of Flamebird by George Pérez. |
Enter Bat-Girl
In Batman #139 (April 1961), Bat-Girl arrived. She was Batwoman's niece, Betty Kane, who was such a big fan that she made her own costume and set out to emulate . . . well, the pattern was pretty clear by then. Although some time elapsed between each character's debut, it's apparent that nobody was expending much effort on originality. Still, a female companion for Robin had been introduced, and there were scenes of Bat-Girl kissing him while he blushed and sweated with embarrassment Of course while all this heterosexuality was being established, things couldn't be allowed to get too passionate, and attempts to reach the proper compromise attained new heights of absurdity in "Bat-Mite Meets Bat-Girl" from Batman #144 (December 1961).
Here the extra dimensional elf plays Cupid on behalf of Bat-Girl but Robin resists, citing the example of Batman, who had renounced "romance" while he was a crime fighter. Then Bat-man and Batwoman show up to announce that Robin is too young to make such a decision and will therefore be obliged to endure Bat-Girl's unwelcome advances while the adults look on approvingly.
If a comic book could actually turn people gay as Dr. Wertham had suggested seven years earlier, this one might have had the power to do it.
The 1961 Batman Annual featured a pinup, drawn by Sheldon Moldoff, of the entire smiling "Batman Family." It looked like Batman and Batwoman were the parents, with Robin and Bat-Girl as the kids and Bat-Mite as the baby. Ace doubled as the family dog, with Alfred and Police Commissioner Gordon on hand as a couple of elderly uncles. Someone capable of taking this picture seriously might have concluded the vengeful Batman of yore had at last been healed and made whole, but the less fanciful fact was that the series had somehow taken a wrong turn, switching from super heroes to situation comedy.
The Batman book eventually switched focus to wild science fiction, and the 'Bat-Family' characters were soon forgotten. Bat-Girl had just six appearances in the Batman series.
Bat-Girl as a Titan
Betty Kane became lost in comic book limbo while Batman enjoyed national attention in the 1960s due to his live action TV show. In the third season, the series introduced Batgirl aka Barbara Gordon, daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon. That same year, the Silver Age Batgirl made her comic book debut in Detective Comics #359 [1967].
While Barbara Gordon became the most-remembered Batgirl, it seemed like Betty Kane was destined to be forgotten forever. But writer Bob Rozakis revived the character in the pages of Teen Titans #50-52 [1977], which would featured Betty's debut as a Titan as part of Titans West. So how did Rozakis establish the line-up for Titans West? "I took pretty much every other teenage hero that was available!", the writer revealed. As for Betty, Rozakis explains: "Since Barbara had been having adventures with Batwoman [in Batman Family #10], it
was only a matter of time before Bette (who was still Betty when I wrote
the stories) was back on the scene as well."
Rozakis had plans for Titans West - but the Teen Titans series was canceled before they reached fruition. "I was going to remix the two teams and have adventures of
both teams with occasional team-ups," said Rozakis. "Speedy and Wonder Girl would have
moved to the West Coast team; Bat-Girl and one of the guys -- I don't
recall which one -- would have moved East. To play up the Speedy/Kid
Flash/Wonder Girl triangle, Wally would have been running back and forth.
And Bat-Girl's presence in the east would have created a triangle with
Robin and Duela."
After the Teen Titans series ended, Bat-Girl made a brief appearance in Batman Family #16 [1978] before fading into comic book limbo once again.
With the death of Batwoman, Bat-Girl apparently abandoned the idea of resuming her crime-fighting career. She attended the wedding of Donna Troy as Betty Kane [Tales of the Teen Titans #50]. This was Bette's last appearance in Pre-Crisis continuity, before being revamped as Flamebird in Secret Origins Annual #3 [1989].
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Nightwing & Flamebird: The Origin of the Names
Superman as Nightwing, Jimmy Olsen as Flamebird
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Superman and Jimmy Olsen as
the original Nightwing and Flamebird |
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First Appearance: Superman as Nightwing, Jimmy Olsen as Flamebird: SUPERMAN #158
When some citizens of the bottle-city of Kandor enlarged themselves and stole certain elements Superman and Jimmy Olsen entered the bottle-city to investigate. There, a friend of Jor-El's, Nor-Kann, warned them of danger. It seems same Kandorians believed Superman had away of enlarging the city and had wIthheld it from them.
Forced to hide as a fugitive, Superman decided he and Jimmy should adapt disguises like those of Batman and Robin. Nor provided them with a secret cave, now called the Nightcave. Since there are no bats or robins among Kandor's Kryptonian wildlife, they modeled their outfits on those of two Kryptonian birds, nightwing and flamebird. When Superman, trying to pass himself off as his look-alike, Van-Zee [a Kryptonian scientist], was captured, Van dressed as the first time as Nightwing to rescue him.
Twice more, Superman and Jimmy battled menaces In Kandor as Nightwing and Flamebird, the second time with Batman and Robin along. It was this experience that inspired Dick Grayson, some time later, to adopt the identity of Earth's Nightwing when he gave up his Robin ID.
Van-Zee as Nightwing, Ak-Var as Flamebird
First Appearance: Van-Zee as Nightwing, Ak-Var as Flamebird: SUPERMAN FAMILY #183
Appeared as back-up strip in SUPERMAN FAMILY from #183-194
Ak-Var was a young thief sentenced to the Phantom Zone as punishment. Freed by Superman when his sentence was up, he wanted to live in Kandor and married Van-Zee's niece Thara. He also went to work as Van-Zee's lab assistant. The duo assumed the Nightwing and Flamebird identities and began battling crime. Once, when Superman and Jimmy were in the bottle-city, the two Nightwlng-Flamebird teams worked together.
Neither team had super-powers, as Superman, lost his while in the bottle, but all four are superb athletes and skilled at hand-to-hand combat. They also have their Night-mobile, their jets, and special utility bolts fitted with various scientific devices. Generally, however, they prefer to use their own fists to subdue criminals.
Current Continuity: Nightwing, the Kryptonian hero of legend
First Appearance: Nightwing Secret Files #1
Nightwing Secret Files #1 features a story that takes place just after Batman has 'fired' Dick Grayson as Robin, and Dick Grayson is doing some soul searching. He encounters Superman, who tells him a story of a Kryptonian Legendary hero...
"There was a man on my homeworld many centuries before my birth who was cast out of his family as you were. He dreamt of justice. He dreamt of helping the weak. He dreamt of showing his family that he was better than they gave him credit for. He used his talents and his skills to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. He became a legend."
"No one knew his real name. He was called only - Nightwing."
Dick's reply: "I like it." And an inspiration for a new legend is born.
Current Continuity: Nightwing & Flamebird
In Secret Origins Annual #3, George Pérez told the post-Crisis history of the Titans. Pérez: "I'm writing a Secret Origins Annual of the Titans, while Marv writes the Titans Annual. My origin will establish the post-Crisis origin of the middle Titans; the one with Golden Eagle and Bumblebee. I'll establish who existed and who didn't, what powers they had, and how visually they might be different."
This issue includes the first appearance of Flamebird (Post-Crisis ret-con of Bat-Girl). Borrowing the name of the Kryptonian side-kick, George Pérez reinvented Bette Kane as a Robin groupie who entered the hero game as a chance to meet him.
In 2001, Superman traveled back in time to Krypton in a 4 part story called "Return to Krypton." In part three, [Superman: The Man of Steel #111] Lois and a powerless Superman, adopting the names Nightwing and Flamebird, travel to the proto-tombs of Xan to retrieve an ore that will allow them to return home. This story establishes Flamebird as part of the [current continuity] Nightwing Kryptonian lore.
A Kandorian refers to Nightwing & Flamebird as "great Kandorian heroes of myth." And Superman explains to Lois, "Nightwing and Flamebird - my earthly associates - took their names from Kryptonian tales I related."
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