A lover, not a fighter. The original caped crusader. The current model. An impish fanboy. A purse-carrying heroine. Which are hot, which are not? The Girls of the Hot Squad continue to assess Who's Who #2's entries for their sheer datability.
Featuring permanent panelists Elyse, Isabel, Nathalie, Josée, Shotgun, and Amélie.
Listen to Episode 9 below (the usual mature language warnings apply), or subscribe to the feed on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
Relevant images and further credits at: Who's Hot and Who's Not ep.9 Supplemental
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Thank goodness the Hot Squad is here to help me with my post-Halloween depression. And with a Bat-episode, nonetheless!
Bat Lash: I’m glad you leaned into the Maverick connection, since Bat here is very much like James Garner’s iconic western hero. I should have guessed hot, because who doesn’t love James Garner? Also, Bat Lash and Batman meet in the JLU episode “The Once and Future Thing, Part 1”. Coming soon to JLUCast!
Batman of Earth-Two: If you read his entry you will see Martha actually dies of a heart attack from witnessing her husband’s murder. This was changed in Batman’s origin in the late 40s becuase shooting a woman seemed too gruesome in the comics of the time. It’s said she has a diamond necklace as well! It never occurred to me, but Selina Kyle/Catwoman AND the Huntress should be shown in this entry! I love Gibbons’ homage to Dick Sprang’s Batman so much, I always gloss over that.
Batman of Earth-One: By the eighties we’re back to Martha being shot, and I do believe Thomas has already taken the fatal blow here. I liked Siskoid’s Superman friendship analogy. It does seem to corelate to Batman’s declining social skills. As much as I love the classic “capsule” Utility Belt, even as a kid I had a hard time swallowing Batman kept EVERYTHING In that belt. At least a few pouches (ala Adam West) make it more believable…comic-wise, anyway.
I love the 1950s Dick Sprang-designed Batmobile, and call fowl on the duck bill analogy! It’s a battering ram, meant to bust throw walls and tear metal!
Bat-Mite: The Filmation Bat-Mite was indeed VERY annoying and was in EVERY episode of that series. I prefer Paul Reubens’ take from Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That series leaned into toxic fandom with the character. The girls should check out the Bat-Mite episodes. They’re a blast!
Batwoman: Boy, was I surprised at her ranking here! I think this Who’s Who entry was a little one-sided with it’s declaration of Kathy as an ineffective crimefighter. If you re-read those original stories now, she may make mistakes, but Batman and Robin come across as reall asses to her. This entry is obviously siding with that notion. Until she was reinvented in the 2000s, many Batman creators wanted to excise Kathy from existence all together, and they did during the initial Post-Crisis era. Someone at the DC offices really had it in for this character, hence her ignominious murder at the hands of Bronze Tiger just to be a plot point.
I definitely didn’t earn my sandwich this time. And yes, I came up with the sandwich thing, and I never expected the ladies to make me one! Siskoid is more than capable of making sandwiches. As a dad who cooks supper far more often than my wife, I’m not shackled to those hoary stereotypes (unlike Batwoman!).
Sorry about Batwoman. I think I’ve read far more 50s stories than her later 70s return, and that’s just how it was back then. It’s hard to pinpoint a “personality” on characters who have so much history.
That ‘ineffective detective’ bit jarred with me too. Kathy Kane was awesome, so motivated in her desire to do good, using her money to fund a crime fighting project. She had to look worse than Batman in the stories because she was an >ugh< girl but Batman had a grudging respect for her. The entry posits that she had to team up with Batman & Robin, then Bat Hyphen Girl, because she was pants by herself… and yet Batman never worked alone at this point, use the Who’s Who logic and he was totally relying on a kid! Loser!
“What is the difference between a bat and an owl?” is the best reasoning for the name of Earth 3’s Owl Man I’ve ever heard.
I think your forgetting Night owl both one & two from the watchmen .
Nite Owl doesn’t need any reasoning since he’s really a version of Blue Beetle.
I’ll ask the Girls if there’s a difference between a beetle and an owl.
Bravo to the OHOTMU ladies! It’s like listening to an episode of Designing Women. So much fun.
Bat Lash has a very Lucky Luke look to him
My favorite Barman is the Batman from Webtoon’s Batman: Wayne Family Adventures where he is a good dad to all of his many sons and daughters and uses his experience with trauma to help them process theirs. It really shows a side of the character we never see in media.
Batwoman really came into her own later on. Nowadays a very prominent lesbian character and way less sexist.
I never thought about that . But Bat does remind me of lucky Luke .
I think in one issue of bat Lash’s comic he was a single father for one issue .
I wonder if lucky Luke would get a long with bat Lash ???
Luke is a pretty easy-going guy.
I wonder if the girls would even know who lucky Luke is ?
Here’s some short info on him if they ask .
Alias : poor lonesome cowboy.
Enemies : the Dalton family, Billy the kid & Jessie James .
allies: Jolly Jumper (Horse )
Rin Tin can (Dog)., calamity Jane.
Skills : marksmanship, fighting, singing, Master of disguise .
Powers : May have super speed but in his arms only as he can out draw his own shadow.(note theory).
Recommend watching : ballad of the dalton gang the movie is on YouTube as me writing this .
Also Daisy town (animated) there is a made for tv live action movie of Daisy town as well .
Recommend reading: daltons in a blizzard, calamity Jane , Rin tin can’s inheritance .
I don’t know if you’ll need this information but I’m case you do here it is .
(Also maybe if you this info u can play a little of the music of the ballad of the daltons .)
They’re the ones who mention him!
You gotta understand something about French comics culture. American superhero comics are niche, but French graphic novels are very mainstream – there are often animated shows/movies about them, which aren’t even how most people learn about them. Boys, girls, all ages, have read/gotten to know Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke, Spirou, and Smurfs (Schtroumpfs) – as these are the most popular. I was recently sent a money transfer where the lady on the other end asked the entire troupe being paid the same security question: The name of one of the Daltons. So like, yeah, the Hot Squad may not know Warlock from Adam (that’s a little joke), but we’re well covered when it comes to the French stuff.
Alright some one has to do it so here I em .
Batmite .
I’ve seen this character on Batman Brave and the bold cartoon a couple of times .
It should be noted he did at one point in the show that it was a play suit his mom made.
And he has a alter ego as arrow mite .
Also in the ambush bug comic bat mite was interviewed and we discover later in life he Marries Star fire mite . Sorry I have to much bat-mite info in my head . Pleas forgive me .
This was a fantastic episode and it was fun to hear the squad’s take on the Bat characters. While I’m not in my Batman phase now, I definitely went through it starting in ’89 because of the movie (and that amazing soundtrack!). I thought he was the greatest thing in the world, aside from Captain Marvel. Which is weird, because one is super dark and broody and the other is super chipper and white bread. I guess like Shrek and onions, I have layers!
Bat Lash – I’m sorry if you mentioned this, but I still have no idea why this guy is named Bat Lash. As a kid, I thought he was supposed to be related to all the other Bat characters, but I just couldn’t figure it out. He doesn’t look like a bat and he doesn’t use a “lash”. I just don’t get it…… but look at those heels! Amazing!
Batman (1 AND 2) – “I don’t like my men too tortured.” is a fantastic comment. Hear that, Emo boys??!!
Bat-Mite – Well, if you don’t like your men too tortured……
This was tons of fun! Well done everyone and keep up the great work!
I mean, Bat Lash is all western names. Bat/Bart (Black Bart), Lash as in Lash LaRue, etc. But the Girls’ theory that he Bats his eye Lashes at the pretty girls and they swoon is the best I’ve ever heard.
In a series that’s always great, this episode managed to excel. I listened to it twice.
Bat Lash – “Bat” was apparently considered a normal sobriquet in the Old West for someone named Bartholemew. As an example (and a possible inspiration), I cite Bartholemew William Barclay “Bat” Masterson, born in 1953 “to a working-class Irish family in Quebec,” but don’t hold that against him! Bat Masterson became famous in the American West as a buffalo hunter, U.S. Army scout, lawman, gunfighter, professional gambler, and (after moving back east to New York) journalist. Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls was another fictional character Bat Masterson inspired. And, regarding Bat Lash — of course the girls thought he was hot. He’s basically Corsair as a cowboy. I’m going to start submitting my votes on these ahead of time. I don’t know if I can score a sandwich, but I bet I can beat the average.
Batman(s)
a. As far as how old Mawster Bruce was when his parents were killed, the number “8” sticks in my head. But I can’t back that up. I’m not reading new comics regularly, but my Batman phase has continued for more than four decades. Of course, I’ve spent a lot of time with people who are comfortable with violence and have a variety of esoteric, but practical skills. That could be cause or effect, I guess.
b. The Batman/Catwoman clip was awesome (“Painlessly, of course!”)
c. Cops, soldiers, and various kinds of maintenance workers have used utility belts for decades. They are not only highly functional as the girls assume, they are great incentive to stay trim. All that gear pokes into a big belly. In a related story, I no longer wear utility belts.
d. Another shout out to the Royal Canadian Air Force and my fellow Air Force Brat! Go Airpower!
e. These are just lines I loved: “Mista Worl’wide,” “Bat Vespa,” “Because his FACE is on it!”
f. Yes, Batarang is a cool word.
g. I love the logo discussion. Brings to mind the Bat-Family Reunion podcast.
h. The underwear on the outside comes from the old circus strongmen. It’s important for people wearing elastic — especially spandex so tight that it shows your abs. For a while in the eighties, people wore bike shorts to the gym without shorts over them. There was a lot more exposed than mere bulge.
i. Batman can’t do everything. He can’t cook well. Once, Alfred was recovering from an terrible plague that Ra’s al Ghul had inflicted on Gotham. DC made a one-page wordless gag strip where Bruce tried to make soup for him. After multiple epic fails, the last panel shows him at the door of Wayne Manor, tipping the young man who delivered soup.
j. I hereby declare that “Blue Collar Playboy” will be the title of a hit country song (if it isn’t already). To any budding songwriters, Siskoid gets ten percent of the gross. I get one percent for pointing it out.
k. As far back as the seventies, Batman comics portrayed Alfred as being in MI6 in World War II. There was a story where Lucius Fox had been in the OSS, and they’d both worked with the French Resistance.
l. Bat-Mite and all the imps were really prototypes of the Scrappy Doo trope. He’s a great way to make fun of overly serious Batman, but I heartily support your ruling.
Batwoman – Her fifties portrayal is a great example of why I hear so many complaints about the patriarchy in my house. What’s funny is that my daughters look to me as a source of inside info on the patriarchy. They assume there are regular meetings, and I attend. Also, I’ve decided there’s a hole in Batwoman’s cape for the purse strap, and the purse itself velcros to her hip. You’re welcome, DC.
Thanks again. I am already eagerly looking forward to next time!
Right! Bat Masterson! I will assume there’s a typo there and that he was born 1853, not 1953, but yes exactly.
Hmm. It’s either a typo, or all those fifties westerns were early reality TV. I think it’s what you said. Sorry.
Cheers for another top episode. Bat Lash is totally hot, he’s the sexiest cowboy this side of Vigilante (in white jeans only, Ranger Gord!). Apart from the hat, which looks like it belongs on Quick Draw McGraw.
Golden Age Batman is pure Bat-Dilf. Bronze Age Batman was hit in a Very Rich way.
Batman is hot in a cute-but-I-would-have-to-slap-him way.
Batwoman is hot all the way. Brilliant as Dick Giordano was, he didn’t get her costume quite right here – the front should be shaded so it looks as if she’s wearing a black bathing costume over a yellow outfit, sometimes it leads to a bat-symbol effect.
There was a story in the 1940s that explained why Alfred suddenly got a makeover to match his screen counterpart.
If the girls are interested in Bruce‘s dating life, they should have a look at the Silver St Cloud storyline, in which Bruce dated a woman who wasn’t the typically stupid Bronze Age dafty. It had surprising emotional depth.
“Hear, hear!” on the Silver St. Cloud storyline, Mart, but thanks to the Knightcast comments threads, you already knew I agreed with you.