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Holly Robinson (comics)
Encyclopedia
Holly Robinson is a fictional character in the DC Comics
universe
. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller
's Batman: Year One
story arc.
Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman
. She was trained by Wildcat
and her friend Selina Kyle, and temporarily became the new Catwoman following the birth of Selina's daughter.
In 2004 Catwoman won a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of Holly as an openly gay character.
's Batman: Year One
as a juvenile
prostitute
who lives with Selina Kyle. Holly plays a small but significant role in the story when she encounters a disguised Bruce Wayne during one of his early attempts at crimefighting and stabs him in the leg. Wounded by this attack and a subsequent battle, Wayne escapes back to his home, brooding on the fact that his enemies do not fear him. This encounter is an impetus for his creation of the Batman
persona. As such, Holly plays an indirect role in the Dark Knight's origin.
Holly also appeared in the 1989 Catwoman mini-series by Mindy Newell
and J.J Birch (collected in trade paperback as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper), which retold Catwoman's origin based on Miller's take on the character in Batman: Year One
. In this story, Catwoman leaves Holly at a convent where Selina's sister Maggie is a nun.
Holly's death was ultimately overturned years later, when writer Ed Brubaker
ignored this storyline in order to incorporate Holly into the cast of the 2002 Catwoman series. Brubaker admitted in an interview that he hadn't been aware of Holly's death until after he had reintroduced the character. He addressed this issue in Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1 with a two-page story titled "Why Holly Isn't Dead", in which the fourth wall
is broken as Holly contemplates her own resurrection. It is implied that the Action Comics Weekly story was erased from continuity as a result of Zero Hour.
As established by Brubaker, Holly had run away from a bad home as a child, ending up on the streets. She and Selina had met when Selina rescued Holly from a cop who was trying to extort her. However, when Selina became Catwoman, she left Holly behind. Holly had joined Selina's sister, Maggie, at her convent. However she never felt entirely a part of that world, and a few years afterwards she left the convent with Maggie. After she and Maggie lost track of each other, Holly became addicted to drugs and returned to the streets. In this revision of Holly's history, the events of "The Tin Roof Club" never occurred.
", and finding that Selina has returned, is happily reunited with her friend.
Holly cleans up her act and becomes a sidekick of sorts to Catwoman. She pretends to be part of the street life when in actuality, she is working as Selina's eyes and ears, ferreting out what is happening on the streets of the East End. While on the job, Holly is troubled by the fact that she still views the world from the mindset of a junkie, even though she managed to quit drugs several months before reuniting with Selina. It is also revealed that Holly is a lesbian
.
In the "Relentless" story arc, Black Mask
attempts to destroy Catwoman's life with the help of Sylvia, a childhood friend of Selina's who has a grudge against her. Holly is reunited with her friend Maggie Kyle, but Maggie is kidnapped and tormented by Black Mask. Holly is also beaten and kidnapped, and eventually Holly kills Sylvia to save Selina's life. Holly is severely trauma
tized by these events and isolates herself for a time. She steals some of Maggie's painkiller
s, but doesn't take any of the drugs, and heals to some degree when she reconnects with Selina.
Selina decides that Holly needs some time away from Gotham to heal after the events of "Relentless", and the two embark on a road trip in Catwoman #20-24 (collected in trade paperback as Catwoman: Wild Ride). Selina arranges for Holly to be trained by Ted Grant (Wildcat
). They then travel through several cities before ending up in St. Roch, where it is revealed that Selina and Slam Bradley
have located her brother Davey. She finds him working at a bar and learns that he had also run away, and had traveled around the world.
Later in the series, Holly becomes a den mother to a group of street kids known as the Alleytown Gang, who act as informants for Catwoman.
, DC Comics jumped forward in time. In the "One Year Later
" storyline, Holly Robinson has taken over as the new Catwoman at the request of Selina Kyle, who has decided to retire from the role after becoming pregnant.
In Catwoman #53, Holly Robinson makes her first appearance as Catwoman; at the close of the issue she is ambushed by the Angle Man
. Although Holly escapes, she is caught on film administering a brutal beating to Angle Man. Reluctant to ask Selina for help, Holly turns instead to Ted Grant.
Holly is arrested and takes the blame for the murder of Black Mask
(Selina had actually committed the crime). She is rescued from jail by Selina and takes a short break from being Catwoman. While Selina is getting Holly's name erased from the police database, Holly again suits up as Catwoman to stop a new villainess named Blitzkrieg from executing a young girl on a live video-feed to the internet. Holly manages to save the girl, but not before she is unmasked on the live webfeed.
After the rescue, Holly runs into Detective Lenahan, a Gotham cop who has become fixated on capturing Catwoman. They are confronted by Hammer and Sickle, who want Selina dead, and are perfectly willing to dispose of Holly in the meantime. Lenahan is killed by the Russian supervillains, but Selina arrives in time to save Holly. The police assume that Holly and Catwoman are responsible for Lenahan's death after finding the two women next to his decapitated corpse in Catwoman #67.
Holly and Selina manage to escape from the GCPD and defeat Hammer and Sickle. However, Holly is now wanted for Lenahan's murder and her identity as Catwoman is public knowledge. She exits the series in Catwoman #69 and begins a new life as a fugitive.
.
After some time at the women's shelter, it eventually becomes apparent that Athena, running the shelter, is in fact the nefarious Granny Goodness
who takes to training these women - Holly and Harley among them - to be her new Female Furies
. After they are brought to an island for training, Holly and Harley meet the Amazon queen Hippolyta, and encounter Mary Marvel
. The group reveal Granny's deception. Holly, Harley and Mary follow Granny Goodness as she retreats to Apokolips
. With Mary's help, the group manages to free the Greek gods, and Holly is granted the powers of Diana
(Goddess of the Hunt) as a reward and displays both archery skills and feral, cat-like physical enhancements. After returning to Earth, Holly loses these powers. After witnessing the "Great Disaster" on Earth-51, she returns to Gotham City alongside Jason Todd and Harley, with whom she leaves at the end of the series.
In the first issue of the series Gotham City Sirens
, it is mentioned that Holly no longer lives with Harley Quinn
, and has decided to begin a new life elsewhere with money she received after helping Selina steal Tommy Elliot
's fortune.
training camp. She is proficient in the use the whip, firearms, and knives. As of Countdown to Final Crisis #10, Holly had a portion of the cunning and skill of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt. While she possessed these powers, she was an excellent marksman, and had the ability to track people by their scent. She lost these powers after returning to Earth.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. She was introduced in Batman #404 during Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
story arc.
Holly is a frequent ally and sidekick of Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
. She was trained by Wildcat
Wildcat (comics)
Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes. The first and most famous of these is Ted Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America...
and her friend Selina Kyle, and temporarily became the new Catwoman following the birth of Selina's daughter.
In 2004 Catwoman won a GLAAD Media Award for its positive portrayal of Holly as an openly gay character.
Year One
Holly first appeared in Frank MillerFrank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
as a juvenile
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
prostitute
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
who lives with Selina Kyle. Holly plays a small but significant role in the story when she encounters a disguised Bruce Wayne during one of his early attempts at crimefighting and stabs him in the leg. Wounded by this attack and a subsequent battle, Wayne escapes back to his home, brooding on the fact that his enemies do not fear him. This encounter is an impetus for his creation of the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
persona. As such, Holly plays an indirect role in the Dark Knight's origin.
Holly also appeared in the 1989 Catwoman mini-series by Mindy Newell
Mindy Newell
Mindy Newell is an American comic book writer and editor.-Biography:A longtime fan of comics, particularly of Marvel's Spider-Man, Mindy Newell sent submissions to DC Comics in 1983 at a time when the company was actively looking for new talent...
and J.J Birch (collected in trade paperback as Catwoman: Her Sister's Keeper), which retold Catwoman's origin based on Miller's take on the character in Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
. In this story, Catwoman leaves Holly at a convent where Selina's sister Maggie is a nun.
Death and return
In 1988 Holly appeared in "The Tin Roof Club", from Action Comics Weekly #611-614. In this story, she has married a successful businessman who is actually a mobster. Her new husband has Holly killed off in his quest to reclaim a valuable piece of jewelry that Catwoman stole from one of his safehouses. Unable to link Holly's death to her husband in order for him to be arrested for the crime, Catwoman kills two corrupt security guards in his employment and frames Holly's husband for their murders.Holly's death was ultimately overturned years later, when writer Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker
Ed Brubaker is an Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and cartoonist. Brubaker first early comics work was primarily in the crime fiction genre with works such as Lowlife, The Fall, Sandman Presents: Dead Boy Detectives and Scene of the Crime...
ignored this storyline in order to incorporate Holly into the cast of the 2002 Catwoman series. Brubaker admitted in an interview that he hadn't been aware of Holly's death until after he had reintroduced the character. He addressed this issue in Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1 with a two-page story titled "Why Holly Isn't Dead", in which the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
is broken as Holly contemplates her own resurrection. It is implied that the Action Comics Weekly story was erased from continuity as a result of Zero Hour.
As established by Brubaker, Holly had run away from a bad home as a child, ending up on the streets. She and Selina had met when Selina rescued Holly from a cop who was trying to extort her. However, when Selina became Catwoman, she left Holly behind. Holly had joined Selina's sister, Maggie, at her convent. However she never felt entirely a part of that world, and a few years afterwards she left the convent with Maggie. After she and Maggie lost track of each other, Holly became addicted to drugs and returned to the streets. In this revision of Holly's history, the events of "The Tin Roof Club" never occurred.
Catwoman, the series (volume 3)
Holly reappeared in Catwoman vol. 3 #1. After a series of brutal murders of working girls, Holly returns to the apartment that she and Selina had shared in "Year OneBatman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
", and finding that Selina has returned, is happily reunited with her friend.
Holly cleans up her act and becomes a sidekick of sorts to Catwoman. She pretends to be part of the street life when in actuality, she is working as Selina's eyes and ears, ferreting out what is happening on the streets of the East End. While on the job, Holly is troubled by the fact that she still views the world from the mindset of a junkie, even though she managed to quit drugs several months before reuniting with Selina. It is also revealed that Holly is a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
In the "Relentless" story arc, Black Mask
Black Mask (comics)
Black Mask is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Batman, he first appeared in Batman #386 . Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake.-Dark beginning:...
attempts to destroy Catwoman's life with the help of Sylvia, a childhood friend of Selina's who has a grudge against her. Holly is reunited with her friend Maggie Kyle, but Maggie is kidnapped and tormented by Black Mask. Holly is also beaten and kidnapped, and eventually Holly kills Sylvia to save Selina's life. Holly is severely trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
tized by these events and isolates herself for a time. She steals some of Maggie's painkiller
Analgesic
An analgesic is any member of the group of drugs used to relieve pain . The word analgesic derives from Greek an- and algos ....
s, but doesn't take any of the drugs, and heals to some degree when she reconnects with Selina.
Selina decides that Holly needs some time away from Gotham to heal after the events of "Relentless", and the two embark on a road trip in Catwoman #20-24 (collected in trade paperback as Catwoman: Wild Ride). Selina arranges for Holly to be trained by Ted Grant (Wildcat
Wildcat (comics)
Wildcat is the name of several fictional characters, all DC Comics superheroes. The first and most famous of these is Ted Grant, a long-time member of the Justice Society of America...
). They then travel through several cities before ending up in St. Roch, where it is revealed that Selina and Slam Bradley
Slam Bradley
Samuel Emerson "Slam" Bradley is a fictional character that has appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. He is a private detective who exists in DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe...
have located her brother Davey. She finds him working at a bar and learns that he had also run away, and had traveled around the world.
Later in the series, Holly becomes a den mother to a group of street kids known as the Alleytown Gang, who act as informants for Catwoman.
The new Catwoman
After the events of Infinite CrisisInfinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
, DC Comics jumped forward in time. In the "One Year Later
One Year Later
"One Year Later" was a 2006 storyline event running through the DC Universe. As the title suggests, it involves a narrative jump exactly one year into the future of the DC Comics Universe following the events of the Infinite Crisis event, to explore major changes within the continuities of the many...
" storyline, Holly Robinson has taken over as the new Catwoman at the request of Selina Kyle, who has decided to retire from the role after becoming pregnant.
In Catwoman #53, Holly Robinson makes her first appearance as Catwoman; at the close of the issue she is ambushed by the Angle Man
Angle Man
Angle Man is a fictional DC Comics supervillain.-Publishing history:The Angle Man was created as a recurring foil for Wonder Woman during the period in which Robert Kanigher took over as writer of the comic book....
. Although Holly escapes, she is caught on film administering a brutal beating to Angle Man. Reluctant to ask Selina for help, Holly turns instead to Ted Grant.
Holly is arrested and takes the blame for the murder of Black Mask
Black Mask (comics)
Black Mask is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. An enemy of Batman, he first appeared in Batman #386 . Black Mask was created by Doug Moench and Tom Mandrake.-Dark beginning:...
(Selina had actually committed the crime). She is rescued from jail by Selina and takes a short break from being Catwoman. While Selina is getting Holly's name erased from the police database, Holly again suits up as Catwoman to stop a new villainess named Blitzkrieg from executing a young girl on a live video-feed to the internet. Holly manages to save the girl, but not before she is unmasked on the live webfeed.
After the rescue, Holly runs into Detective Lenahan, a Gotham cop who has become fixated on capturing Catwoman. They are confronted by Hammer and Sickle, who want Selina dead, and are perfectly willing to dispose of Holly in the meantime. Lenahan is killed by the Russian supervillains, but Selina arrives in time to save Holly. The police assume that Holly and Catwoman are responsible for Lenahan's death after finding the two women next to his decapitated corpse in Catwoman #67.
Holly and Selina manage to escape from the GCPD and defeat Hammer and Sickle. However, Holly is now wanted for Lenahan's murder and her identity as Catwoman is public knowledge. She exits the series in Catwoman #69 and begins a new life as a fugitive.
Countdown
Holly first appears in Countdown #47; she rescues an elderly homeless man, moving him away from debris falling from a destroyed building. Homeless herself and on the run for the murder of Black Mask, she is offered a place to stay by a mysterious woman wearing a stola or chiton who goes by the name Athena. Holly accepts the offer to stay at an Athenian Women's Shelter, which houses battered and abused women. One of the residents is a reformed Harley QuinnHarley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
.
After some time at the women's shelter, it eventually becomes apparent that Athena, running the shelter, is in fact the nefarious Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness
Granny Goodness is a fictional character, a deity and supervillain published by DC Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, Granny Goodness was modeled on comedienne Phyllis Diller and first appeared in Mister Miracle vol...
who takes to training these women - Holly and Harley among them - to be her new Female Furies
Female Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
. After they are brought to an island for training, Holly and Harley meet the Amazon queen Hippolyta, and encounter Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel
Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine, originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in Captain Marvel Adventures #18 in...
. The group reveal Granny's deception. Holly, Harley and Mary follow Granny Goodness as she retreats to Apokolips
Apokolips
In the DC Comics fictional shared Universe, Apokolips is the planet ruled by Darkseid, established in Jack Kirby's Fourth World series. It is also integral to many DC Comics stories. The planet is considered the opposite of New Genesis....
. With Mary's help, the group manages to free the Greek gods, and Holly is granted the powers of Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
(Goddess of the Hunt) as a reward and displays both archery skills and feral, cat-like physical enhancements. After returning to Earth, Holly loses these powers. After witnessing the "Great Disaster" on Earth-51, she returns to Gotham City alongside Jason Todd and Harley, with whom she leaves at the end of the series.
In the first issue of the series Gotham City Sirens
Gotham City Sirens
Gotham City Sirens is an American comic book ongoing series written by Paul Dini, with art by Guillem March, and published by DC Comics. The series features some of the most popular female characters that inhabit Gotham City, including Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn...
, it is mentioned that Holly no longer lives with Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
, and has decided to begin a new life elsewhere with money she received after helping Selina steal Tommy Elliot
Hush (comics)
Hush is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, usually as an enemy of Batman. Created by writer Jeph Loeb and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared in Batman #609 , as part of the 12-issue storyline, Batman: Hush...
's fortune.
2011 Relaunch
It has been confirmed that as of the company-wide relaunch that Holly Robinson is no longer a part of the Catwoman and Batman mythos and is not expected to return in any incarnation for the foreseeable future.Skills, resources and abilities
Holly has no meta-abilities. She has been taught stealth, athletics, hot-wiring, lock-picking, thieving, acrobatics, and the martial arts by Selina. Ted Grant trained her in a form of kick-boxing adapted for street use, as well as English boxing. She has also spent time at a Female FuriesFemale Furies
The Female Furies are a group of fictional women warriors appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Mister Miracle #6 , and were created by Jack Kirby.-Team history:...
training camp. She is proficient in the use the whip, firearms, and knives. As of Countdown to Final Crisis #10, Holly had a portion of the cunning and skill of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt. While she possessed these powers, she was an excellent marksman, and had the ability to track people by their scent. She lost these powers after returning to Earth.
Film
- Holly Robinson appears in Batman: Year OneBatman: Year One (film)Batman: Year One is a 2011 animated superhero film based on the four-issue story arc Batman: Year One printed in 1987. It premiered at Comic-Con on July 22 and was officially released October 18, 2011. The film was directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu...
voiced by Liliana MumyLiliana MumyLiliana Berry Davis Mumy is an American teen actress and voice actress. Her most notable roles are as Jessica Baker in the Cheaper by the Dozen movies with Steve Martin, Lucy Miller in The Santa Clause sequels with Tim Allen, Mertle Edmonds on the Disney Channel original series Lilo & Stitch: The...
.
Video games
- In an interview tape in Batman: Arkham City, Hugo StrangeHugo StrangeProfessor Hugo Strange is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, as an adversary of Batman. He first appeared in Detective Comics #36 , and is one of Batman's first recurring villains, preceding the Joker and Catwoman by several months...
threatens to put Holly in Arkham City if Catwoman continues to try stealing from him, causing Catwoman to threaten killing Strange if he ever does something to Holly. Strange is forced to threaten Holly's life multiple times during other tapes when Selina acts defiantly, though in the final tape Hugo tells Catwoman Holly is safe, and that he has no interest in Holly unless she lands herself in Arkham City. As Holly never has any physical or vocal presence in the game, her fate in the game is unknown, though it is likely she remained out of Arkham City.