The Batman series is an incredible inspiration. It’s got some of the best villains. I guess that’s why I loved the original TV series and later movies so much. I know a lot of kids grew up looking to Batman for inspiration and general hero worship. But when I was a kid, it was Catwoman I truly wanted to be. Really, why be a bat when you could be a cat?

Back in the day, Catwoman was played by the fabulous actress, Eartha Kitt. Her accent and body language hinted at the mysterious. Everything a little girl tries to be, young and mysterious. Later in Batman movies, Catwoman is played by Michelle Pfeiffer. I’ll never forget the opening when Catwoman first meets Batman. There is a moment when they are frozen looking at each other. Catwoman says one thing, “Meow.” A giant explosion is directly behind her distracting her exit. How could anyone not want to be that cool?

Of course, the heroes of any comic book tend to inspire. Do the villains? I’d rank the wanting to be Catwoman similar to wanting to be Tabitha from Bewitched. I saw the characters on TV and tried to imitate them. But when I was older, Catwoman took on a new meaning. She was caught between the need to be good, but kept falling to the wayside. But that is probably why we like the villains in any comic series. They walk the line between good and bad.

Villains inspire us to try to be good. Catwoman would sometimes try, but just kept slipping. She wasn’t perfect, like most of us might feel a lot of the time. But really, where would the line for good and evil be if we didn’t have the villains to draw it in the first place?

To all of you celebrating the inspiration of comic books at Comic Con, don’t forget the villains. They help give the heroes the reason to fight, draw the line on what is bad, and entertain us with their next attempt to rule the world. What happens next is up to them.

Information to Note: Eartha Kitt played Catwoman on the classic Batman series in the last two years of its run. Michelle Pfeiffer played Catwoman in the second Batman movie, Batman Returns(1992). For more information, link to batman.wikia.com.