Huntress redesigned with more of her parents, Batman and Catwoman, in mind

Tom King has tweeted new art by Clay Mann showing off a new redesign for Helena Wayne (a.k.a. The Huntress). This is apparently art tied to March 2021's Batman/Catwoman #4 - whose solicitation and covers are expected to be revealed later this week.

This redesign is a dramatic departure from 2016's design by Yanick Paquette, or even the one preceding it - 2003's Jim Lee design. Gone is the domino mask, and in its place is a pointy-eared cowl like her parents' costumes - particularly reminiscent of the original 1939 Batman design by Bill Finger.

And it could be the style of Clay Mann, but there appears to be a yellow light-up Bat emblem. Taking that and the shoulder pieces, it gives off an almost Neon Genesis Evangelion vibe.

Taking a step back, though, it's only speculation this is Huntress - it says "Hello Helena." Perhaps in this continuity, she's not Huntress but takes on the other family name as Batwoman or Batgirl. The mainstream continuity Huntress took on the name 'Batgirl' during the 'No Man's Land' event.

King and Mann's Batman/Catwoman takes place in several time periods, including one set in the future featuring a grown-up Helena and an elderly Selina Wayne. In this future Bruce Wayne is dead - and the women in his life seek revenge on those they believe are responsible.

While this Huntress design is new and striking, it's unclear if it's a one-off for this series or could see a life beyond it. Batman/Catwoman is outside of DC's main continuity, but King told Newsarama he hopes that it will eventually redefine the main continuity similar to Batman: The Killing Joke.

This Huntress design art is pegged by King's tweet to be in Batman/Catwoman #4, but that's not to say the costume - or Helena herself - couldn't pop up sooner. Batman/Catwoman #2 goes on sale on January 19, with the third issue following February 16.

Keep up to speed on all the new Dark Knight comic books with our list of the new Batman comics, graphic novels, and collections in 2020 and beyond.

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Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)