Hiya.
Since I get these a lot, I’m actually going to make a FAQ thing. Yay.
Why Talia?
I find her to be an extremely fascinating character. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved female villains, so Talia’s more villainous nature appeals to me on that level. I think her struggle between being a villain and a heroine/anti-heroine is one of the strongest character stories in the DCU. While I was a Batman/Catwoman shipper growing up, I eventually came to prefer Talia’s relationship with him. Both relationships are complex, but there’s an intensity in Talia’s that makes their story, in my humble opinion, epic. Furthermore, I see Talia as a balance of several things in general, and I like the dynamic that balance creates. She’s not always a good person, but she’s never truly a bad person. She can be immensely selfish one moment and heartbreakingly selfless in another. She often means well, but her intentions don’t always translate into her actions. She’s just as dangerous as she is beautiful. And she can also provide the occasional comic relief with her haughtiness.
Why did you make this Tumblr?
I was inspired by Harley’s Haven (THE compendium of Harley-related stuff), and I felt that Talia fans deserved a similar resource. However, I’m too lazy and too tech-illiterate to make my own website, so I parked it on Tumblr. I also feel that Tumblr allows for easier communication with fellow fans.
Why is your URL “katefatale” and not something to do with Talia?
I’ve been posting on various comics forums and other sites as Kate Fatale for a few years, so it seemed like a reasonable URL. Now a fair number of people seem to know it and associate it with Talia fandom; furthermore, a lot of people have linked to my page in their posts, and if I change my URL, their links will break, so I figure I should keep it.
Is Kate your real name?
Nope. I kind of wish it were, though. No point keeping it secret since an increasing number of people know it and use it to refer to me: my real name is Tosha. Fun fact: I was named after a dog.
What do you do all day?
I’m actually a PhD student right now, studying gothic/horror literature and film. I’m trying to become fairly active in the academic community, and have written a few conference papers and journal articles, some of which do involve comics. I also have a freelance writing gig.
Who’s your favorite comic book villain?
Ra’s al Ghul.
Besides Ra’s…
In no particular order: Bane, Nyssa Raatko, Harley Quinn, Scarecrow, Clayface, Joker, Poison Ivy… hell, I like all the Gotham rogues, really. Outside of Gotham, I’m quite fond of Lex Luthor.
Who do you ship Talia with?
Talia/Bruce is my OTP. That being said, I really loved her relationship with Jason Todd and fully support them as a pairing.
How do you feel about Grant Morrison making Talia evil?
Here’s the thing. I love me some female villains. And while I prefer Talia to be the morally ambiguous woman she has traditionally been, if she’s going to be a villain for Morrison’s purposes, I want her to be the best damn villain out there, more powerful than all of the others combined. Which Leviathan is.
How do you feel about Catwoman?
Love her. I actually credit her with inspiring my love for comics as a child.
I’m new to Talia. What would you recommend to people who don’t know anything about her?
Get thee to Tales of the Demon! (Warning: contains 70s cheesiness.)
I hate Talia.
Good for you, I guess.
